The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-04-06

Mrs Curtis was away and she was free for the evening.
 "All right. Itll take me about 20 minutes to drive out there, l guess. Can you be ready by that time?"
 Janet said that she could be ready. It was exactly 25 minutes later that the doorbell rang. Janet She said, Good evening"" and there was something so stiff and formal about the way she said it that the young man eyed her quickly.
 What was the matter? He wasn't sure even when they were settled in the roadster and he had the en- zine started again. Something was wrong, though.
 He asked about what she had been doing and her answers came in the same cool, formal tones. He | said that her room at Mrs Sny- der's was still vacant that the landlady had been having a good | deal of trouble with her neuritis and that Hattie, the maid, had been | replaced by another girl who seemed to have great difficulty in | remembering to bring around clean | towels.
 | He didn't mention meeting Jan-
 ct at noon. AS. 8 matter of fact,
 Jeff had forgotten about 1t but to Janet the omission was significant.
 She stole a quick glance at him.
 To think that Jeff could care for such a cheap, obvious little crea-
 ture as that girl! So she was the type he admired the girl for whom | the selection of a gift was so im- | portant!
 Janet assured herself that it was
 not jealousy she felt. Of course 1t was nothing like that. She | wouldn't for the world have him think that she cared or was even interested. If that was the sort of girl Jeff Grant cared for She was disappointed in him. That was all. And so the evening was some what of failure. Mrs Silvani and the two children were well and happy and delighted to see their guests. Jeff and Janet stayed for three-quarters of an hour while Rosie talked about the squirrel she had seen in the park and Tommy showed Jeff the new puzzle he was
 
 sewing and she sat by the lamp, making buttonholes while she talked. It was @ pleasant enough visit but after Janet and Jeff had said goodby and gone back to the car the coolness they had felt be- fore persisted.
 In a few more nights the moon would be complete golden sphere. It shown down brightly and warm breeze was blowing. There was time enough for a drive through one of the parks or out on the hill road. Jeff looked at Janet and then his face set determinedly.
 All right. If she didn't want to talk to him she didn't have to! Maybe 1t was because she was liv- ing out on the west side now, be- cause she rode around in limou- sine and knew lot of rich people that she had become so changed. This was a new idea and because straight ahead on the road. When Janet spoke he answered with monosylla bles and when the road ster drew up before the brick house he said goodnight and drove away quickly.
 Yes. in spite of the bright moon- light and in spite of the warm breeze it was an evening that, on the whole, was a failure.
 The sky was clouded over next morning and then for three suc- cessive days 1t rained. The first day Mrs Curtis was caught in a shower and came home to sneeze and complain of a head cold. A little later she developed a fever and Janet telephoned for Doctor Roberts.
 The doctor ordered his patient to bed, said her ailment was grippe and that she must take the best of care of herself. There was a great deal of grippe around, he said, and Roberts wrote out prescription to be delivered later, told Mrs Curtis to be careful of her diet and drink a great deal of fruit juice. He promised to look in next day and then departed.
 So to Janet's duties as secretary were added those of nurse. The shades in the big front bedroom were lowered. Janet sat near the bed and saw that Mrs Curtis had her medicine at the right time. she brought hot pads and removed them and rearranged pillows to make them more comfortable. It was on the second day of this regime that the maid, arriving with Mrs Curtis luncheon tray, handed Janet several letters. The postman just came." Lucy explained.
 Janet glanced at the letters. Two of them were bills and another was on club stationery. The fourth wns undoubtedly personal and she hand ed 1t to Mrs Curtis.
 The woman looked at the en- velope. recognized the handwriting and exclaimed with a little cry of pleasure, oh. it's from Betty! Read 1t to me, will you. Miss Hill?" (To Dc Continued)