Evening star., 1934-07-15
SUMNER FOLKS
By Alice d. Kelly
To Beth, the Summer Visitors Were a Glamorous
Lot-Then One Year Craig Tolliver
Came Along
Il First Ran Story

n
the shimmering false heat of early June
was glacial blue and green Old man
Freeman hung out his sign. Boat livery
and free parking"
The season was open in Rest Harbour.
Beth Freeman sat on the sand for what would
probably be her last hour of rest until every
Summer visitor had left. Beth was beautiful.
but her beauty was the strong, warm type which
fits in with sea-salt and northeasters and the
fight of wild birds but which is not recognized
by pavement dweers. She was tall and her
creamy flesh which never quite lost its tan, was
firm and hard Her blue eyes were level under
her dark brows and lsshes and her hair was
unfashionably thick. She was like the figures
found at the prows of ancient ships And she
was young and alive and ardent.
To what purpose? 1t was question she had
asked herself since she was IT, four years be-
fore The land in which she lived had no
youth to match her. The native boys were
narrow-chested, leering youths who worked at
filling stations and soda a-fountains or went
away for year to college and came back to
despise the only place in the world which
would have tolerated them.
The sea kept the small town But the days
of whaling and adventurous sea-faring and
brawny young seamen were done.
The Summer people were glamorous. They
came from another world in decently shabby,
high-powered roadsters they possessed the
town casually and as a matter of fact. They
language. But they didn't speak it to her
She worked every Summer. Clerked in one
Of the gift shops, or waited on table at the
Seaview House, or went berrying. Last Summer
she had had beach class of small children.
She liked to have the extra money, and it was
understood in town that the brief season
should be taken advantage of by every one.
But last Summer something had happened
TOR one thing Craig Tolliver had been down.
The first morning he appeared the
beach such strange things happened to Beth
that for at least minutes every one of her
small charges could have drowned and she
wouldn't have noticed it. She big
and strong; but beside his height and powerful
shoulders, she felt almost fragile. He didn't see
Beth at first, but in few moments one of her
smallest pupils, wading in three inches OF
water. overturned by miniature breaker
and his howlS rent the air. Craig came to the
rescue. and restored the infant to Beth.
You need a hfe-saver," he said and sat
down beside her.
Beth laughed. She was lovely when she
laughed.
She met him for three or four mornings
They swan together. talked together. 1t didn't
take Beth long to fall in love with him; and
she was sure that his eyes made love to her.
But the next week Carol Armstrong came
to stay at the Seaview House. and she and her
gang adopted Craig. Carol was little and dark;
and her sports clothes brought tears of envy
to the eyes of her friends. Craig at first
followed then led them. He urged Beth to
join them; but she couldn't leave her children
in the morning. she hadn't the clothes; she
didn't belong.
One day she sitting the beach read
ing when Craig and Carol came down. They
didn't notice her. Craig said:
ASK Beth to your party, will you?"
Carol hooked annoyed.
"oh, Craig" she said, you can't mix in the
town people that way. Beth's all right, but
she wouldn't ft in"
No. guess that's 50" agreed Craig. She
wouldn't fit in"
Beth had cried lot about that. 1t had hurt
more than seemed really necessary. Then she
got angry. She avoided Craig whenever possi-
BILE. When she did meet him her manner was
strictly impersonal She thought at first he
seemed a little bewildered even little hurt:
but that, OF course she told herself, was what
she wanted to think. She hadn't said good-by
to Craig when he left. but she had had a Christ
mas card from him, which she had FIRST torn
up in the traditional manner of bhghted
heroines and then retrieved and saved in an
envelope.
And today she had Just received a letter
from him saying he coming down and
would she mind engaging a room for him?
Ever since the letter arrived she had been
thinking wondering if size could stand another
Summer Of seeing Craig around-ignoring her.
unconscious of her. rushing Carol or somebody
exactly like her. And suddenly she wondered
che had to stand it. After all, if Carols kind
vas what Craig wanted she could at least be-
come good imitation of Carols kind.
She got up abruptly and went into the house
MeY father RAS recupeF2t tins from FIVE hours af