Evening star., 1932-02-18

| Mrs. Carter scared and onenoeo.
Vera outraged. Stan with dark
| i diSpleasure, black eyes burning
under his finely marked brows.
Amys blue eyes brimming with malice.
| judy licked her lips and felt like
some small animal at bay.
| Its not that I'm partial to any one"
/ she managed in a fairly steady voice,
but one should try to be just. You all
said some-some pretty strong things
| Just noW-it strikes me"
1T strikes me-" Stan put in, sharply,
''that you're talking about something
that you don't understand, Judy-some-
thing that's none of your business"
She flushed at the humiliation of this.
Tried to answer with quiet dignity. Il
didn't mean to intrude. l think you
know that. but it was Just what you
said. Unfair-and behind mans
back She stopped. because she could
| feel her voice break. Oh, that miser-
able habit CT hers to cry>When she grew
angry! She didn't want to cry like an
! idiot She was mad-rnad-not tear
| full
How pleased Nick would be to know
| that he had such a loyal champion!"
put in Amy, insinuatingly, And Vera
exploded a second time: we'll must
Say-Weu. l never!"
| Their sharpened faces. watching her.
! Unfriendly gaZeS. STAINS eyes narrowed
unpleasantly. He looked crouched to
| spring She was defending Nick. Oh,
| they shouldn't tear him apart like this
with their words.
He doesn't need champion, and you
| know it, But a man should never be
! talked about like that-behind his back.
| When lie doesn't deserve it. You're
| always doing it-all Of you. He knows.
And he doesn't care. He knows you all.
! But t's-contemptible!
Her words, coming in jerks. because
she could not keep her breath. The
ring of faces-an animal at bay. Oh,
this was dreadful! She shouldn't do
this, And then Judy's overwrought
nerves gave way and she burst into a
| flood Of angry tears and rushed from
| the table.
Amys drawl alone followed her from
the room. Very interesting" said
Amy. Very interesting!'
The incident was poiNtedly ignored
when Judy whipped herself to the
! breakfast table the following morning.
They were stiltedly polite to one an
other. But there was black suspicion
in the depths of STAINS eyes.
/ All Of life seemed changed for Judy
! after that Summer night when Nick
/ llSW Oul Ol tI4e ulOOl.
/ She actively diSliked Amy now She
! accompanied her on no more shopping
| trips or matineeS to the city She never
| dropped in at the Patty Warren shop
! for a cigarette and the latest gossip.
! She did not even go out with Tony
| wentworth, because Tony went with the
younger set. and she was liable to meet
Amy or Patty or Eunice at bridge teas.
She went often to Mary Lockerbee' S
| house. She liked Mary and her friends.
Judy herself was a favorite with Mary's
set. but it was impossible to be aSSo-
ciated with them to any great extent.
Married sets move in couples, and Stan
! was frankly bored with the Lockerbee
! crowd. They were not gay enough for
him. Nor would he ever find Eunice
Wilson there, Judy finished in her own
mind.
Judy's chief pleasure came from TAX
ing long walks with the Wire-haired
terrier Nick had given her for Christ
mas SiCe-slp running in ecStatic cir
cles about her. she explored the pleas
ant tree-shaded town.
Once she passed the Palm Court Bun
galow Apartments and had a glimpse
of Georgia De Haas little boy digging
drearily by himself in the hard ground
He looked so fCrlorn that Judy stopped
to speak with him. The child patted
| SiGe-slip's head in tinid eYultation
while the dog shifted inouiringly at his
dusty, bare knees. After moment Judy
felt Georgia's hating eyes upon her
| through the draped window, and she
moved on.
Judy could find 1t in her heart to feel
little cOntempluous pity for Georgia
| these days. Georgia had lost the thing
which made life worth living for her
She had been silently but irreyokably
| dropped by Eunice and her set. Days
had become long, dreary intervals
when she sat in the uncomfortable
small living room of her bungalow court
alone, eating her heart out in bitter
ness and neditating revenge The Cur
tises were safely back in the islands
and Amy was secure in a rich engage
ment That door was closed. Georgia
| had outlived her usefulness s-outliVed
! even her menace. Georgia sat friend
| less and jealous, awaiting her oppor-
| tunity.
Long August afternoons Judy spent
with a book, lying under the live oaks
| that dotted the yellow hills around
Lockwood. Side-slip. wearied of run
ming his endless circles. Topped painting
beside her, eyes half shut. lOlling tongue,
was all the companion she needed
Now and then the faint drum OF a
| plane would reach her, causing her
| heart to leap. Bringing her to her feet.
| head craned back, eyes shaded by her
hand. while she searched the empty,
blue sky. But Nick never came home.
Once she rolled over on the sweet,
dried grass and lay. face buried in her
arm. dry-eyed, aching for the feeling of
his arms about her Lay there, with
| the sun falling warm on her body. the
| faint afternoon breezes stirring her hair
Lay there SO long that Side-slip whim-
pered and dug at her with an investi-
eating paw.
September slipping by, bringing long.
warm, golden afternoons Hills and
fields bleached Naples yellow No wa
ter in the little creek which ran at the
bottom OF the valley. The buds on the
toyon trees beginning to show trace
Of red.
October bringing flashing days and
crisper nights Bringing smell of