Evening star., 1936-04-06

nH wonderful. She had said: i
wv expect great things Of you,
4 4 Tamara. You have most
unusual character, dear. Don't expect
life to be easy; it isn't good for lis to
have life easy. You have to make your
own happiness, you'll never find it
ready made :"
She looked out Of the bed room
window. Fog had filled the side
street in the dusk. 1t was shabby
street. whose cheap stores were pour
ing garish light across the sidewalks;
there were crowds of people coming
and going. Bareheaded women with
coats over house dresses went into
the delicatessen stores. came out with
little packages; boys yelled papers.
This Is all an adventure-this is
funny :" Tamara said half aloud
But she felt bewildered and shocked
and surprisingly babyish-ready for
tears. She felt like a traveller MAX
ing his way cautiously across a bog
in the dark.
Coral came in and the sisters kiss
ed each other and laughed nervously
as they sat talking aWkwardly of
trifles; after five years they could
not be easy with each other all at
once. Tamara felt another shock
when she saw Coral. 1t might be
only CoralS StrangeneSS, she might
get over it, but she seemed talkative
and shallow and affected, somehow.
The words did not come to Tamara,
but she felt their meaning. A tre-
mendous and desolating sense Of dis
illusionment in her sister swept over
her. This was not the gay, success
full young actress she had pictured
as laughing over fan letters in her
dressing room, evading unwelcome
callers at the stage door.
'How d'you think mamma lookS?"
asked Coral, working her lips as she
spoke with vigor that Tamara had
forgotten was one Of her character
istics 1t was an actressy manner
ism; it gave full value to every con-
sonant and was accompanied with
much arching of eyebrows and WIDEN
41AE SyCS. OlAN bCNLl 0tab1lll lll
didn't write you; I'm the worst let
ter writer
Inasmuch as her sister had never
written her at all. Tamara could
not politely deprecate this. She re-
membered the candy and thanked
Coral for it again.
you've no idea what hit the
plantations made"
"Oh, Lord, that was nothing. I
happened to be passing a candy store
and I remembered how I used to
love 'em!" Coral said. But she was
pleased. I'm like that" she added.
IF I once think of something to
do for somebody. well, it's as if you'd
given me a present"
ITS a nice way to be-"
well, it Is and it isn't. I never
have a cent"
Tamara laughed.
'Il bet you're starving" Coral
said suddenly. I'll bet they starved
you in that convent! Want some
thing to eat?"
The sisters went into the kitchen
together and Tamara had her first
meal at home.
Tamara was presently to discover
that all her meals would be like this
one, eaten casually from paper bags,
from bowls in the ice box, from the
saucepans and coffee pots on the gas
stove. No table was ever set in the
Todhunter house, and no meal was
ever served. Each member of the
family ate when and what he liked;
the coffee pot simmered on the pilot
light all day. Coral Hospitality assisted
her in finding food. sat watching her
as she ate. But Coral ate nothing
herself; she was going later with a
man friend for late dinner.
Mamma, want anything?" she
presently shouted.
Mrs. Todhunter, a shapeless big
woman in corsets and firmly gartered
silk stockings. came heavily to the
kitchen door.
Il don't believe I'll have anything"
she said. Il may go out later with
Ray: he phoned a while back. MY
check hasn't come and I'm fiat! I'm
going to have Cutter go see Jesse"
Jesse Straut was known only vague
ly to the girls as the man who had
been for brief space their mothers
second husband. Jesse, for this ex-
perience Of welded happiness, was
supposedly paying his late wife $40
week. Tamara now learned that he
was not doing so with the regularity
that Willette considered her right.
Coral had taken off all her street
Clothing but her cloth skirt and slipped