The Coolidge examiner., 1937-02-25

| an important decision, ISM II! III
compromise. A little of both If you
please"
His reply seemed to amuse her.
She returned to her task humming,
just audibly, a gay familiar tune.
Funny kid, Jim thought. Kid? Well,
eighteen or nineteen, perhaps. What
was her name? Gladys? Gertrude?
Geraldine? Not that it mattered
Nothing mattered especially. He'd
give his right arm to be interested
in something again. Anything-a
girl, job, dog-fght. Life without
vital interests wasn't much fun. One
might as well be turnip-
There must be something that he
could do. He was confident, in spite
of repeated discouragements, of his
ability to get on in the world. He
had had an expensive education and
a fair amount of intelligence. He
made friends easily. People usually
liked him. He was healthy enough.
He'd been voted, during his last
year at college, the member Of his
class most likely to succeed. That
was a laugh!
HE'LL" he muttered half aloud.
The girl placing platter before
| him, glanced up.
Everything all right?"
II beg your pardon-Oh, fine!"
Jim assured her. He contemplated
| the platter. THE sandwiches are
beautiful. That's a tasty arrange
ment of pickles and hard-boiled
! egg"
II thought" she hesitated. "You
| looked sort of sunk"
"I'm an actor" Jim said. do
ing Hamlet That was a private
rehearsal"
'Honest?" Her eyes opened wide,
then narrowed and crinkled. Its
Mr.. Barrymore!" she exclaimed.
Fancy my embarrassment! Can
you forgive me? I'm a little near
sighted without my opera-glasses.
Jim laughed, a deep pleasant
laugh of genuine amusement. Sur
prisingly, he felt almost cheerful.
| He applied himself to the sand
WicheS.
Anything else?"
Jim glanced up from the remain
ing segments of sandwich. She had
made things tidy behind the coun-
ter and seemed about to disappear.
The idea was depressing. To de-
tain her, he asked, though he had,
at present, no practical use for the
information. Can you tell me how
to reach the Vaughn place? T. H.
Vaughn, Meadowbrook'
The question caught and held her
attention. 1t was obvious, at once.
that she, too, was impressed by
| the name.
The girl behind the fountain sup
piled detailed instructions.
South Valley road" she said, her
interest in Jim deepening percepti-
bly,. Turn left here at the corner
and again at the cross-road just
| past the first stretch of woods. You
can't miss the place. It's white
house on a hill. Sort of old-fash-
ioned-but pretty" she conceded.
There's a brook through the mead
oW."
Il assumed there would be a
brook" Jim said, land one mead
oW, at least"
"Oh sure That was silly, wasn't
it?" She had apparently abandoned
any idea of disappearing. The
Vaughn estate seemed to be an
absorbing topic of conversation. She
perched on a stool behind the foun-
tain and regarded Jim attentively.
her eyes glinting with secret amuse-
ment. You're a friend of Cecily'S,
l suppose"
Jim was unable to make an in
telligent reply. Who the devil was
Cecily? He had let himself in for ex-
plantations. Why had he asked the
question?
The girl, however expected no re-
ply. That he and "Cecily" were
friends was an established fact, Jim
decided, so far as she was con-
cerned.
Il know somebody who won't set
off fire works because you've
come" she added with an air of
lively enjoyment.
do your" Jim asked, slightly
startled. That's not a pleasant
prospect"
You needn't worry" she said
encouragingly. You can handle
him" Jim felt that she was meas
uring the ample breadth of his
shoulders, appraising, with admira-
tion which she made no attempt to
conceal, his six feet and an odd inch
or so of flexible muscles and lean
hard flesh. What in blazes? Who
was "him"? A potential rival, per-
haps. Jim was intrigued.
Are you sure?" he asked smil-
| ing