Evening star., 1936-05-31
MogGxine Section

her apprehenSlOnS faded TUESDAY morning
was clear until eleven fifteen, when Lily Lock-
wood rang up and said she was giving skat-
ing party that night on her pond and would
Alice and Sam please come?
Sam was entranced. He was good skater,
and so was Lily, whereas Alice, who had been
born in Baltimore, was not Her ankles would
ache, and her knees would give way, and she
would probably fall down, while Sam and Lily
would be Waiting. Alice got out her woolen
socks and her heavy tweeds, and braced her
self.
The party was charming sight, Alice told
herself nobly. From Liys house one went
down tagged path, through trees stripped
bare by winter. to the ice.
Sam nobly put his arm across hers, and led
her out on the ice. She was wobby; she
swayed, bent back and leaned over to keep
her balance. Sam yanked her towards him and
they whirled around in half circle. colliding
with Lily Lockwood on the arms of two young
men.
At that instant the orchestra began to play
the Blue Danube - it would - and Sam and
Lily fell into each others arms and were gone.
Well, they made lovely pair of walters,
thought Alice. Lily's yellow hair burst out
from beneath little fur cap; her short skirt
now clrmg. now belled around her slender
legs; now she was near, now she was gone
again, her eyes half closed, her lovely lips
smiling. The insistent beat of that venerable
tune had ca ptured them, and they went away
from her, down across the pond, into the
darkness.
However, everyone was as young, as gay.
as crazy as Lily herself Then Alice saw Dick
Storm skating uncertainty around the edge of
the pond. She skated as carefully towards him,
and as he saw her, he advanced with such
abandon that ne slid into her and she had
to hold him from falling.
Thanks" he said. What about bridge?"
''But this is skating party"
"You don't like skating any more than
do. l could tell when saw you hit the ice, so
l went and landed couple of fellows, and
then couldn't find you. Come on, we're going
indoors"
In the library waited Freddy Watkins and
a stranger, MIR. Taylor, visiting MIR. Wat
kins, two hard bitten rakish bachelors, who
also disapproved of cold air and outdoor ice
Mr.. Storm set up the card table, and his
friends arranged the drinks. These were not
Sans friends, they were too rakish. Alice
wondered what Sam was doing, but not for
long. There was that lovely excitement of
playing cards with Storm.
When at last they went out into the living
room, there were four or five couples dancing,
but no Sam and no Lily. They had gone, the
abandoned guests said, out to eat somewhere.
1t was past one O'Clock.
''Oh my goodness Alice said, "Ill have
to 60 home"
Dick Storm took one of Lily's cars and
drove her home. Alice had the feeling that he
liked her little for herself, not just because
she played good bridge. His dark direct eyes,
when they met hers, excited her. Her con-
versation with him had not gone beyond a
sentence here and a sentence there, but he
took charge of her, which is flattering
Her house looked like roadhouse. People
were dancing in the living room; the rugs were
every which way; and in the kitchen, many
people were eating many things.
Hi there, my wandering wife, yelled Sam,
land where have you two been -
MIR. Storm explained that they had been
playing bridge, but no one listened. Alice's
mind was anguished over the scrambled eggs
spilled on her electric stove. and the convic-
ton that Sam had been drinking Certainly
he was doing many things he did not normally