Evening star., 1934-06-10
CHAPTER XIV.

SlreS that haQ SClrreQ LII lleI
hungry heart as far back as she could
remember.
Little lighted doorways, glimpsed
from the windows of train. Neat
rows of blossoms on easement Sill.
Smoke from a chimney, flung against
an evening sky. A ruff1ed curtain
blowing from a window. Spring
cleaning. Cedar closets. 4.
Bridge luncheons. Home.
How many nights the lonely girl
had stood in the silent garden OF the
cottage on River street, looking up at
its dim white bulk on the hill across
> the river Visioning the scenes OF
laughter and gayety being enacted
within its aloOf walls.
The country club A broken bit
from the pattern of a world she had
never known.
There had been no time in her life,
even had opportunity presented itself.
for the sort of casual social inter-
course these young people about her
accepted as a matter OF course. NO
contacts No careless ve-and-take.
No roots in any soil, save the soil OF
the road. This town today, another
tomorrow. A steamer-a traln-a no.
tel. Forever moving on.
To view those latern-lit verandas at
close range, to dance to the orchestra
whose muted strains had lulled her
to sleep for so many nights. To be
one with the shadowy, gay figures she
had watched. moving about behind
those distant windows q. .
These had been the thoughts that
Z had raced unbidden through her mind
in the wake of LarryS invitation.
Thoughts that had fluttered her heart
with an odd, quick beat, filled her
veins with an excitement which even
her own common sense proclaimed to
be out of all proportion to the occa-
sion, but which, strangely enough, she
could not control. That back of this
excitement lay the prospect of touch
ing. even for an evening the careless,
raveled fringe of the group which
surrounded the Therrolds, Rose did
not admit. Not even to herself.
Even the all-important matter of
suitable dress had been settled by the
omnipotent Lottie.
Mr.. Mertz, it appeared. could attend
nicely to that. Mr. Merits position
with the Ladies' Ready to Wear gave
him entree to various sample houses
in the city-small wholesalers, who
would be only too glad to let Mr..
Mertz select a little number for
friend.
But Lottie" Rose had weakly de-
INJURED lit does seem rather an i'm
poSitiOn-'
I'll go pick it out myself" said Lot
tie with an encompassing wave of one
large arm. Hes been after me for
months, Mr. Mertz has. to go get me
dress out of stock. But all is, MiZ'
Therrold, I got just sense enough to
know that these here new-fangled
styles they're showing in town amt
suited to me at-tall Makes person
wonder" she finished naively,
whether us with figures ever will
come into our own again!"
Rose, overridden. had perforce to
consent. And so the matter stood.
Arguing with Lottie on any subject
just then was hopeless, as Rose too
we'll knew. For Lottie was a woman
with a grievance.
In spite of her almost fanatical
care, Lottie's sensitive skin had de-
veloped a rash. A picnic with Mr..
Mertz and bad case of sunburn had
been at the root of the trouble Lo-
tons. creams, ungents, oils-Lottie
had even stopped to the ignominy of
visit to 'ErneStine's'- one smart
beauty shoppe in Catherwood.
AS a general rule. the very men,
ton of the dark, swarthy woman
whose name appeared in gilt scrawl
on the windows of this shop was
enough to send the usually amiable
Lottie off into a TRADE of explosive
invective.
"Ernestine's!" she had snorted de-
risively to the astonished Rose. "Sa-
die Kratz she used to be when I was
with the Sylphs and she travelled for
Pomfret's Perfumes! And it's Sadie
KratZ she'll be to me to the end, in
spite of her beauty shoppey and her
gilt writing and her airs; Hah! All is,
/ earned the money for my storel
Ritzing me-after all I know! She
sure does roll off my knife!'
In moments of great emotional
stress, Rose had discovered Lottie
was prone to revert to the homely
phrases of a youth that had appar-
emily abounded in pungent idioms.
To Ernestine's however, she had on
this occasion gone For Lottie with
a blemish on her faultless skin was
Lottie in desperate straits. The re-
suit of the visit had been but addi-
tional grief. The already sensitive
skin had peeled and raveled under
the strenuous beauty treatment until
it presented a hemstitched appear
ance which all but reduced its owner
to the verge of mysteries.
IF you d let it alone" Rose
sympathized worriedly, and then, in
the midst of Lottie's agonized walls,
suddenly bethought herself of some
thing which sent her hesitating to
search through the bottom drawer of
her trunk
"Miz Therrold, I tell you I'd stop at
nothing short of the actual purchase
of burglars jimmy if knew where
l could find cure for this!' Lottie
wept. And broke off, to ask tremu-
lousy: What you got there?"
What Rose had was an old copy
book. relic of her days with the
of which she found what she had
sought. A formula. written in the
spidery, thin scrawl of French
Annie" ancient property woman Of
the troupe; formula for the cure of
just such an irritating skin condition
Y as Lottie had bewailed.
s The Catherwood Drug Store, at the
mill end of the town, was run by an
sold German in a black skull cap, who
took off his reading glasses and re-
fgarded her so anxiously as she came
In that Rose instantly bought pack
aege of tooth paste before stating the
real purpose of her errand.
No shiny soda fountain here, like
THAT which graced the chill elegance
Scf Caselles at the other end of town.
Patent medicines, hot-water bottles,
liniments and dark brown cough mix
,stures seemed to form the stock in
trade. But the earnest, honest face
Sof the old German chemist beamed