Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1939-09-07
CHAPTER VIII-Continued

you seemed to me on Sunday as
you came through the mist"
Evans voice shook little, but he
Here come the Townes" He rose
as Edith entered with young Bald
win.
After that Evans followed Baldy's
lead as dispenser of hospitality.
The two of them passed cups, passed
thin bread and butter, passed little
cakes, passed lemon and cream and
= sugar, flung conversational balls as
light as feathers into the air, were,
as Badly would have expressed it,
1.-THE life of the party"
Something must have gone to
Casabianca's head" Frederick
Towne remarked to Jane. "Have
you ever seen him like this?"
"Years ago. He was tremendous
ly attractive.'
do you find him attractive now?"
with a touch of annoyance.
81 find him-wond erful'-her tone
was defiant I've known him
all my life.
IF you had known me all your
life would you call me wonderful
She looked at him from behind
= her battlements of silver. "How do
know? People have to prove them
selves"
DR.. Hallam had driven Mrs. Fol-
lette over. He rarely did social
stunts, but he liked Jane. And he
ir%n in,
ans to want to glimpse him in his
new role.
Strolling up to the tea-table, he
was aware at once of situation
which might make for comedy, or
indeed for tragedy. It was evident
that Towne was much attracted to
little Jane Barnes. If Jane recipro-
Gated, what of young Toilette?
II saw Mrs. Laramore yester-
day." he said, abruptly, "lovely as
ever"
eyes, of course" Towne wished
that Hallam wouldn't talk about Ad-
elaide. He wished that all of the
others would 60 away and leave him
alone with Jane.
"Mrs. Laramore," said Jane I'M
expectedly, ''makes me think of the
lady of Shallott. I don't know why.
But I do. I have really never seen
such beautiful woman. But she
doesn't seem real. I have feeling
that if anything hit her, she'd break
like china
They laughed at her, and Edith
said, "Adelaide will never break.
She'll melt. She's as soft as wax"
Then pigeonholing Mrs. Laramore
for more vital matters. ''Uncle
Fred, I am going out to Baldy's
studio; he's painting Jane"
Frederick was at once interested.
"Her portrait?"
mo. A sketch for a magazine
competition, Badly explained.
MAY see it?"
Badly, yearning for solitude and
Edith, gave reluctant consent.
"Come on, everybody"
So everybody, including DR.. Hal
lam and Mrs. Toilette, made their
way to the garage.
Edith and young Baldwin arrived
first. "And this is where you work."
she said, softly.
eyes. Look here, will you sit here
so that can feast my eyes on you?
I've dreamed of you in that chair
in classic costume. Do you know
that you were made for a goddess?"
II know that you are romantic
boy"
GLOW old are your" she asked
him.
Twenty-Five
IT don't believe it. I'm twenty
two, and I feel thousand years
older than you"
"You will always be-ageless."
She laughed. 'How old is Jane?"
''Twenty. Yet people take us for
twins"
''She doesn't look it and neither
do you."
The others came in and Edith
went back to her thoughts. He
wasn't too young. She was glad of
that
The sketch of Jane was on an cas-
ell. There she stood, slender figure
in her lilac frock-bobbed black
hair, ighted-up eyes-the lifted bas-
ket with it's burden of gold and pur-
pie and green!
Towne stood back and looked at
it. Jane at his side said, 'tThat's
some of the fruit you sent"
"Really?" Frederick had no eyes
for anything but Jane, in her lilac
frock. Jove, but the boy had caught
the spirit of her!
He turned to Badly. cit is most
unusual. And I want it,"
Sorry" said Badly, crisply. IT
am sending it off tomorrow"
''How much is the prize?"
1.-TWO thousand dollars"
81 will write a check for that
amount if you will let me have
this
81 am afraid l can't, Mr.. Towne.'
''Why not?"
"Well, feel this way about it. 1t
isn't worth two thousand dollars.
But if win the prize it may be
worth that to the magazine-the ad-