The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-11-23

h1tlSDaQQ. 1T 5OLueOuc 4lttd gOAd 4S4 {, a year ago, that she, Judy Alco.t liner mothers daughter and Admiral lAlcott's daughter, could possibly Icrawl to a woman who had once linsulted her, she would have laugh ed at them. It couldn't happen. Not to Judy Alcott. Yet all the careful boise was gone. All the knowledge of form and manners, all the subtle shadings of what girl in her posi- ton might do and must not do.
 It was only half-past eight when Dwight left. Judy turned her thoughts over in her mind, and suddenly decided to drive over to Diane's.
 She rang the bell. A light went on over the tiny porch. Diane with a towel around her shoulders opened the door and said, T was washing my hair. Whats the matt ter?"
 "I've got to talk to you. Is Bill home?"
 "No. He's on the Enterprise. Deviling aerology or something, They're going out in the morning, and he had until midnight. But =" She laughed. "The honeymoon is over when he doesn't take full advantage of every liberty"
 Judy knew better than that. She knew that Diane respected Bills anxiety about the weather, and she knew, too, that those ex- tra hours of fellowship and work aboard the ship were actually necessary if Bill was to keep up his excellent record.
 Dwight Campbell came to the house tonight" she said. What shall do? He wants me to-"
 Don't tell mel Let me guess!" Diane toweled her dark hair vig- orously, and then let it fall back, 8 soft cloud of black. "He wants you to explain etiquette. The Navy's own Emily Post"
 Judy was silent. Diane said, T hope you sent him packing!"
 "No-no. I didn't"
 Diane picked up a comb. of all the dimwitted nincompoops ever saw! You told him you would?'
 That's about it. And please won't you help me?"
 Diane said, "The Navy League for the Rescue of Becalmed Vul- garians in Heavy Seas," she said "Or is that mixed?"
 q get the idea"
 "What do you want me to do? Join you in lecturing?"
 Stop it, Diane. I-this is seri- ous. I thought you = well = we could invite her to bridge, ol something"
 "At twentieth of a point?"
 Judy said, Ellen Sharp and Mazda Hamilton would come They're sweet. And that Bostwick girl and"
 Two tables" said Diane. "Anc I'd have to feed them. And that girl for Billy"
 But in the end, she consented. Yet the bridge party was a dismal fail ure. Marvel insisted on talking about her interior decorator and her new clothes and the housewarming that the other women were uneasily aware was premature.
 Mazda Hamilton and Diane talked of their children. Marvel said, q don't see how you keep it up! Always talking about babies It seems to me that if they didn't have any teeth, it would be more remarkable than merely cutting them" She tried to make the re- mark sound light and humorous, but it fell flat. No one laughed.
 At four o'clock she cried, ''Mercy I've got to run! I have a tea date downtown. You'll excuse me?"
 They were delighted to see hel go, Judy knew. And not once dur ing the afternoon had the con- versation turned to the subject Judy had hoped it would. That was odd. because usually politics of a naval description hogged much of the time. Who might be passed over. Was it true that this wife or that had pulled 8 boner at re- 1 ception. That sort of thing.
 Jane Bostwick looked out of the window at where Marvel was maneuvering her long. shining cal out of the tangle of small, elderly Fords. Jane said, T suppose Tn jealous"
 And then the post-mortem began Lieutenant Sharp's wife, a girl who