The Coolidge examiner., 1932-04-29

" 10 NHONAIChdDlS dN uI' AAAS "N0
| fattish and smooth and simpery.
She was dressed up within an inch
of her life in a bright green satin
gown with an imitation jade girdle.
She wore green stockings, too, and
slippers that were too tight for her
fat feet. She had her hair bObbed
its color was too golden to be
true-and all of her skin that
showed outside her dress-there
were acres of twas simply plas-
tered with dead white powder. Her
voice was sweet-clOying and sticky
like hOney-and it almost made you
sick.
Nobody got a chance to say any
thing much, for she talked practi-
cally all the time. When she spoke
to her husband she called him Pet,
right across the table. You didn't
know where to look over some of
/ the things she said to him. You
could feel your face burn. His
name for her was worse; he called
her Baby. Was it possible for peO-
I pie really to be as sloppy about
each other as that? Was that how
they talked and acted when there
was nobody else around? Before
the dreadful dinner was over she
| decided it was not.
While Norma was bringing in the
ice cream and under cover Of some
long story that "Baby" was telling
dad, by way of showing how crazy
men had always been about her,
pet" began talking to mother.
He told her how much he was en-
joying the dinner, not only the food
but the home atmosphere. "You
don't know what it MEANS" he
said, ito people who live in board
ing house"
He stopped on that word with
positive jerk and looked at his
wife 1t was exactly as If she'd
thrown something at him. Then, in
a voice that was just as treacly as
ever, only now it had something
else in it-oil of vitriol or carbolic
acid or something in chemistry
Baby" began to explain.
They'd looked for apartments un-
til they were simply discouraged,
and she was sick of housekeeping
anyway with the servant problem
what it was. And they'd heard of
this wonderful establishment of
Madame Gerards-it really was too
funny of Pet to speak of it as a
boarding house, because 1t was
frightfully exclusive and of course
perfectly refined--and had gone
there temporarily. "Of course" she
finished, 'it doesn't matter particu-
larly to me one way or the other,
because I'm here for so short a
time. I'm going to California in a
week or two"
PET didn't exactly look sur
prised at that. He'd caught his
breath as if he'd meant to protest
and then didn't because he was
afraid to. You could see he knew
what he was going to get on the
way home to the boarding house,
and that the more he said now the
worse it would be. Edith was
frightened herself. The woman was
simply a great big green beacon
strictor.
After dinner, in the sitting room
when dad and Mr. Mariner lighted
cigars and sat together on the sofa
talking business, Baby" fastened
/ herself on poor mother. She again
apolOgiZed for the mistake she'd
made in telling pet" that of course
he must dress for dinner. 1t had
been such a stupid mistake. She
hadn't quite understood. And of
course it was a perfectly foolish
custom, anyway. really.
From where Edith sat she caught
snatches, too, of the talk between
Mr.. Mariner and dad. Dad wasn't
agreeing with Mr.. Mariner. Once
she saw him look startled. do
you mean they threaten to bring
suit?" he asked. And then, with g
| glance around as if he feared he'd
spoken too loud, he lowered his
voice and asked some more ques-
tions that Mr.. Mariner didn't seem
to like to answer very well. He
acted as if his feelings were hurt,
and his voice sounded sulky. But
he didn't act that way very long.
Pretty soon he was talking again,
as eagerly as ever.
About nine o'clock, with the eX-
PLANTATION that she had some study
ing to do, Edith said good night to
/ their guests and went up to her
/ room. But when she heard them
90 she came down again in her
mothers bathrobe to talk over the
evening with her mother and dad.
Wasn't she the most awful wom-
an you ever saw? Do you suppose
he's really crazy about her, or
would he like to kill her? He's
afraid of her, l expect"
Mother made the conventional