The Coolidge examiner., 1934-06-22
CHAPTER vI--continued

$
Marsel her graceful ngure
meshed IN a web of knltted silk.
talked ineoienily of a recent trip
% Japan.
There was = japanese man AZ
our hotel. Celia interrupted. He
called me Almond Flower She
laughed softly. n single qulvering
harp string.
That was The way she dld lt.
jamie thought. she made you feel
that the almond trees In far Japan
had lowered FOR the sole purpose
os giving Celia a pretty name. She
saw the lash Of Interest In Hugh ;
brown eyes and wished she had
never been born.
Muriei talked no further of ia
pan. Ton asked jamie about the
playground.
! thiuk It's dear % jamie 70 be
interested IN those little foreign
ers- Celia smiled az her small
grave sister. ~She makes me feel
absolutely worthless adore chill
dren- They were so cunning on the
beach IN their wisps % bathing
suits used 20 build castles for
them. We played fairy tales They
pretended that vas the Princess Z"
jamie knew that Hugh bad no
mental vision of JAMIE struggling
with dirty little foreigners He
saE Celia beneath an umbrella on
the beach. building castles for pret.
try. clean children who called her
Princess lie saw her. perhaps.
with bis own children. red haired
boys who looked like Hugh. tiny
blond girls with CeIlas violet eyes
], worked out very well
Hugh Was reminded of a servant
they'd had who told fortunes with
tea leaves.
4 bad my fortune told at the
shore Celia's manner made II
seen a remarkable achievement
A crystal Earer she told me was
psychic. she said she felt Il the
moment entered the room do
have strange prenonIiions some
tluses feel them In my wrists
Little stAbs like rose prickA"
Celia and Hugh and Tom talked
about premonltlonx Muriel liz
fresh cigarette Janie continued 10
wish that she had never been born.
Tom presently glanced AT Muriel.
lylng back In the low wicker chair.
her long graceful legs iBdolently
crossed. the smoke from the cigarette
wreaihlug above her head
You look like an ad.- he said.
Doesn't shei- Hugh agreed
"Muriel IL 30 sophisticated" Celia
smiled pre,illy. 4 wish I didn't
look like a laee-paper valentine. f" she
added with a qulverlng sigh.
Excuse me" Murlel rose from
her chair and walked toward the
house. JAMIE followed. after a mo-
nent She made no apologies. II
wasn't necessary. Celia was talk
lng about herself. No one noticed
that jamie bad gone.
Muriel vas pacing back and forth
In the wide oak-beamed hall.
II had stayed | would have
thrown things she said 10 jamie.
Muriel looked almost ugly today.
Her face was somber: her eyes were
dark with helpless rage. JAMIE
thought of the garden party when
Murlel had looked pretty. standing
against the oak tree. talking and
laughing with Tom. She thought
OF running away with Hugh TO the
point beyond the White Marsh
creek. She remembered how he had
smiled AT her and told her OF all bis
Look at our Christmas tree
now -
You can't see the tiny nrst star"
Its lost In the dazzle"
jamie looked at Muriel.
IT makes everything different"
she said. Celia being home"
III
Celia cherished q secret. II had
10 do with square gray envelopes
which arrived At irregular inter-
vals.
"who Is II. darllngY' Mother
would ask. She liked to enjoy, VI
csriOusiy. her pretty daughters con-
quests
Just some one met at the
shore" Celia would smile mystic
riously as though there were some
things In life too sacred TO be dis
cusSed.
jamie wondered about II. Celia,
usually. made q grand parade Of
her victims. Could Celia have
fallen In lover That. somehow. was
a strange idea. You thought OF peo-
pie falling In love with Celia
His name was Carter. II was
Great-aunt Rose who explained She
came 10 call one Sunday afternoon.
Celia was spending the day with
Aun; Rhoda. jamie sat curled up
with a book In n fat leather chair.
Mother rocked languldly and waved