Evening star., 1932-01-04

n T lived in Judys memory alIeTWaIu
like a scene from play. Ihe
dark paneled walls OF the room
forming a somber background for
the long dining table. A blurred
impression of tall candles cleaning
about a great yellow bowl of narclssus
in the center of the table :,
Never again was Judy to see or smell
narcissuS without this scene flooding
back into her mind. Faces lifted sharply
through the mellow glow as Stan called:
Hello, everybody! Here We are!"
Click of silver on china, chair
pushed back The middle-aged woman
at the end of the table came to her
feet with a glad cry. My boy! My
darling boy!'
Stan bent and kissed her, then showed
Judy forward with a gentle little shove
on her shoulder.
This is Judy, mother. Judith
Denning Garter herself, in person! Do
the honors and have Pom fetch couple
of plates We're starved"
"Oh, my dear, I'm so sorry. =. l
mean, you know how your grandmother
is-about mealtimeS, I mean. They
must be served right on the minute.
She won't wait" All OF this IN
a fiuttering whisper, that it should not
reach the ears of the formidable old
ldQY SEdJEu at JliG 4ul bllNl Nl1O Va elAS
table. Then, with a gasp, Mrs. Carter
seemed to recollect her new daughter
in-law. my dear, I'm sure I'm very
glad to meet you. 1t was great sur
prise-youll admit that-but I'm sure
that we all welcome you here to the
house. But really, Stan-I do think
you might have let me know some other
way than blurting it out like that in
telegram. Just blurting 1t out like
that-all at once. Such "a sur
prise"
STAINS white teeth flashed. Couldn't,
mother Didn't know myself. We were
fast workers, weren't we, Judy?"
well, aren't the rest Of us here at
ALL" called a womans voice across the
table, a voice with an imperiouS ring
to it. Don't we meet the bride?"
Sorry everybody" STAINS arm swung
Judy to face the rest of them. Meet
the wife, family Judy, you might as
we'll know the worst right away. These
are your new relatives.
Judy nervOusly whipped her own
shrinking spirits up to reach the level Of
light banter Stan had adopted. 1t was
time of obvious merriment. Every one
laughed, tossing out questions to which
they expected no answers, making ex-
aggerated CALCULATIONS to trivial state
mentS.
THAT tiresome trip across country
you must be nearly dead, you two!
You certainly sprung a surprise on us.
Mother nearly dropped in her
tracks when she got your wire. i
And the heat-waSn't it dreadful on the
train? You'll like Lockwood, Judy
of course, it takes getting used to.
:. Every one stopping us on the street
asking about you and we didn't know a
Ia, L,,& hot fnI
There was part of Judy which stood |
away and surveyed them all, while the |
rest of her mind was taken up by their |
voices and their bright, curious eyes.
A cool, detached portion of her brain, |
which was busy with those first impress |
sions which are, after all, so important |
to ones likes and dislikes.
Mrs. Carter, STAINS mother, was a |
nervous, fluttery sort of person, inde- |
cisive, always little disorderly in dress |
and mind. Judy, looking at her, was |
reminded of the inefficient White Queen |
in alice in Wonderland" Her long |
and still abundant hair was fine and |
silky as cornsilk and perpetually slip ]
ping down from the heavy coil in which
she wore it. Her faded china-blue eyes 1,
were a little vacant and she had a |
small, soft, helpless mouth. But it was |
easy to see that in her youth she must |
have been lovely-with the fragile pink |
and white beauty of girlhood.
Vera, the elder sister, was as dark as |
Stan, running rather to bust and hips |
in her 29tn year but decisive and |
dominant personality. Her tweed sport |
suit and the tailored blouse which topped |
it were correct and trim, almost man |
nish in appearance. "A committee |
meeting up at the golf club didn't /
have a moment to change. I've just /
been daShing about all day." Judy heard |
her say to Duke.
She was to learn that it was an affec-
tation of Vera's to seem always in de-
mand-always driven to a breathless |
pace by important engagements. 1t was |
Vera's way of appearing popular.
And there was Amy. With the first |
glimpse of Amy, vanished was the |
friendly image which Judy had been |
building in her mind about this girl! |
She had pictured Amy as much like |
Stan-she had thought she would be |