Montana oil and mining journal., 1935-08-31

By Wallace IrlOir

informal. just q black tie. We fee
sort Of responsible for you, Clyde.
mean, deserted like that. Eight q
clock, 50 ven have time for COCK
tails.
He made some thankful noises anI
hung up the telephone. So that "a
that. sally and Clyde. Back in Sleep
ing Willow they had been @rS. Eitcl
and Ar. Billings. But now Clyde
bosom glowed and prickled with s0ns
new emotion. You might cal if van
ity. you might call it animal magnet
ism, according to your sense Of 0ef-
initions. The last time he talked z
SaIly-at one Of her very large sand
wich rodeoS-he had said some witty
things that made her giggle before
she cast her eyes for another man
he had always thought Of her IS 9
woman who chucked her personality
at too many people, all over the lot
But she must have a human side, thik
Sally. to think Of him as lonesome.
he dressed meticulously and reached
the Fitches' at one minute past eight
1t was two O'Clock when he got home
but he wasn't sleepy, and his conscience
urged him to write like this to Mabel:
Maybe its the climate, but certainly
Sally Fitch is g lot different. ! think
we got her wrong when we called her
high hat. Down here she's the life OF
the party. And some party. Thirty
people. sat on her right, and she
told me a lot OF funny stuff about try
ing to raise turkeys from the egg. She's
a riot when she gets going. They've
asked me for riding party tomorrow,
going over TO Storm lake And q hunt
dinner with somebody named Ogle-
thrope. Sally hauled me In on that.
1 was sort Of embarrassed about to-
morrow mean day after tomorrow,
because it's tomorrow now.
Il half promised a Mrs. Blaney that
I'd lunch at her houSe-they've got q
perfect Grand Central station out by
the river, but q Mrs. Byrd danced with
seemed to take It for granted that I'd
lunch with their party at the Saddle
club. I had TO tell her that Mrs. Blan-
ey had first call, so she compromised
by asking me to go with them to the
country club dance.
They're awfully nice and cordial
down here. Not stiff and catty, the
way they can get at Sleeping willow.
I'm running my head off, trying TO
keep up with my dates; I'd be bored
blue, but / have a feeling that I'm
sort Of breaking the ice, darling, 50 that
you won't be stranger when you get
here.
aDear little Mabel. you're going to
love it, because know you'll want some
excitement, after staying home 50 much
with the baby. OF course, Wen have to
duck lot Of parties II we want any
time to ourselves. Anyhow, promise
you we won't have dull moment
Dull moments were certainly scarce
at Shadow Rock that week and the
next; and IL was quite natural that
Clyde should have taken some OF the
credit for the welcoming smiles, mostly
feminine, that met him on every hand.
It was wonderful how the companion
ship Of women brought him out. He
found that they liked his intimate. Wit
ty type. He was a little out Of practice
when first he came to Shadow Rock;
but after q couple OF parties he was
back TO the form he had shown when
he was counting Mabel.
He thought Of Mabel g great deal, |
even IN his more feverish moments
with Shadow Rocks hunting set. When
he did that rather undignified bull /
fight dance with Sally Fitch he was
Of Mabel. Or when he got /
lost with Sue Blaney at q picnic party 1
and heard her very southern husband 1
talk like a dueliSt-even then he was
thinking of Mabel Or when Hilda
and Katherine Bolt both
held seats for him in their cars, going /
)ver TO the Viaduct Cup races, and al
most quarreled over him-even then
Mabel was occupying his thoughts. She
NEW the society game better than hs
lid, he admitted. And when Mabel
:ame to Shadow Rock they'd develop
teamwork and fairly own the place.
The second night before she did
inally conle-he had been writing her
tally bulletins, reporting another and
mother triumph was a big
lance at the Oglethorpes'. 1t was only
lalf past twelve; as dances CO. the
hing was Just started. Clyde had been
Ievoting himself to Hilda Oglethorpe.
he had danced himself lame
With any number of others, picking
My the prettiest; since he seemed TO
ave his choice. But now, dancing with
1ilda, he was forced to stop because
he spied couple going home early.
With something between a lovers
Ugh and muttered curse Hilda went
yer TO them: she wore that must-you-
o-So-soOn expression as her hand went
ut to q young man who would have
cen handsome had Il not been for
is worried black brows. And now she
Tas saying good night to one Of those
lomen who can't be pretty because q
ieanness Of spirit seems to pinch away
very gracious line. When Charles Is
D all night he's not worth thing
This was a scrap from the wom- /
MS thin lips, speaking stingily:
Poor Charleyl What a pitiful
1ingl" said Hilda, coming back.
"And who's poor Charley?" asked
hadow Rocks social hit.
Charley Bryne. He was such a dear
sfore she got him. We have to ask \
lem-well, he's our lawyer. They can
er the Scourge Of Locugts."
''And she swings mean scourge on
harles?D asked Clyde IN the flippant
anner he was perfecting.
Mean scourge is right Charley used >
} be the life Of the party. She's dull =
him so he can't say q word without J.
ghting for 1t. She has lot Of stunts. :
Ike getting jealous and taking him J,
1me. And he goes That's the pity OF 3
Aren't we women terriblel" ,
Men aren't so hot" he said, when :,
comes to that" :,
They're darlings." Squeezing his .
m. "There aren't enough men IN y
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