The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-08-24
SYNOPSIS


 BOOTS RAEBURN. IS, and
 pretty, is openly snubbed by
 SYLVIA RIVERS. the richest
 girl in Larchneck, fashionable
 New York suburb. Sylvia fails to
 ask Boots tO party at the
 Yacht Club. Boots accepts a be-
 lated invitation from MRS WA HERMAN, one of the elderly so-
 cial lights.
 HARDY WHIIMORE, one of Sylvia's guests, who had been
 drinking, puts BOcis in an em-
 barrassing situation and she is
 escorted home by RUSS LUND,
 swimming instructor. The mali
 cious Sylvia scizes this oppOrtun- ity to hurt Boots and persuadcs
 MRS FERNELI. of the WOman's
 Club to ask Boots to resign from
 the Juniors.
 Young MRS GEORGE a neigh
 bOr, asks Boots to luncheon. She
 is sympathetic. tells Boots she
 ought to get away from Iarch-
 neck, and promises to help her
 find a job.
 Russ Lund takes Boots for n
 drive.
 CHAPTER XII
 Well, that will be about enough of that" Boots said to herself in the silence and coolness of her own room. Rus Lund had kissed her and she had explained to him later, gently but firmly, that it simply wouldn't do and that was all there was to it.
 She and hn6 Hoon6 talk" coming home from the shore. She would not have believed that the big, square -shouldered man could be so articulate. She was perfectly right, he had agreed. It "darned sweet" and he wanted to by friends.
 T managed It rather nicely" Boots told herself. peering at her self in the mirror in the light of the pale electric bulb which swung eerily from a green cord. She felt rather proud of herself on the whole. After all Russ was defi- nitely older and she had been judi cious and mature and charming in the situation, had met it gravely and simply as woman should. No. she didn't like this paving about" It was all right if it hap pened to be the real thing" but what she felt for Russ, she had explained carefully and with what she felt was just the proper touch Of regret, was merely friendship. A month ago she had not known that this tall bronzed man with the unruly hair and the big, smil- ing mouth ever existed. He had simply been part of the back ground along with the dipping sails the awnings, the iron tables on the club terrace. Now he had definitely come alive. She was conscious of him, his bigness and his strength, but they would remain friends, mo- thing more
 Just the same she couldn't help noticing that in the mirror her eyes looked enormous excited. The pupils were dilated. Her color, too, wan high. She had deepened wild rose flush in either cheek She leaned forward across the filtered dressing table top with it's jars and pin trays and torn envelopes to stare at herself in frank admira- tion. Why, she looked different already and she wasn't in love with him at all. It was just that his words, that brief, not-unpleasant moment when she had been crush ed close in his arms had done something 10 her.
 "Awakened-Tm awake" mur- mured the girl to herself. Oh, all this was folishness: she was only playing, really. But it was nice to know someone admired you, thought you were beautiful, desir- able
 She went to slep with a little smile of conscious power lowering about her lips. Of course she wasn't going to let Russ kiss her again, she told herself firmly. He would have to realize she simply couldn't consider him in that way. So 1t was perfectly all right.
 But of course the thing wasn't settled simply as that. The summer nights continued to be miracles of scent and sweetness and Boots m her new-found isola- tion from "the gang" was very lonely. More of,en than not. when her father doze fitfully in the porch swing, a small car would slide up to the curb and the girl would call back softly. I'm just going down to the Post Road for a few minutes"
 Then she and Russ would be skimming the roads together. He would look down at her and smile that slow smile of his and say softly. How you coming, sweet ness?"
 And she would flash him smile In return. She would be content