Evening star., 1931-12-29
CHAPTER III.

Y UPSTAIRS, alone in her own bed
room, Judith changed into her
travelling suit. ,u,,,-. ~. :,
ever up here in the quiet, hear
ing the muffied, soft roar Of voices down
below in the front Of the house. Surely
this WITS not her wedding day. :. 1t
was more unbelievable than ever as she
took off the big white tulle hat which
framed her face and slipped out of the
white georgette dress, the whole affair
increasing in strangeness as her image
in the mirror grew familiar. She care
fully folded the dress and tucked it into
the packed trunk awaiting the express
man by the window.
Her wedding dress :. How often
in childhood days had she and Rosa
mond Curley planned their wedding
gowns. White satin they were to be,
with long trains.
1t was part Of the changed order Of
things that she should be wearing a
ready-made dress, which she had driven
over to Laceyville to buy three days be-
fore. A dress turned out by factory
for no one in particular. 1t had not
even fitted her. Miss Buckbee, the
Seamstress, had to be called in to make
the necessary alterations. There had
been no time to have an outfit made.
Stan had to get back to his own home
town. They had to marry in haste.
Her going-away suit was her Easter
suit. She remembered how she had
saved for it for two months after pay
ing Aunt Hetty her board money. Judy's
So larry as assistant librarian at the Sum-
merfield Circulating Library had been
small and the price of many denied
ice cream soda, of a movie admission,
had gone into that gray crepe suit.
She had made the hat which went with
it. Judy had knack with hats-eYen
these smart, close-fitting felts.
The rope of pearls about her throat
had belonged to her dead mother. Moth
ing new about the outfit-nothing but
the circlet of diamonds on her left
hand-that ring which said she be-
longed to Stan Garter.
Stan had not given her an engage
ment ring. There had not been time for
that. But this wedding ring had all
the splendor Of an engagement ring
Diamonds and platinum-nothing like
it had ever been seen in Summerfield
before. Stan said he had driven over
to Laceyville, the county seat, and
bought it. Laceyville was bigger than
Summerfield, of course, but Judy was
surprised anything so exquisite could be
found in its jewelry stores. 1t made her
realize something she had lost sight of
in the rush Of the past few days. She
was marrying a rich man-rbch as such
things are counted in this town, that is.
Everything ready-the trunk closed
and locked. One more look at the bag
gage tag to make sure that it was prop
erly addressed.
Mrs. Stanley Carter,
Lockwood, California.
How odd to think that she was Mrs.
Stanley Carter of Lockwood, Calf!
She paused for moment at the door,
her eyes rowing around the room in
silent good-by-thiS quiet white room
which has been her own as far back as
she could remember. E. The writing
desk which Ken Baker had made for
her in his manual training class at
high school and given to her for q
graduation present Poor Ken-he was
going to miss her.
The pear tree peeking in between
the white frilled Swiss curtains. Judy's
mind brushed the memory of Summer
days when she played dolls under its
branches with Rosamond Curley or
Maudie Wstsen-long, golden after
moons dreaming up in the boughs with
pOOk. NIBl1CS WueIl she IdO lain III pea
listening to the warm Spring rains
dripping from the leaves. When the
pear tree bloomed next Spring she
wouldn't be here to see it Perhaps the
pear tree was doomed. This house, this
old place which had been a home for
70 years, had been sold to Mr.. Arnett,
the banker. He was going to put three
modern bungalows on the ground.
Everything had changed
Hot, unshed tears in her throat
choked back when she heard Phils
booming whisper up the stairs.
For the love of Pete, Mrs. Carter,
what the heck's keeping you? STAINS
out here champing on the bit Come
on-the engines running. You can
make a grand sneakaway!".
The next issue of the Summerfield
Argus was to describe this wedding to-
day as lone of the social events of the
year" Miss Helena Higgensbothem, So
ciety editor, was one of the guests eat
ing cake and coffee now in the front
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