The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-03-05

at the club do smoke--they're not her guests and we are. tell you, there's sort of conventionality
 about. preachers families, and you
 don't fit in.''
 T won't smoke any more,v Cot l ton said meekly.
 And just kindly cut out sneaking
 into the Kitchen, too" said Speed.
 T know what you go out there for. You seem to forget that I'm respon-
 sible for bringing you here" l T won't any more," said Cotton.
 But Ginger seems so sort of
 blase--I shouldn't think she would
 be shocked at anything"
 "Ginger. blase? Listen, that's all l put on. know that girl like a book. At heart she's just a Sunday school class like she always was. She's just putting on airs." | Cotton did try, but Bard was so plainly being only polite to her as a gentleman should, so obviously straining at the leash to get back to Ginger, and Eddy was 50 re- | freshingly gay and cock-sure that
 1t was impossible for her to hide
 her preference.
 Never before had Eddy Jackson
 asserted himself In such manner in the ways of society. Upon the farm i he was master of all he surveyed, running things with high hand; but as he said himself, when he | went in for high life he was satis- fled to hang on to somebody's apron l strings.
 But this was new Eddy. He | ran everything and everybody, and a wretched job he made of 1t ac- cording to the unanimous judgment of his victims. With q cheery. stage | managerial effect of showing every body good time, he kept every one
 doing something he didn't wish to do and with the person he wished
 least in the world to be doing 1t. He began the day by getting Cot
 ton and Bard off on the horses for
 an early canter, set Patty and
 Speed to gathering flowers. while he helped Ginger arrange the tables
 for the bridge party.
 Around noon he sent Cotton and Bard off in the Rattletrap to do
 needful errands, turned Patty and Speed loose in the kitchen to make
 candy, and he helped Ginger tele- phone the invitations for the next 1 party.
 | Or if they were at Mill Rush, he planted Cotton and Bard in one of the canoes to catch fish for sup- per, cornered Patty and Speed on
 the tennis court. while he and Gin Eger prepared the refreshments. There was no getting around his
 diabolicnl machinations. After the
 first day or two Ginger ceased to
 struggle and resigned herself mute
 ly, miserably. to the inevitable. pin-
 ing wordlessly.
 | But Cotton was too vivacious, too
 bubbling over with the joy of life,
 to be entirely submissive to the
 still bored company of Bard. She
 did try to make her preference as
 inccnspicuous as possible, but all
 the time she was edging in upon I Eddy, lending sly finger to his
 him to more irrepressible outbursts of humor.
 She would have gone frankly to | Ginger with an av0wal of her
 wishes but Speeds warning as to
 Ginger's own interest sealed her
 lips. And Speed, who watched Gin
 gers unnatural reticence with in- creasing uneasiness, finally decided to take things into his own hands
 by having 1t out with Bard, man to man.
 Bard" he said, "be good sport,
 won't you, and keep Cotton away from Eddy. Cotton doesn't mean a
 thing in the world the way she car | ries on. but she's a jollier by nature and can't help herself. I'm afraid Ginger is--well--a little jealous" Bard, bored to distraction him.
 self, fondly hoped 50, but certainly not in the direction that Speeds
 remark would seem to indicate. "Ginger-jealous?"
 "Yes-the way Cotton keeps mak-
 ing up to Eddy Jackson "Why--Ginger's not interested
 in Eddy Jackson"
 "The devil she's not. Why, they're as good as married, and have been ever since Ginger was a kid. I know 1t was common talk when
 was here. They're just waiting un-
 til she's old enough"
 Bard went quite white. He was shocked, bitterly hurt. That frank glad way of Ginger had of lifting l her blue eyes until they seemed to melt beneath his glance! It didn't
 seem possible.
 "Oh--I see," he said slowly. i've been pretty dumb. didn't suspect 1t. Yes, of course, I'll do what l can.'
 He got out the Rattletrap and his paints and went alone to Mill Rush ito paint to think--to suffer. Ginger-like that! The way her l fingers curled up, warm and re- spending. within his hand! The way her lips dropped and trembled | when his eyes told her he loved her! The way her laugh quivered when ! he exulted in her beauty! He 1 wouldn't have believed 1t. What a jolly ass she had been making of him. Here he had his mind all made up to settle down and become a good man and true l for her sake--to abandon for ever l the gay glad ways of Joie de vivre, all for the light in Ginger's eyes. Everything he had said and done | had been with that in mind--that some day they would be for ever each others! And Ginger was wait l ing to grow up for Eddy Jackson. We'll, that settled 1t. He'd pack | up and Rattletrap 1t out of Red I Thrush tomorrow. No, he'd be | hanged if he would! He'd show her. She shouldn't have that laugh on him to add to the others--that he
 had run from her presence like
 a whipped dog. If that was the lay of the land he would play up to i Cotton in good earnest and give her a real run for her charms. She was
 charming enough. But Ginger's blue eyes!
 (TO be COntinucd) FLOWER CANAPES. White bread, cut round, and scal-