The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-06-03


 hope the let etrcOmes and she slips away for an interview with MT Gay lord. She is nervous but elevated to ecstasy when presented with a contract. The flaw In her happiness is that she fears Tommy will think she had robbed Irene.
 NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
 CHAPTER XIV
 Wouldn't Tommy believe, now that she'd got contract to sing at the broadcasting station where Irene had hoped to trill her soprano notes, that she had robbed her sis ter of her chance?
 This was the thought that marred Beryrs joy. Wouldn't it look as if there might be something in the charges Irene had brought against her? Tommy might be fair but he was infatuated.
 Yes, that was just what he was, Beryl thought angrily. Simply in- fatuated. And an infatuated man could believe anything that had a semblance of truth in it.
 She was more disappointed in having her satisfaction with the days events lessened than she cared to own. She couldn't take lightly the possibility that Tommy would misjudge her. But it did seem that something in life ought to be perfect. And if she couldn't be blindly, joyously elated at this
 She arrived home exasperated with her depression. What do I care what anyone thinks?" she had said to herself over and over before she got there, Tommy Wilson is nothing to me"
 But it did no good. She said nothing to anyone about the pre- cious contract until the family were at dinner. Then she spoke of it quietly. looking across the table at her mother.
 q don't suppose Dad told you that I went to town to-day" she remarked. And then. before her mother coulud reply, she hurried on: "I was called in to sing again at RKG for Mir Gaylord, the soap man. He's putting on an advertising cam paign to popularize Velvetan - his new summer soap-and he wanted someone who wasn't either sing CT or a crooner and
 "Good heavens! Stop and get your breath" her mother exclaimed. What are you talking about!"
 Well, if you hadn't stopped me I'd have told you. It seems that I'm like that-neither a singer nor a. crooner-and he liked my voice and I'm to sing on his radio hour. They're going to call me the Vel yetan Girl with the velvet voice"
 She could not resist a glance at Irene who, had been troubled with high blood pressure, undoubtedly would have been threatened with apoplexy.
 after q struggle to get her breath. Therefore there was much commo- tion at the Everett family dinner ta- ble for a good half hour.
 Beryl lost her depression and en- joyed her triumph. They'd been treating her pretty shabbily and she was intensely human.
 When it was all over Irene was upstairs declaring she wouidh : stand for it. She'd leave home 1T her mother allowed Beryl to make a laughing stock out of her like that Everyone knew shed had a voice test and hadn't got anything out of it, That was humiliation enough without this!
 And Mrs Everett was on the iv- ing room couch trying to ward OH a sick headache with an ice pack She didn't want Beryl near her so the girl whose good news had caused a volcanic eruption In the family drove disconsolately away from the house in her old car to pick up some of the gang and tell them she'd got the contract.
 And so, you see," she ended soft, ly. "there is a fairy godmotner ana a magic wand. after all. Don't ever forget that, men. Some day some of YOU may doubt it-but you never know what's just around the cor ner." ,.
 One of the boys-Pigmy- confirmed uneasily, Well. what yom SO sad about it for?" he asked.
 "Sad?" Beryl echoed and laughed. "I'm crying with joy" she said pe- cause she guessed they'd seen the elint of tears in her eyes.
 "Say," Mike exclaimed suddenly. "Well have to send you flowers!
 "Flowers?" |,
 Sure for your your ue he paused, helplessly involved witn the word he'd been practiclng 10 spring on Pigmy the first cnance he got. Mike had an older sister who liked to think of her first party as her debut and call 1t that, too,
 "Debutt," Pigmy aided him. and got nothing but grunt of disgust in thanks. Pigmy. too, had an old CT sister who had been overheard discussing her friends debut"
 Lets leave the French until we hecome musketeers," Beryl adVised. "Ill love the flowers
 She had in mind q huge puncn of blooms, surreptitiously piucRed from neighborhood gardens. But Mike disabused her mind or the idea that N would be done in any