The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-07-20
SUN-TAN
 nAAS9 BY NARD JONES Q ,es. NEA ssries
SYNOPSIS


 1B out of work. Jo hunts a job and accrues part time work in a marine supply store. There she meets wealthy, handsome DOug- las Marsh who offers her the job of hostess at his inn at Crest Lake. Jo accepts and this caus- es Q quarrel with Bret Paul to whom she is engaged. Jo breaks the engagement.
 She goes to Crest Lake, Marsh warns her that many people consider his mother eccentric. That night at dinner Mrs. Marsh anhOunces she has invited Babs Montgomery and her parents to the inn. Jo knows that Babs dislikes her.
 CHAPTER XII
 During the next few days Jo was too occupied to encounter Mrs. Marsh more than two or three times, and then only for a casual moment. Most of the time Jo was with Douglas Marsh who showed her the various and endless facili- ties of the resort, and introduced her to the employees in charge of each.
 With him she inspected the stables, rode for an hour or two through the cool woods. Then he instructed her in the operation of one of the motor boats. I'll teach you to sail before the summer is out" he promised. "Or perhaps Pete Fragonet will. He loves to teach sailing-especially to attrac- tive young women"
 Jo laughed. Didn't you say his wife would be with him? ?"
 Well 1 was told in Holly wood that they don't get along, ex- cept for publicity purposes. That's probably just Hollywood gossip" I really don't feel a bit inn pressed" Jo said, and if it's all the same to you l think I'd rather have you teach me to sail"
 That" confessed Marsh, is ex- actly what I wanted you to say"
 Then they inspeced the golf course with its tiny club house and lockers, and they even man. aged to get through eight holes of the game. But Jo had to admit that her golf was deplorable, and that she'd better confine her acti- vities to boating and tennis.
 "And dancing" appended Doug las. T haven't forgotten how you can dance."
 They were hectic days, indeed and when Jo reached her room in the evening after dinner she was quite ready to sleep. Sometimes she would read a few pages of one of the novels in bed, but it was never long before her eyes were closed. In three or four days she knew the place almost as thor oughly as Marsh himself, and she felt quite ready to assume her du- ties as official hostess at Crest Lake.
 One morning she found under h1r door a check for months salary in advance. At first she was overcome with astonishment, for here at Crest Lake she had had no need for cash, and the major ity of the time she had forgotten that this was really job which was to pay a salary.
 She endorsed the check imme- distely and sent it with a letter to her mother. T don't want you to have the least hesitancy in ac- cepting this,' she wrote. The hon. est truth is that I don't know what to do with it! My room and board is furnished-and I've just stopped thinking about money. Every so often pinch myself and say that it can't last; but MT. Marsh said the other evening that he may keep the place open until October. He seems satisfied with my work, and although Mrs. Marsh is just little difficult to get along with feel I'm getting to know her bet ter, and that her bite isn't as bad as her bark"
 Jo decided that the little white lie about her relationship with Mrs. Marsh was wholly justifiable. After all, she wanted the Dariens to have the rosiest possible picture so they would accept that $SOO' check without the slightest qualms.
 When she had sealed the en- velope and addressed it she thought, T must write Bret, too -"
 But she never wrote him. What could she write? They had parted @ definitely, so finally, and there was nothing that had changed She had come to Crest Lake against his will. She had told him slie remembered now with little pang of regret, that he had no right to concern himself with what she did.
 She knew we'll enough, too, that the presence of Babs Montgomery was more than likely to mean trouble. Jo had not seen her as yet, except at distance on the golf course, but the Montgomerys had had one of the cottages now for several days. They had dined with Mrs. Marsh, and Jo felt sure that Babs would have plenty to say to the old lady about her.
 A dance was scheduled for the next Friday night Marsh was bringing down a 10-piece band and she would certainly have to meet Babs Montgomery then. Mean while she decided to avoid her if at all possible.
 The afternoon before the dance the met Douglas Marsh as she was coming from the tennis court after Q singles game with Todd Barston, the aviator. Marsh greeted them with e grin.
 Look here Todd" he said, you can't take up all Miss Darien's time like this. She's supposed to look out for all the guests"
 1T don't know what you pay her, Doug," the aviator laughed, but you can charge her salary to me If you want"
 When the aviator had gone on 60 his cottage Marsh said, "Frago- net and his wife are coming in on the afternoon train. Like to ride to the station with me to greet them iE proper style?"