Evening star., 1934-06-07


ring which Harvey had given her on
their wedding day. -.
Even Kittens small possessions were
marked. Her straight little frocks, the
tiny red "happy-coat," with its wide
sleeves and pale gilt buttons, which
was her special joy. Her row Of ORR
entail dolls. =.
Rose had tried, during those first
strange days, to put these away. The
SHREDDER children and the grubby little
Schwartzes had stared so. But Kitten
had cried so heart -brokenly that she
had finally given it up.
After all, why not?" she asked her
self, moodily. 1T was Shanghai Rose
whom Harvey Therrold married."
Yet SO surely was she merging into
the new life about her that already the
past seemed blurred and dim. Shang-
hal. even Harvey, seemed like some
fantastic interlude, something she
might have dreamed.
Yet here was Kitten 10 dispute that,
with the crest of fair hair, the deep
pansy eyes, the little tricks of hand
and head and the very infections of
voice that had been Harvey's How
carefully she would have to watch for
any sign of the weakness that had
been his. Kitten must grow up to be
strong and sure, self-reliant and un-
afraid.
In spite Of the fact that the listless
little figure had become so gratifyingly
sturdy and brown, Kittens choice Of
playmates worried Rose. Little Gloria
CozZins was sweet. But there were the
Polak children next door. and on the
other side of the CoZzins' cottage the
home OF Fireman Schwartz.
If there was anything to be smashed.
publicly and with abandon, the
Schwartz children could be depended
upon to smash it. Their alarming
habit of emerging from beneath the
shocked legs of horses on the highway
and their gift for propounding awful
truths were history in Catherwood.
Them Schwartz kids got in the way
Of the tire-hose again today" Lottle
would announce calmly at supper
time This time it washed them a
block away and they had to be
brought home in the patrol-wagon.
Tch, tch.'
Il suppose 1t won't hurt Kitten
she's SO little" Rose told Larry wor-
riedly. After all. she's got to play
with some one. But when I think
what she ought to be having"
An electrical storm had been brew
ing all day. The ominously lowering
clouds haStened Roses footsteps as
she left the store late in the afternoon,
enroute for the CozzinS' house to pick
up Kitten and take her home.
Her knock on the CoZZins' front door
eliciting no response. she hastened
around to the rear.
'Miz CoZZins, she say tell you she
gone to the post Office with the kids.
She be right back"
The corpulent figure of Mrs
Schwartz next door hung perilously
over the porch railings. Her red hands
were filled with the blowing garments
that she strove to hang on the line;
her mouth filled with clothespins, CIV
ing her something of the look of a
stout and worried snake-charmer, pip
ing to her pets.
A distant clap Of thunder louder
than the rest lent wings to Roses feet
as she turned toward the village.
Ellie Cozzins, intent on her family
errands in the town. had made hasty
dash into Shroder's Market, leaving
Kitten and her own small Gloria
parked in the back seat of the dilap-
idated flivver which served as the
Cozzins' family car.
1t was at this moment that young
Ernie SHREDDER elected to settle a score
of long standing with the son of the
local butcher.
With the almost uncanny prescience
which heralds such events, the steps
Of the post Office opposite became in
stantly struggling mass of youngsters
all intent on watching the fight
Kitten, following the adventurous
Gloria Cozzins. had pattered hopefully
to the very edge of the crowd. staring
in baby wonder at this strange bit OF
chaos that had invaded her small
world
Almost at once she was knocked to
the sidewalk Scrambling tearfully up
ward, she clutched at the nearest OBJ
ject, which proved to be the immacu-
lately clad person of a small boy OF
seven Summers, who had just escaped
from the shining limousine parked al
the curb.
Go away. you nasty child Let go!
Do you hear? Master William, you
must come away at once. Your mother
is calling you!'
Roses arrival on the scene coincided
with that of the blue-clad nurse
whose efforts to drag her charge back
to the safety of the limousine were
hampered by the fact that Kitten
clung with terrified tenacity to the
tails Of his spotless blouse.
"Lemme go! Go way. -. wanna
see. I wanna see! :"
A Shrek from the waiting limousine
heralded the presence of a second
small boy. the coat of his impeccable
white linen suit held firmly in the
clutch of his mother. At the sight OF
Rose, however. Ursula Therrold Prem
tiss descended hastily from the car
and came forward. her thin nostrils
quivering with wrath.
The sound of her mistress pre-emp-
tory voice spurred the already frantic
nurse to action. AS Roses hands
reached for Kittens struggling form
the woman showed her angrily to one
side. Kitten staggered, righted her
self, let out frightened, appealing
cry. clutched the air with small des-
perate hands and went down into the
muddy gutter.
'Mommie! Mommie! ). Oh, Nom
mie! :"
Kitten! Oh, Kitten, baby" All
the pent-up fury in her heart, all the
instructive, protective impulses of a
jungle woman boiled to the surface in
Roses mind.
With a hoarse cry of rage she flung
herself blindly on the astonished fig
ure of the nurse, shaking her SO vio-
lently by both ample shoulders that
the woman's neat cap fell dangling
across her eyes and her blue cape
swayed violently through space.
Words, incoherent and wild, tumbled
from Roses lips. You take your
hands off my baby-this instant! Do
you hear!"