Evening star., 1936-04-16

minutes past II on Satur-
Il day night Mayne, with whom
she almost always had supper, had had
an engagement tonight; a Hollywood
manager was in town, and with him
and one or two other men Mayne was
having an important business confer
ence at the Palace Hotel Tamara felt
lonely and forlorn. Five Sons" had
closed; there was no prospect of an
other engagement for her; there was
nothing ahead but life in the four dark
overfurnished rooms in the Valhalla,
the tumbled couches and scattered
sheet music.
When she got home she was soaked.
Miserably she undressed and got shiv-
ering into bed. She had hoped that
Mayne would telephone, would try to
see her if only for moment to say
good night" but Coral came home,
equally wet and depressed, and the
sisters repaired in their pajamas to the
kitchen. where they brewed hot choco-
late and gnawed on stale bread and
butter
And that's the last Of the choco-
wanted to start pot roast for tomor-
row, and I couldn't tell you the things
we're out of Lance sent home two
dozen beer, but all that means is that
they're playing poker here tomorrow
night"
Nobody in this family takes the
slightest responsibility for anything"
Tam said darkly,
Mrs. Yanger came upstairs and
said mama had borrowed SIS from her
last week" Coral said dreamily.
When was this?"
Tonight. I got it from Houston"
DO you ever pay him back all We
borrow from him, Coral?"
oh" said Coral, yawning, and lay
ing her dyed head on the table, "he
doesn't care! Where does your show
go now?"
They leave for Seattle by boat
Tuesday night"
Rotten you aren't going"
1T makes you feel awfully fiat. I'm
not very good anyway" Tamara said
81 can't act!"
Whats Mayne doing?"
well, if they come back to play
Oakland, he'll be down here again in
about a month, but Feeney thinks they
won't"
You like him, don't you, Tam?"
"Uh-huh."
"Engaged?"
81 don't know" Tam said, her cheeks
suddenly ablaze.
He seems crazy about you" Coral
said generously. But you never can
tell. Too bad he's going away Just
this time, before anything's settled"
That's what I was thinking"
Coral was silent awhile. Then she
said:
Lord, what sweet break you and
got! Look at this Pauline van der
Venter now-didnt you go to school
with her?-going abroad with her
mother to get her trousseau, and mar
rying Tom Spikes. Nothing but
money!"
1--WE always thought" Tamara said,
little thickly, because there we're
tears in her throat-"Ive always-at
least at school they always said-that
money wasn't so important, that you
could bend your life your own
way"
"Yes, we'll" Coral said dryly,
as she paused, you can't. and that's
all there is to that Moneys every
thing. Those rich girls down the
Peninsula can get away with murder,
Tam, because they've got money.
Girls like us have to put up with dubs
like Houston-we'r going to be mar
ried, by the way" Coral diverged to
say casually.
You're going to marry Houston?"
"Yep. At least I said I would last
week"
But Coral, do you love him?"
mo, don't love him. But I'm sick
of this mess Coral said bitterly
There was a silence.
Girls like Helena and Pauline and
the rest, Coral" Tam presently asked
somewhat diffidently, do you suppose
they're straight?"
mot for one moment" Coral an
swered unhesitatingly.
"And it doesn't matter?"
"Of course, it doesn't matter"
Tam sat silent for while, thinking.
Then life isn't fair" she said soft
ly. half aloud, after a while. But
Coral had gone to sleep with her head
on the table, and nobody heard the
words.
The next day was Sunday, but Tam
slept late and omitted church. She
had not been regular in her attend
ance at St. Boniface's for many
months; this morning she did not
awaken until nearly II, and then it
was to find matters so disturbed in
the Todhunter household that no out
side thoughts could find entrance.
Lance had come home intoxicated the
night before and was i'll; Mrs. Tod
hunter had an liberated tooth that
was driving her to frenzy, and Coral
had discovered on the first page of the
bulky wet newspaper the announce
Klelt Of Mr.. Houston HiCkey6 sudden
marriage to his cousin, Miss Ada Le-
roy, in Oakland
"The popular club and theatrical
man admitted" said the newspaper,
"that he expected the event to be a
surprise to his friends. But too many
of my friends are happy married men,
said Hickey, for me to stay out in the
cold >"
This blow shattered Corars self
control, and she spent the greater
part of the day in Mysteries. Lance,
dragging himself to a heavy headachy
consciousness at IL O'Clock, insisted
upon dressing and going out into the
driving rain. Mrs. Todhunter scented
the entire apartment with oil of cloves
and fastened up her head in a towel.
Tam, perfectly conscious that she had
had $40 bill in her purse the night
before, found herself reduced to sill
yer only. and suspected her brother