Evening star., 1938-05-29

shaded and her mother was cautiously getting
out of bed. A kindly desire not to bother her
by being awake made Dodie lie very still.
When she heard the sliding sound of bureau
drawer she peered out under her eyelids and
for an instant was startled out of her deep
breathing, for in Diana's hands was the famil-
lar jewel case.
Diana stood motionless, listening, 50 Dodie
again drew the breath of slumber. When she
dared look. band of diamonds lay across
Diana's palm beside string of pearls and she
was picking out rings. These were rolled up
inside pair of stockings and tossed into the
back of the drawer, the jewel case was put
away and Diana crept back to bed.
That night Dodie Partridge grew up. At
first she resisted, ran desperately here and
there in her thoughts. trying to find way
out. Then she sank down helpless and suffered
as she never had in all her young days. for this
was an adult pain, not grief of childhood.
Her mother had played cheap trick on the
public. That was what she had meant when
she said that this life was good enough for her
but not good enough for her child.
But it wasn't good enough for you, my
darling" Dodie wept, her face crushed into
the pillows. ''Oh. why did you? How could
you?" At last, out of the welter of pain and
shame. came understanding. The high star of
her alteration was gone, but she saw how
cruelty hard it was when star began to wane
and had to draw attention to herself any way
she could. Memory of Leslie's edged remarks
brought fiery flush that would not die down.
To reinstate her mother and put Leslie in the
wrong became fierce need, and she did not
and Diana went to her bath. Dodie opened
the bureau drawer, took the jewels out of the
hastily rolled stockings, wrapped them in
piece of tissue paper and dropped them into
her toilet bag. They are gone now anyhow"
she told Leslie as she went back to the weary
pretense of sleep.
Wake up. you lazy child" Diana sang it
out in her usual fashion. Dodie groaned and
mumbled in her usual fashion and shut the
bathroom door between them. Presently.
above the rush of the water, she heard wild
cry: Hattie! Hattie!'
Hattie answered and Dodie could hear the
slamming of bureau drawers, the hurrying of
feet When the water was abruptly turned
of, she heard Hatties voice. II told you you
hadn't oughter done it, Miss Diana!"
Diana hushed her, but the frantic search
went on. They were at the closets now, pull
ing down boxes Dodie fingered till her mother
knocked at the door.
Are you drowned in there?" she called
gaily. And so Dodie had to come out, guilt in
her eyes and the jewels under her arm. Diana
waved dramatic hand toward the confusion
in the room, where Hattie still burrowed.
did l walk in my Sleep" she demanded.
my gold vanity is gone. must have got up
in the night and done something with it.
Didn't you see me?"
Dodie remembered that she too was an
actress and Strengthened up to it. Perhaps
your burglars came back for more, she said,
hopping into her mothers bed do we eat?"
They had their trays side by side, but her
role was almost too much for Diana. Her eyes
were searching right and left, her mind could
not take in what was said. Dodie. too, was
absent, struggling between her impulse to
confess what she had done and the bitter
knowledge that the loss of jewels would be
nothing to Diana beside the loss of standing
in her child's sight. Dodie's plan was still
vague, but she was going to get the jewels out
of the apartment to some place where they
would be found and restored with apologies
The apologies were to come from the SUPER