Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-28
Continued from Ninth Page

Continued from Ninth Page
back to her cottage and was able to flop down
in the hammock on my own front porch
Well Orlandos trip to New York didn't do his
game any good; he'd found out that he and his
wife would have to be leaving Marys Neck
pretty soon for some concert engagements be-
fore the opera season. and the thought of
departure must nave thrown him of his form
I beat him II games straight the night after
he got back. and in his disgrace he turned out
to be pretty unphilosophical, because he fol-
lowed me out to the front gate explaining how
accidental the whole thing had been. OF course,
I tainted him some and he shook his fist at
me as 1 went on toward our cottage. you
come over here tomorrow night" he said. keep
ing his voice down, Of course, for fear OF
waxing Nine. Palma up. I'm show You who's
the best man"
It seemed to me a pity that he was going
away so soon after I'D made myself his master,
and I wasn't the only one in our family to be
sorry that the Wilicoxes were leaving. Our
older daughter Cla;isSa, 1t seems, had developed
what Enid called a crush on the great prina
DONNA and the morning after Orlandos checker
disgrace ClariSsa left big bunch Of flowers
at the door of the Ballingcr cottage, and pretty
soon Nine. Palma sent maid over for her
to come and be thanked. Clarissa had a grand
time because Nine. Palma took one of her
kept her with her all afternoon, and sang for
her and took her for drive. and then kept
her for dinner, too; so that the way Clar1SSa
told us about it when she came home you'd
have thought she was the most intimate friend
Mime. Palma had in the world.
She was even more so the next day. because
the same thing happened. Clarissa didn't
come home until after dinner when was just
about to go over and give Orlando another
lesson. She told her mother and me Nine
Palma asked her to call her Fiametta, which
Clarissa certainly did. and as she talked on it
was all Fiamatta this and Fiametta that. Il
think Fiametta would rather like Enid, too"
CiarisSa said. Il don't mean to say that
Fiametta would ever feel the same intimacy
with her that she does with me, because Ends
too young of course but she said could bring
Enid over some time before they go, and I'm
sure Fiamettan be lovely to her"
Enid had been out for dinner, too: but just
then she walked in and she heard the last Of
what Clarissa was saying. mo. thank you,"
she said. II guess the Massey family had better
be o little careful agout getting mixed up any
more than they are with Nine. Fianetta
Palma"
She said it In snappy kind OF excited way
and her mother and Glarissa both asked her
what on earth she meant by such q speech
So she told u.s. and by the time she got through
I wished she hadn't. Shed been TO dinner at
Bullhnch who's about Ends own age. ID Or 49,
MRS Dalrymple was there, and got so busy talk"
ing I'D at Mrs. BullfinchS end OF the table
that for q minute she must have forgotten
Enid because she raised her voice and Enid
heard the words MT Masseys misbehaxior"
Mrs Bullfnch stopped her there. but after
dinner Enid got Eddie Bnllfnch alone and
asked him If he knew what his mother and
Mrs Dalrymple had been talking about. He
said he did, because eyeI ybody did. but he pre-
ferred not to tell except it was something about
Mime Palma, and o whole lot Of talk about
that italian Orlandos being Jealous and going
to kin sOmebody-Eddie didn't wish to say who
except that it was q person that had been
going there after dark Al the time and was
eften seen crawling eat Through the hedge
pretty late. Enid asked him why Orlando Was
going to kill this person. and he told her be-
cause Mrs Dalrymple had been sitting by her
window one night lately and heard Orlando
telling the person in o hOarse voice that II he
came round there any more he'd Ak him.
Then Enid asked Eddie whose hedge the
person was supposed to crawl through, and he
got 30 tangled up with the questions she put
to him as fast as she could that he had to
tell her the whole thing right out I was the
person Eddie hadn't wished to mention, and
the whole Of Mary's Neck was lust seething. !"
Enid said shed come straight home to tell US.
YOU could see Enid was pretty indignant. but
expected to make o big sensation in the
family and she was fairly successful. except
with her mother. Mrs. Massey was little kind
of mad ct first. maybe. but more struck with
the ahsurtiity of the thing and inclined to take
it as o good deal Of q JOKE on me- couldn't
see 1t IN that light myself: began to feel pretty
upset. and the way both Clarissa and Enid took
Ert lie less so