The Washington times., 1936-11-12

wouldn't give him. He was never
more attentive, never more ten
der. Even in her worry she was
happy, because by his every word
and action he was hers, and hers
alone. It was at once the SaddeSt
and the happieSt autumn that she
had ever known.
Even when society columns bore
accounts of the farewell dinners
and parties given for the Kramers
who were soon to return to Guate-
mala, the subject was taboo be-
tween them. Her invitation to
Lowell's dancing party, the last
the Sonora would give in the Mill
Valley house, came and still he
had not spoken.
More than she had ever wanted
anything, Jan wanted new dress
for this, their last dance. She and
Evelyn talked it over, and they
spent two unseasonably hot Octo-
ber afternoons tramping from one
bargain basement to another, look
ing over the specials" marked
down from higher prices. But they
didn't like what they could afford,
and what they could pay for they
wouldn't have. So in the end it
was the same white lace, which
had once belonged to Ards.
Though many of the out-of-town
guests were invited to stay over
night at the Kramer'S, JAMS in
vitation never included that. Low
ell called for her and took her
home, himself.
Evelyn complained at the slight
and always kept poor Jan on pins
and needles, threatening not to let
her accept. But in the end she
always broke down and let her
go, though not without plenty OF
caustic comment about the Seno-
ra's bad taste, and the differences
between hospitality in the days
that the FaileyS owned the place,
and now!
A devil of perverSeneSs never
failed to possess Evelyn on these,
JAMS red-letter days. A Kramer
party tonight, and today Evelyn
must literally tear the rooms to
pieces, on one of her rare house
cleaning jags, or go to bed with
one of her equally rare and violent
headaches.
So instead of having time to
bathe and dress and primp as
she'd planned, poor Jan was al
ways sentenced to a last minute
tumbling into her clothes, with
Lowell waiting in the little living
room, and Evelyn daShing in and
out, poking, bossing, giving direc-
tions, crying Hurry! You're al
ways latey"
But this time no one is going
to make me do anything, Jan
promised herself grimly. For
once I'm going to enjoy getting
ready for a party. I'm going to
fill the tub to the brim with boil
ing hot water and lie in it and
enjoy it-and do my nails and
But the tub was full of clean
ing rags and a bucket and scrub
bing brush adorned the wash
basin.
"I'm nearly dead. I've slaved
all day." Evelyn said. II did
think you might want to help a
little, but it takes you so long
to dress when you're going any
where. You might just wipe up
the bathroom floor and do the
bowl and tub for me. though. It's
kind of messy. I washed my hair
and did a little washing in there
before I started in on the clean
ing"
And after that, as Evelyn
pointed out, while she was at 1t,
Jan might as well go over the
kitchen floor, too. And then there
was the furniture to move back
into the living room.
The same old story!
Lowell was at the door for her,
before she'd even started to dress.
There were prettier girls and
better dressed and more carefully
groomed girls at the Kramer's
party, but not for Lowell'S eyes.
For him they didn't exist. For
him there was only Jan.
For her there was always the
nostalgia wonder of the old house,
the absurd childish hope that it
might be hers one day. She saw
herself and Lowell moving about
in it alone, characters in a fairy
tale.
Mentally she removed the
chintz hangings and slip covers
from the windows and chairs, re-
placed the crimson velvet curtains
that had once hung against the
redwood walls. It would be as it
used to be in the enchanted days
of long ago.
The people who filled the house
were never real people to her.
She just went through Sthe mo-
tions of seeing them, talking to
them, smiling at them.
Ito Be COntinued)