The Washington times., 1934-07-20
CHAPTER XII

She was dressing now for an
engagement to go to the movies
with one Of her young men
friends, and Susan was sitting
at the foot Of her bed watching
her in the mirror Of the dress
ing table.
Tell me about this new man
at your house, Susan" she said,
leaning close to the glass to put
some eye shadow In just the
right place at the corner Of her
eye.
1T must gripe the Broder-
.1cks to h have to take in a
rooraer," Mary added. Who is
he? Some broken-down aristo-
crat friend of theirs?" Aunt Nell
and Uncle Arthur were too
proud to discuss the older Brod-
erickS, who had never taken any
notice whatsoever of them. But
Mary had no inhibitions about
them-or anything else.
mo, he's a young man. A
stranger" Susan answered her.
'"Uncle Worthy put an ad in the
paper and he answered it."
She paused for just the frac-
ton Of q second. Hes the best
looking man I've ever seen," she
finished.
Surely, Susan, you're not say
ing q thing like that about an
other man when you're just en-
gagged to Wallie! Why you've
just picked him out from the
whole world of good-looking
men!-Darling, I'm afraid he
wouldn't enjoy hearing you say
that"
Susan shrugged her shoul.
ders. II can be in love and still
realize that there are a good
many handsome men around,
besides Wallace. Being engaged
doesn't make you blind, Mary"
Mary turned back to her
work. 1--WE heered different"
she said.
She picked up a lipstick and
bore down heavily on her
mouth. "'Some girls has all
the luck" she went on.
Think of you getting your
self engaged, and then meeting
the best looking man you've
ever seen all in one day. It
Just isn't fair, Susie. AS soon
as you really know this new
man you must bring him over
here so I can work on him."
Susan said, ~All right, if I
can manage it," in a dry little
tone.
Many was powdering h er
white neck with an enormous
green swansdown puff. Her
bright hair came down upon
the nape in a v of copper red.
"You bring him round, Su-
sie," she said, and then she
began to sing in a high nasal
voice:
"'Young men lodgers,
Young men dodgers,
Young men dodgers, three.
One for you,
And one for Sue,
And the other one
For ME-"
Suddenly she stopped and
all the humor went out of her
pretty clever face. Listen to
me, Susie Broderick! If you're
engaged to one man, and you
think that another man, whom
you've just met, is the best
looking one you ever saw" she
said slowly, you'd just better
watch your step. That's all"
Just by coming to live in the
house Mr.. Sholes had changed
it completely for Susan. 1t
became for her, from the first
week of his stay in it. a place
Of adventure and interest.
Intrigued
During the first days OF Mr..
sholes' occupancy of Grand"
father Broderick's room, Susan
fingered about the doorway OF
the parlor in the morning so
that she could speak to him
when he came downstairs a
little before eight.
No mail came for him, and
he carried out his own laundry
in a bundle. To Susan, who
saw him take it, there was
something oddly pathetic about
that bundle tied up in news
paper.
She soon learned that the
nights he went to law school
were Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays. Sometimes on the other
nights he would come. home
early to change his clothes be-
fore going out again to dinner.
He went his own way, kept
to himself and showed no curl
osity about the people in whose
midst he had come to live, SO
far as Susan could see.