The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1937-05-28
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
Q Kathleen Norris
wNU Service.
CHAPTER l

Victoria Herrendeen came up
from the beach with her sandy fin
gers tight in her fathers hand.
Those girls down there had been
mean to her because she didn't un-
derstand the French they were jab-
bering with Mademoiselle, and they
had laughed at her. When Dad
had appeared, with his usual smile,
wearing his old blue coat and the
loose old white trousers Mother
sometimes let him wear on a sum-
mer morning, he had looked to his
daughter like an angel of light. Here
was her unfailing friend and cham
pion.
He came down from the San
Francisco Office when he could: not
every weekend, but at least every
other weekend, and when he was
there Victoria had the companion
she loved best in the world, and
the best time any little girl ever
had on a beach. - .....,
Dad was a chemist-whatever
that was-and worked in labora-
tory with a man named Butler, who
was mean to him, and lot of other
men who were nice. Victoria knew
about Butler because she had often
heard her mother say. Butler
wouldn't put it over on me that
way, Keith. I'd not stand it'll !
wonder what you do"
They loved each other dearly. she
and her father. They were ex-
quisitely happy together. While she
waded, and he made a beach fire
and scrambled eggs and boiled CO
Goa, they liked to plan dim future
days in which they two would live
alone on a desert island and signal
to the people on the shore for what
they wanted.
She was an odd-looking child, not
pretty yet. but too small to worry
about looks herself Her mother,
however, was extremely concerned
about them. She had just begun to
realize that Victoria might be quite
lovely some day-or striking, any
way, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS was
watching her keenly for signs of it;
but Victoria did not know that, Mrs
Herrendeen said to herself that if
the child ever grew up to that big
red mouth, and if the deep-set slate
gray eyes opened little more. and
if the thick straight tawny hair were
cut and curled into a becoming
shape, and the dark, freckled skin
cleared, she would be all right. But
the big teeth had to be straight
ened and the hair brushed .
Magda Herrendeen might indulge
in little sigh about it, deep in her
own soul. She was far too fond of
Victoria, far too loyal to everyone
she loved, her own small daughter
included, to give the child any hint
of it. Vicky's life must be happy,
confident, free; she must never feel
any inferiority or shyness.
Magda had had no trouble with
her own beauty It had been given
her at about fifteen as a complete
gift from the gods. 1t was fiawless;
it was only comparable to other
perfect beauty.
But it was not anything tangible
or even describable about her that
made her lovely, nor the firm
straight body with its wide Shout
ders and thin hips, nor the fine
nervous hand and modelled arm. 1t
was a glow, a fragrance, light
that seemed to emanate from her,
and that was somehow in her voice
too, and in the clothes she wore.
Victoria could not appreciate her
beauty, even when new men were
introduced to her and held her small
sandy hand while they asked her
the question all the other men had:
do you know you have very
beautiful mother?"
She would look at her mother on
these occasions and smile shyly,
pleased, but a little puzzled, too.
Was it so important?
Evidently it was very important.
Anyway, for that reason or some
other everyone did really make
great fuss about Mother. She
laughed about it, but of course she
liked it, too.
Victoria's mother always had
flowers; men brought them when
they came to tea, even in winter.
The Herrendeens did not have din
ner parties themselves, because the