Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-25

| Tommy DeIamater swung hef around
at every time take my eyes off
her small board and acted as secretary
and companion and seemed to enjoy
| it all very much indeed. And she hao
won Kingsway village, in her year
there, and Kingsway village looked
with approval on her likelihood of WIN
ming spoiled Tommy Delamater, social
and financial prize though he was OF
| the younger crowd.
She slid through the long window
and dashed up to her room to fly into
| her red georgette and run a comb
through her burnt-gold curlS. In five
minutes Tommy Delamater would be
coming down the road.
Being on the edge of actual engage
ment is a delightful time. Helen was
not quite sure, but sure enough to be
a little proud, little hooking and to
show an intenser depth and color and
sparkle. And to fiirt just little more
with the other boys. But when 1t was
Tommy who was near, the depth and
color and sparkle heightened fourfold
Even now, at the thought of Tommy
Tommy stopping by to take her with
him, to go out and secure a final effect
of fading light for the little motion
picture camera which was his newest
enthusiasm, her heart quickened.
He was tall and slouching and
big-boned His face was homely, and
yet somehow handsome at times, de-
| spite the irregularities of nose and high
cheek bones and Ratchet jaw.
He was rather notwithstanding
an exciting person. Well as she knew
him, eaSy-going Helen half-conSciously
found herself getting along with him,
adjusting to him, smoothing him down
She never knew whether eXtravagant
fattery or furious, uncalledfor temper
was coming uppermoSt Back OF every
mood was a dash of ingratiating sweet
! ness, the sweetness of the spoiled little
boy who knows you won't be angry.
And finally, half the girls of Kingsway
had tried to marry Tommy before
Helen Heather came up from Maryland
to keep her widowed cousin company
and work at the First National Bank
for Amos Delamater. Helen, who would
have been more than human If she
hadn't been little proud of Tommy S
preference.
Tommy She leaned out from the
porch half unconSciously. He would
come Looping along in a minute now,
with his camera over his shoulder and
his tripod sticking out of his pocket.
But 1t wasn't Tommy after all. 1t
was only Mr.. KingsWay, for whose
great-great- grandfather the town had
been named.
She watched him with dimmed inter
est. He walked with quick, easy trained
grace, instead of Tommy's lovable rock
ing lope, and the sun Shone on fair,
slightly ruffled hair instead Of polished
blackness. He was Straighter than
Tommy, and more strongly built, and
everything, from his felt hat to his
! kl,nk N
Helen seemed annoying precision.
| She wouldn't have minded anybody
| but Ethan Kingsway. Ethan, whose
manner to Helen always had some
thing disturbing in It; Ethan, the only
man Helen knew by whom she didn't
/ feel approved. He was supposed rather
to dislike all womens
1t wasn't that hes wasn't polite to
them. 1t was. rather, that his polite
ness had in it something cool, de-
| tached He did not avoid women. For
| Ethan to pay a girl attention was a
cachet; at the same time it was so
clearly attention without intention that
only the most confident or the most
| foolish hoped for any chance OF be-
coming the mistress of the beautiful
ancient Kingsway estate. the excellent
Kingsway income, and the best social
position in town.
why it should be me he has 1t in
! for" she said half aloud, petulantly
when it was Nina who broke her en-
gagement to him at the mature age of
! 81, and married Horace. before he ever
knew I livedi And he's as easy and
nice with her as you please, and al
ways assumes I'm the lowest form of
standardized flapper"
She sat down, crossed her knees os-
| tentatiously, reached into her handbag
and began to make very black the
lashes which she preferred, usually, as
they were, being brown-gold and long
enough by nature. She liked shocking
| people who disapproved of her. Espe-
cially such impeccable ones as Ethan.
He was 50 impeccable! He owned a
| limestone quarry. also coal lands near
Wilkes-Barre. He owned a beautiful
walled estate on the outskirts of the
town; the town, named for his fore
bears, had grown up near 1t. He
! played polo very well. He belonged to
the Rose Valley hunt, and was a good
riGer He also possessed an invalid
mother whom Nina didn't like, and a
| luxurious dark green roadster which
she did.
You couldn't go on roughing your
mouth forever. She eyed him under
the freshly mascared lashes as he
sauntered whistling up the walk.
She picked up the tune and began
to sing softly, in her pretty, light voice:
IT had a little nut-tree-
Nothing would IL bear,
But silver nutmeg
And q golden pear,
The King of SPANS daughter
She came to visit me
All for the sake Of my
| Little nut-treei"
do you know that?" he said, with
what sounded almost pleased sur
prise. II thought nobody knew nursery
rhymes any more"
"Of course know it," said Helen
with spirit. why wouldn't I? My
mother used to sing me to sleep
with it,"
why do you suppose the King of
SPANS daughter came to visit? Why
wasn't it any other persona"
I'm tell you the reason, hope
some other time. But now--will you
give your cousin q message for me?"
Anything" said Helen, yawnine
with an exaggerated carelessness. .ii