The Washington times., 1931-03-27
Life, Love and Adventures
Of a Modern Cinderella
CHAPTER 81

After Mary Lou had left her,
Delight Hartford took counsel
with herself She had, for some
years, been her own best-and
worst-adviser, guide, philoso-
pher, mentor and friend. She
had liked the younger girl. She
had felt for her that curious
mixture of tolerance, pity and
impatience with which a woman
of her experience regards a
girl of Mary Louis type. She
thought her honest and candid,
and mistaken. For. argued De
light, if she really loves Lorry
and has persuaded him to love
her, what a fool she is to
throw it all away without a
battle! For much as she had
come to dislike Lorrimer's un-
known mother. Delight could
see he-' point of view and was
frank to admit to herself that
in Mrs. Lorrimer's place she
would commit just the sins of
omission she imagined the other
woman was planning.
Mary Lou had asked Delight
to give her a week in which
to change Mrs. Lorrimer's mind.
Delight was perfectly willing.
She would not approach the
Lorrimers, and yet, she began
to think it wise that she have
them looked up in some way,
shape or form. She wanted. to
be very sure of her ground. She
had not made any promise to
Mary Lou which would pre-
clude such a procedure.
The following day was Satur-
day. Delight went through the
familiar motions of the matinee
and evening performances me-
chanically enough, deeply pre-
occupied with her own amazing
and unexpected problem. After
the Saturday night show she
Joined a party of other girls
who we're going out to Long Is
land with half a dozen men.
Among them was an elderly per-
son, a stock broker, whose air
upon this occasion: was that OF
the small boy who sneakS be-
hind the barn to smoke a for"
hidden cigarette. Delight made
herself verv agreeable to him.
And in the course of the, to her,
rather monotonous evening, she
inquired carelessly about "peo-
ple called Lorrimer. Shed
known the son of the family at
one time, she said, many years
ago.
Concerning the LOrrimers
Mr.. Evanson obligingly ex-
patiated upon the Lorrimers,
their social position, their vast
amount of money, which, he
explained, was soaked away
in real estate - apartments
mostly, with some hotel hold.
ings, Government bonds and
such and therefore probably as
free from the inroads of the
late Stock Market disaster as
anybody's could be. He spoke
of Margaret, whom he had
once met, "a beautiful woman"
he said. And then added idly
that he had heard the son
was, unfortunately, an invalid.
"Shell-shocked, or something,
said Mr.. Evanson. mo one
sees him, and his mother rarely
goes out now. It used to be
quite an event when she ap-
peared at the opera with Lor-
rimer, senior. He was a re-
markable man." droned Mr.
Evanson.
"They live in the country,
do they not?" asked Delight,
with her most English accent
and most bored Mayfair manner.
I'm. Connecticut. At West
mill. I understand they have
a gorgeous place there" sigh
ed Mr.. Evanson. Them as
has, gets! Some people have eli
the luck and the lucky
breaks as well. Take my case,
Miss Hackett, two years ago I
bought a block of United Fish
cries"
He wandered on, but Delight
was no longer listening. She
watched, idly, the crowded
dancing floor, the orchestra OF
black and perspiring men, the
whorls of blue smoke rising
to the low ceiling, heard the
chatter and the laughter, the
hysterical shrieks of a woman
at a nearby table, listened to
one of her apartment-mates
quarreling with the silly college
boy who sat next to her
She Makes Her Plans
"I thought you were a good
egg. You make me tired, you
boys. Something for nothing:
that's all you think Of. Well, I
wasn't born yesterday" the
lovely Muriel was saying-ard
it was obvious that she had
not been-while she grew more
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