Evening star., 1934-04-28

one he and Sandra had come He
had no intention of being Smotherec
by the perpetual caress in Valerie Rey.
nails eyes, and he'd be darned If he'd
listen to the blithering idiocy of Bub-
bles Courtlandt when his head-aftel
last night-was being hammered by
thousand little devils
Sandra, a red and white bath cape
Tapping about her slim, brown legs
threaded her way through lanes
banked high with hedges and flower
ing shrubs, behind which cottages OF
weathered shingle, of cleaning white
marble. of stone and brick and stucco
rambled into a kind of a glorified
Summer barracks for the mobilization
Of a pleasure mad army The ration
ing of this army was simple. A hall
grapefruit for the women. who fought
off a pound with the same desperate
unity of purpose with which they
would have fought a tiger stealing
upon them in jungle. The men re-
qulred only an abundance of good
liquors to whip up low-ebbed appetites
for highly seasoned food. Generally
the army lived on a fare of excite
ment and pushed forward ruthlessly
toward its eternal goal-change.
Sandra continued her way between
the hedge rows, absorbed in her own
unhappy thoughts. AS the grooves in
the sand lanes became deeper and the
hedges lost something of their trim
tailored symmetry, she turned in at
a trellised gate over which was draped
a scarf of wild clematis.
Sandra reached the veranda of a
house less pretentious than any she
had passed. Less pretentious. but
there was an air about the white
clapboard home with its gabled win
doWs. 1t seemed to be fitting its nose
in fine disdain of its we'll groomed
neighbors. who, after all, had reared
their heads only few years ago. and
had not yet established themselves
worthy of being here at all.
In the cool hallway. from which
broad. white stairs assembled, Sandra
paused. After all, she thought, why
should she go on? Why should she
allow the selfish whims of her mother
to interrupt her life?
"Sandra!" Mrs. Reynal's voice, sharp
and querulous. echoed down the stair
well. There's no use bolting. I saw
you coming up the path"
"Oh, bother!" Sandra took the stairs
two at time, determined to swallow
the medicine, then find something to
take away the bad taste. Her mother
was standing in doorway at the front
of the upper hall, the flag of grande
dame she flew so effectively at top
mast.
Il wish you would not clatter up
the stairs like a hoyden. Wherever
have you been? do think my daugh-
ters might inform me when they leave
the house"
Sandra followed her mother into the
room, sprawled in a chair by the open
window. Sorry, mother. Val says
you want to see me-
Il do. indeed: We're in great diff
Guilty. The greatest difficulty. We've
simply got to do something about
money"
Mrs. Reynal. pacing the length of
the room, came to a full stop. Both
exclamation and stop were designed to
offer the utmost in drama.
Money? Where have I heard the
word before?" Sandra affected indif-
ference, but every nerve in her body,
every fiber in her brain was tensed
for impending struggle
Mrs Reynal raised a fluttering hand
to the lace at her bosom. I'm dis
tracted," she said. Il don't know
which way to turn" Her eyes, from
which the years had washed the color,
were fixed on her daughter. Faded
blue eyes that focused a hard, a gilt
tering purpose.
Sandra, ruffling coppery curls, gazed
out the window. Her own eyes, misty
with the dreams of youth, had sud-
denly become points Of steel, purpose
full, too, and glittering.
ANY .suggestions?" she asked.
about how to get money!"
Her pretenSe at lassitude deceived
her mother to a false hope THE
servants are demanding to be paid
Mrs Reynal hurried on, her voice
trembling as it so often did, on the
verge of tears. She must present her
case with the most narrowing Of its
details in order to win her daughter
to her purpose They're positively
insolent about it. The trades people
refused to honor my orders this morn
ing-not another order until some
thing is given them on account.
don't dare think of my bridge debts.
And Valerie is having q supper party