The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-10
THREE Ky yr}SSt9 9E .Ez[z|E =
and Co
@ 1884, by
Doubleday,
Dorsn and Co

had known better. Fixed up, that
would be pretty good, wouldn't it?"
CECILY laughed. Relief made it
~ louder than usual, and. sheer
happiness made it last longer.
Mary-Frances, who since she first
had spied the car from the oriel
windows in the parlor had been
standing, ears alert, in the front
doorway. heard the laugh and closed
the door softly and sped to the
kitchen.
Hey, Ann" she announced, Cts
sy's coming home with man in a
car. I'll bet $4,000 it's new boy
friend.
"IIl bet he's the one she met at
Marta's party and has been so
cuckoo about. I'll bet she's bringing
him home for dinner. I'll BET"
Ann, sIcing carrots, orange and
yellow rounds that clinked on the
bottom Of the kettle, inserted abb
sent-mindedly, Don't say, I'll bet
like that all the time, Mary Frances.
The ideal 1t sounds horrid. You
should hear yourself, and you
wouldn't do ii"
bringing him home to dinner
the boy friend" Mary Frances in
sisted.
NO" Ann said and sliced the
carrots. She wouldn't think of
bringing any one home to dinner
especially without telephoning ahead
of time. She's probably coming home
to change her dress"
Mary Frances had rushed away
through the buffers pantry, bent
on reaching the mirror in the din
ing room monstrous, chilly
place, where, painted on the high
ceiling, great fat fish lay inert in
dead-looking bottle-green waves.
One long slide across the hard
wood floor, for which Grand had
once refused an offer of $500, $1,000,
$4,000 (the sums varied according
to Grand's memory and moods, and
not according to his honestly,
brought her to the massive built
in buffet and the mirror.
She tipped her head back and bit
her lips and pursed them into a
soft pink rosette; she dampened
her two little fingers with her
tongue and traced her fine brown
eyebrows; she pinched a deeper
color into her cheeks, and preened
her brown bobbed hair.
What if she was only Is years
old? Wasn't she tall for her age?
Dreadfully tall? Didn't everybody
think she was Is years old, anyway?
Well, everybody. just everybody.
Well, then, everybody but the
teachers and kids at school. Well,
boys and girls. then. They we're
not children Everybody.
TN the front hall Cecily was laugh
Il ing again, above the pleasant
undertones of a masculine laugh and
voice.
Frances had to walk right
up to them before Cecily said, "Oh,
Mary Frances, dear!" as if she were
amazed to find a third person exist
ing anywhere in the world. This
is my little sister, Mary Frances,
Mr.. NIcKeel."
Cecily, Mary Frances knew, would
like to have her curtsey, but she
wouldn't do it-not at her age.
She bowed, primly-though de-
murely was the word she had in
mind-and stuck out a small hand
that had not been washed since she
had come home from school.
He was polite, Of course, but, in
so far as Mary Frances was able to
Judge by the dim light shed from
the one small globe high in the hall
ceiling, Cecily's admiration of him
was unwarranted.
He was an inch or two above
average height, but Cissy had said
that lie was tall. True, she had
added that he was thin: Mary
Frances substituted skinny" as
more apt.
His hair, which CiSSy had de-
scribed as auburn, was merely dark
ened, and he wore it too short, and
he should, at least, smooth it down
with his hands, as Phil and the
movie men smoothed theirs, if he
thought it unmanly to look in the
mirror.
She could reach no decision about
his eyes-Cecily had described them
as jolly and brown-because he was
staring too hard at CiSsy, who, in
spite of the fact that her nose
needed powdering. looked prettier
than usual, though she was acting
awfully silly and laughing at all
the time.
She shouldn't let this Mr.. McKeeI
see that she was so excited. Rosalie
had told and told her, had told all
three of them, exactly how to act
with men: "Nonchalance savored
with winsomeness; dignity softened
with coyneSs."
The door on the right of the hall
led into the library; the door on the
left led into the music room. Ce-
city paused for an instant between
the two.
She had passed by the parlor: it
was grimly impossible with its
what-nots and horsehair and fam
lily portraits, painted by Grand's
friend who had decorated the cell
ings in the house.
ITO Be COntinued)