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

time, had been left behind, and the
girls were coming down a small hill
covered with the lush, heady greens
Of Oregon's uncultivated shrubbery.
At the foot Of the hill service
station sprouted, shining red and
white in the sun. Mary Frances
clutched Ermintrude'- arm.
''Therel she said. I'll stop in
there and fix up. They have a
ladies rest room. It will be better
than going on down to Planners, like
we'd planned"
Il don't hardly think they'll let
you" Ermintrude objected With
out a car or anything"
They'd just better try to stop
me" threatened Mary Frances. She
was a female thing, questing for
love and beauty. Her tiny nostrils
dilated slightly.
TINE attendant at the service sta
l. ton, pleasantly named Albert
Jolly and as British as "Zed," had
noticed two girls, whom he might
have described as sweetly comely,
approach and cross his graveled
corner.
He had noticed them, and busy
with his pumps and his oil cans,
he had promptly forgotten them.
He was vaguely startled, fifteen
minutes later, when he saw the two
young persons again in his graveled
corner.
Albert was at an age when all
youth looked much and beautifully
alike to him. Still, he had retained
an impression that the blue little
lady was a bit more agreeable to
the eye than was the stockier brown
little lady.
He looked again at the blue little
lady, and his eyes opened wide, and
his jaw went down trifle, and
murmuring and distinctly troubled
he returned to his pumps and oil
cans.
Mary Frances had resolved that.
for once in her life, she was going
to look decent. The lipstick, which
had done double duty for cheeks
and lips, had been purloined from
Cecily, as had the clown white DOW
der, undimmed by the tan and the
pink powders with which Cecily
carefully blended it.
The cork for the eyelashes and
eyebrows had been burned in Err
mlntrude'S bedroom the night be-
fore; the bluing for the eyelids had
been removed from the large bottle
in the Hills kitchen to a small vial
that morning.
There could be no doubt as to the
altered appearance of Mary
Frances. Ermintrude, looking again
at her friend as they left the gravel
and gained the sidewalk, declared,
You're a perfectly ravishing beau
ty, Mary-Frances, darling. And, my,
but you look old! Honest, no
tooling, you look almost-iaded."
Which was delivered as high hon.
age, and which was so received.
THE girls went on, past Rosy
l. meade'S Development and
Realty Company, down Tanner
street, past Ike Crombley's New and
Second Hand Furniture Company.
past the Sans Souci Apartments,
past the post showing the sign,
"FenWick avenue; and if the old
street, dappled with sunshine
through its spreading locust trees.
attempted enticements or invoca-
tons they were neither seen nor
heard.
A rounded corner brought Mary
Frances and Ermintrude to Mrs.
Van Slycke's Delicatessen Shop,
and automatically they stopped be-
lore its windows; fascinating salads,
golden with mayonnaise; bowls of,
creamy cottage cheese; cakes tower
ing luscious layers of cocoanut and
Chocolate; hams, cut to pinks own
projections; olives Oily green, and
pungent dill pickles, and pies, and
little rolls-all only glass window
away at 4 o'clock on warm spring
hungry afternoon.
I'm starved" stated Ermintrude.
I'm just naturally starved. Let's
hurry right back to our house and
get something to eat We went to
your house yesterday"
Mary Frances, too, was torn by
the teeth of hunger, but path and
purpose lay clear before her, and,
though she turned from the window
with a heart-heavy sigh, she took
Ermintude's arm and pulled it and
said, "Oh, for PHYS sake! Come
on, can't your"
Ermintrude's opposition, which,
possibly because of the amazing
success attending the venture for
beauty, had been constrained since
the girls had left the service sta
ton, now gushed forth, surcharged
with feeling.
Eyes, but, Mary Frances Fenwick,
I don't think you ought to. think