The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-18
CHAPTER NINE

Il RMINTRUDE, plumper and less
~ favored with positive pretti-
ness than was Mary-Frances, and
hence her satellite, received the ac-
cusation at least indifferently.
Since 8 o'clock the previous eve
ming, emitting only the few grudged
hourse given to sleep toward dawn,
and the stupid interval spent in the
high school classrooms, Mary
Frances had talked increasingly Of
her approaching romance.
That she herself was slightly
bored with the affair, Ermintrude
would not have admitted. That she
was fearful of proceeding further
into it, Ermintrude had been admit
ting repeatedly and more and more
urgently for eighteen hours.
YES" said Mary-Frances, that
is the trouble with you, Ermin-
trude."
What is?" asked Ermintrude.
THAT you're like my sisters, Ann
and Cecily. told you. They think
any old thing like their jobs, or
keeping that old house of ours for
Grand and Rosalie, or my education,
even, is more important than love-"
Everybody says" contributed Err
mintrude, that your sisters are aw-
fully good girls"
We'll" said Mary Frances, as if
the discussion had been one of ra-
cial characteristics and Ermintrude
had remarked that Ann and Cecily
were white, "of course they're good.
Why shouldn't they be good?"
Anyway" said Ermintrude, 81
don't think you'd better, Mary
Frances, I don't, honestly"
This tendency on the part of her
friend for taking long backward
conversational leaps instead of ad-
vancing in order had ever been, for
Mary-Frances, a trying tendency.
At the moment it was more ex-
asperating than usual, because Err
mintrude knew, since she had been
thoroughly informed, that Mary
Frances's whole life's happiness de-
pended upon successfully carrying
through this coming venture.
"Ermintrude HILL" said Mary
Frances, sometimes you make me
just sick and disguised"
Last night" said Ermintrude,
resuming her habits, retrograde,
you said yourself that there wasn't
another girl in M. H. S. who you'd
talk to like you did me about life
and living and everything.
Last night" Mary Frances con-
coded, ''ycu were all right. You
understood about ideals, and the
Importance of love and everything.
Il don't know what's got into you
today. I guess you just don't care
about my LIES happiness being
fulfilled nor anything"
Il do, too" said Ermintrude, "but
just the same I don't think you
should go back and pick up strange
men on the street"
"THAT'S nice, isn't it?" reproved
i Mary Frances bitterly. and
it was you your own self, over the
phone last night, that said all about
soul crying to soul and everything"
We'll" Ermintrude gloomily ad-
mitted, maybe I did. But just the
same, if mother and daddy should
find out that I picked up a strange
man on the street they'd kill me.
They'd just naturally kill me-that'S
all"
II suppose" said Mary Frances,
spuriously matching Ermintrude's
gloom, that you expect to get a
long ways with your stage career,
and receive ovations and every
thing, without a bit of bravery. Not
even a teeny bit of bravery"
To-day, during algebra said Err
mintrude, IT kind of got to thinking
about Peter, and I just almost de-
cided to give up the stage for a
career"
If Ermintrude, with this thin
wedge, had hoped to open a discus
sion of her own affairs, her hopes
were unavailing. ,Rosymeade, by this