The Daily Alaska empire., 1931-12-14

coated, black bearded man. Ven ice stayed in her own room when they took her mother away. Hear ing the footsteps in the hall, some thing within her welled and broke. She flung herself on her bed in a paroxysm of grief The funeral ser vice, the cemetery, nothing could be so final and separating as this. Desperation swept her. The telephone rang. She slowly forced herself to rise from the bed, pushed strands of limp copper hair back from her eyes and picked up the receiver. "H-hello." Hi, Venice; it's Johnny. A hangover"
 No. My mother has died sud- denly"
 It was like nightmare conver- sation. Silly yet dreadful.
 "What!"
 "Yes."
 "Oh, Venice, I'm so sorry. Ter -is there anything I can do for you?"
 No, thank you. Goodbye, John- n.y."
 She put down the receiver on his tumbled words of pity. She never thought of him again. But this touch from the sane, untroubled world without gave her a sudden equilibrium.
 I must have black clothes, she thought, and rose to don hat and coat. Thcce was knock.
 "Qui est la?"
 Doctor Hawks"
 Come in" She turned to smile wanly at him. You've been so kind"
 That's all right, my dear. Why, where are you going?" ITO buy some black things"
 "Yes, I see. Are-are you going to stay on here?"
 1T hadn't thought"
 of course. Perhaps after the funeral you might change to ar1- other hotel"
 T would like to move afterwards. When-when will the funeral be?"
 whenever you like. DO you think the day after tomorrow"
 "Yes."
 "The American Church and any cemetery that the consul thinks suitable?"
 'sYes, please"
 And are there people at home you'd like to cable
 Mrs. Spalding of course. And uncle Livingstone and Aunt Ruthie in Richmond and her fathers sis- ter, her aunt Laura in Boston. She found pencil and paper.
 What about money, by the way?"
 Mother and I have-had a joint letter of credit on the Bankers Trust"
 T see. But must you really go out now?"
 "Yes." She couldn't stay here by herself. She needed black clothes
 Nothing really lived in her recol- lection of the next twenty-four hours. Buying the black clothes and leaving dresses at the dyers she might as well have been an automaton.
 And then the American church in the Rue de Berri. She and Doc tor Hawks sat in a front pew and the coffin was before them piled with the flowers that she had bought. And under the mass oi living green and gardneia white her mother lay dead It seemed un- believeable. It seemed only min. ute ago that her mother was say ing with her face alight, You mus wear your new turquoise chiffon. : Would the turquoise chiffon dyei But one didn't wear decollett dresses in mourning. No, of cours.
 
 not. But her mother had said that Venice mustn't nope. zelli'. seemed years ago. That absurd camel. Those men in the legs They would die, too, some day Everything died. Oh, God, how short and terrifying life was.
 Come, my dear.'
 She started. Doctor Hawks hane on her arm and they were walking out of the church.
 The cemetery presented battal ion of meaningless stones, thei , harsh outlines blurred through he tears.
 Dear God, she prayed, be gooS to her. Make her not mind. , Two days later Venice moved tx the Louis-Le-Grand.