The Coolidge examiner., 1931-03-27

Hottest HOthouse
Was Refreshing
By DOROTHY DOUGLAS

luIcu TIC IIOpICdl pants VI TIE
park, with the air of one who per-
forms an act that would be held as
suspicious. In other words, Sue
sneaked in.
She found a spot where the sun
beat mercilessly down from it's
great blue dome of mid-July, and
sat down on her small camp stool.
She then fumbled in a bag for a
tidy package of sandwiches and a
sketch book and pencil. She man.
aged the lunch quite naturally, but
the sketch book and pencil seemed
unfamiliar tools in her slender
hands.
In removing her blue and gold
hat, Sue released a mass of curls
that a baby might envy, so soft and
silky they were.
Sue began idly sketching a trop-
ical tree. She selected it because
there were clumps of fruit hanging
about and very large leaves. 1t
looked fairly easy to draw.
The only other occupant of the
grilling hOthOuse was a young man
who had crept into the coolest fern
corner he could find and was mop
ping his brow and longing for the
refreshing sensation of an iced
shower bath. He was sketching,
however, some details of tropical
plants with the finesse and the gift
ed touch of an artist.
Sue had crept in so quietly that
Pen, as he was called in artistic cir
cles. did not know of her arrival.
1t was a disagreeable, hacking lit
tie cough, reaching his ears from
time to time that told him that an
other soul was sharing his enforced
roasting in the tropical plant
house.
Then he peered from among the
ferns and saw what he supposed to
be a child of fifteen or so. She
didn't look a day older. Sue was.
however, twenty-one.
Had Pen realized that Sue had
reached that advanced age, he
would not have approached her so
Carelessly to have a chat.
Sue looked up with great blue
eyes as he stood beside her, and
would have hidden her sketch had
he permitted it.
I'D like to see it." said Pen, much
as if he were talking to a very
young child.
"It's not very good" she said. and
handed him the drawing.
Sue had never spoken a truer
word. Pen bit his lip in an effort
not to smile outright.
81 think you have made the figs
q bit too big"
"They happen to be bananas" eX-
planned Sue with dignity and
turned her back completely on Pen.
And poor Pen felt keenly the
fact that he had hurt the child be-
yond forgiveness. He cast hope
less glance at the edge of a pink
cheek and slightly heaving shOul-
ders and patted the same shoulders
very gently.
She turned on him, and then in
stead of anger her eyes were full
of laughter. The nasty little
cough, however, came between
smiles.
'I know | don't know the first
thing about sketching," she told
him shyly, "but in order to get in
this sunny hothouse, l had to get
a permit to sketch"
"But why sit in this boiling sun,
child? Aren't you afraid of sun
stroke or headache or something
like that?"
'Tn the first place." said Sue,
"you may as well be put straight
as to my age. / am twenty-one." !"
"What? Great Scott! You look
like a child! You must think me
frightfully rude"
"Well-I don't think it was exactly
polite to take my good bananas
for figs" She looked swiftly at
her watch. "Oh, | must hurry.
have to be back at the Office"
"Are you coming again?" he
questioned swiftly.
"I have to come every noon
hour" said Sue. '"The doctor told
me must get away into the sun
SIlue anu Ddhc JlllS COuSlI tul VI lly
system. But since that is quite i'm
possible, am doing the best / can"
She looked so wistfully up at Pen,
that, big man though he was. he
positively quaked in his boots. He
had a most awful desire to pick Sue
up bodily and carry her off to the
sunshine of California and to
health. However, if she intended
coming each noon hour there would
be time to work up gradually to
this pirate business.
'Tt's a fine idea, summing yourself
here" Pen told Sue. 81 must be
here, too, to get details of a big
frieze I'm working on for Mrs.
Goldchunk's dining room, l sup
pose," he looked straight into Sues
blue eyes. "I-hope you won't mind
my speaking to you tomorrow?
Sue looked up at Pens nice hon
est eyes and smiled.
81 think my art really does need
some helpful criticism" she admit
ted, and Pen knew that the hot
test hothouse in the world was 60
ing to be a place of refreshing love
illness when Sue was in it.
(GS nv Mcclure NewsDaper Syndicate.)