Evening star., 1932-04-26

A day of perfect happiness, ending in
the glorious climax of unexpected
treasure.
Under a baybush the little girl had
pounced on a lost kaleidoscope.
True, 1t was broken. The lens would
no longer turn to produce the beauti-
full changing patterns. But Joyce dis
covered that if one shook it violently
the colored glass would fall into new
and splendid designs. Not every time,
to be sure. For minutes it would stub
bornly remain set in the same foam. A
lucky shake would scramble it, anG the
beauty-loving child would gasp in
breathless delight at the new forms the
eolored glass would assume.
There had been so little of the beau
tiful in Joyce's life that this find was
in the nature of a miracle. She had
escaped from the gray of everyday life
into a fairyland-green and gold
emeralds and sapphires-topazes and
rubies-always changing-always tum-
bling into new and bewildering shapes,
each seeming more colorful, more beau
tiful and ,breath-taking than the last.
Now life was like that For years it
had been set in the same pattern. She
had shaken it violently. She had run
away from RiVerton. Now the days
were falling into strange patterns like
the colored glass in the broken kaleido-
scope. Bewildering, colorful, breath
taking days. No one quite the same as
the other. Days the more exciting be-
cause of the faint sense of excited dis
approval in her own heart. Joyce was
part Of the dazzle and the pattern.
1t had started that first night when
she and Nadine had gone out to din
ner with Len Bates and JEFF Therruld.
I,1& IoI RI tho fhca for
then to a night club. where they had
danced-granted entrance only when
the doorman had recognized jeff Their
ruld. =.
Naturally, Len Bates had given most
of his attention to Nadine. which left
Jeff's undivided attention to Joyce.
F1attering to have this man so obviously
attracted. :. Joyce would have been
less than human if she hadn't felt a
little feminine thrill of triumph. There
was none of the fiery attraction she felt
for Norman-but Norman was begin
ming to appear a Schoolboy when she
contrasted him mentally with jeff Their
ruld. She wished-vindictively
Norman could see her now. She
felt very sophisticated-very metropoll-
tan as she sat in the night club sip
ping iced drinks made of bootleg gin.
More intoxicating than the gin, the
sense of beauty and color and wealth
which surrounded them. Intoxicating
the feel of Madness green dress which,
Joyce knew, made her the prettiest girl
in the place. Intoxicating-the bold
admiration of Jeff's eyes when she
turned suddenly to find his face near
her own.
The dancing girls Of the night club
were doing a number in the spotlight
and doing it with wild abandon. Slim,
flashing bodies leaping among colored
wells, while the spots bathed them in
changing lights.
Joyce's eyes wers starry and her lips
were parted in an excited little smile
as she looked up into Jeff's dark face.
1--WE been watching wou-eating it
up, aren't you, you lovely little pagan?
why do you call me that?"
Perhaps it was the directness of the
question. Perhaps there was something
in the violet eyes which warned the
man Something dropping behind his
hot gaze like curtain. He laughed
easily. Nodded to the dancing nymphs
Because you're like that-all fire
and rhythm This is the sort of thing
you should have, Joyce-have for your
very own, I mean-pretty things-furs
rings" His hand dropped to her
knee.
Joyce laughed-managed to shift her
position so that he must take back his
hand. Years of fencing with drum
mers and Riverton admirers had given
Joyce smoothness of technique JEFF
Therruld had not accounted for.
He looked deep into her eyes and
that heavy lower lip came out pugna-
ciously.
But he was most circumspect. When
they danced he held her more lightly
HHa1 ln1I koIfran M ~
black eyes caressed her. Only a quick