Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1939-09-22

1t stood for something in her imag-
nation surprising the rest of the Riv-
iera put together. Sink of iniquity,
perhaps. Gilded haunt of vice almost
surelywShe hoped it would live up to
And even allowing for Mary Browns
superheated preconception, Monte Car
10 was more than she had expected
it to be. 1t was as though this gay
beflowered little city by the southern
sea had come out of its depression
10Th century face lifted and freshly
adorned from magic paint pots, its
rocco affectations miraculously re-
stored.
Teeming with the obvious, uncaring
rich and the spuriously jaunty down.
at-heels, 1t gave her no loophole for
dissatisfaction. Strange, though, to see
innocent looking babies in prams at
tended by respectable nannies, and
children rolling hoops in the famous
gardens, just like in the parks at home.
Strange, indeed, but pleasantly piquant.
Perhaps it was only. at night that
es, armed with some lethal weapon to
make an end to folly.
She had viewed the casino with a
disappearing Puritanical eye, yet con-
sciolls, of DESIRE, if only to see what
thought of all the wickedness that must
be going on in there. Then, with a
half reluctant sigh, she had wendell
her way into the town. Never, she
felt sure, had any place looked more
like its neat picture postcards. She
but not overcolored in relation to real
ity.
And now again was Mary Brown
seized with desire but this time it
took tangible form, although she rec
ognized 1t for something verging on
the unlawful. just assthe Casino was
unlawful in her own consciousness, at
least.
Now there was this blouse in the
shop window which she found herself
well, coveting was the word to
Election it might be an excessive word.
Out of a miscellaneous collection of
lovelies it hit her bang between the
eyes and reused an acquisitive sense
she had not known she possessed.
No price mark, of course, which
smartly tailored lines cut on the bias,
its distinctive bow tie and big square
buttons that carried out the ones of
the silky material, it looked like Fifth
Avenue and Bond Street and the Rue
de la Paix all rolled into one, although
/ W
those thoroughfares except by here
say. She did most of her shopping on
Saturday afternoons in the Earl's
Court Road.
/. She was planning in any case to get
herself new costume for Easter and
would need a blouse to wear with it.
And it was this blouse she wanted
Quite suddenly and without reason it
had assumed the Importance of a SYM
Dol, and if she didn't make it hers
something infinitely precious and ir-
recoverable would have slipped from
her grasp forever.
Even SO she might not have screwed
up sufficient courage to enter the
shop if it had not been for the young
man, walking painfully by the help OF
two sticks, who also stopped to look
into the window and had the effrontery
have spoken if she had hesitated an
other second.
He had a provocative smile, sort OF
three cornered, with the underlir
thrust out and a little to one side, as
though the humorous aspect of life
enthralled him. That jeering grin, a
rudy face topped with naval car
in bandages and bedroom slipper
passed in hasty review before Mary
Browns startled gaze before she bolteo
into the shop. He could hardly have
KIDNAPPED her, but she was the SORT
of girl who panicked easily
Breathing rather fast from what
seemed her very narrow escape, oul
heroine was now confronted by yei
another man. But this was only thu
shopkeeper, gray-haired, paunchy, with
cold, cautious eyes, and his smile was
professional and in some inscrutable
way. almost repellent.
He spoke English at a pinch, but
kept this to himself, and so they made
signs to each other, to exc out Mary
Browns inadequate French. and wrott
things down on paper.
tb Inc PIC blouse vas priced at even mSrt
that, II anything, made 1t the more
desirable, and SO did the inexplicabls
manner Of the shopkeeper. Far from
expressing hurt surprise when she LEI
him know that It was too costly fol
her purse, he readily, even gladly
thrust 1t aside and wanted to SHOW