Evening star., 1940-02-11

soon. men Snc spoke " l1sC OOySs Oil
four of them: IF anybody's going my
way. l could do with lift" All four
of them said they were going her way.
"Well," she said, shall we start?"
Isabelle did not try to hurry them
in their goodby to Gloria. She could
afford to be magnanimous - Little
Buttercup and her moo COW!
Once she had evened the score with
Gloria Tate, protected herself from
Gloria's unptovoked derision - after
all Isabelle had started out with only
the warmest feelings for the female -
Isabelle was willing to start again
from the beginning. In the following
DAYS she tried her best, if not to like
Gloria, at least, not to dislike her.
But this neutrality grew increas-
jpaly difficult. For Gloria. born
woman-hater. reserved her most
humiliatingiy cutting remarks for
Isabelle. Isabelle could not compre-
hend the reverse flattery of this. She
never dreamed that Gloria envied her
and felt her own charm inferior.
Nevertheless, Isabelle still remained
outwardly noncommittal as Cloria's
popularity with the boys blossomed
and her unpopularity with the girls
increased proportionately.
Its a strange thing about that
dame," Kay Oliver unused one after
noon when she and Susie Clayton
lounged with Isabelle on the Cum
mings' front porch. she can tell you
about her date at '2l' with a guy
from Princeton in way that'll makea
girl burn. Then you can hear her tell
the same thing to boy and the boy
eats it up"
''She doesn't have all those dates.
She doesn't 60 to all those places"
Susie said. She would have been tear
full with joy if she could have known
she spoke the truth. She added as if to
comfort Kay, as if she herself needed
no comforting. This Tate creature
merely wants conquests to brag about.
She's nothing but a savage scalp
hunter"
well, I'll volunteer myself as three
of a committee of five to scalp her"
Kay said. "And l mean real bald
headedr'
"Bing Crosby's on the radio: let's
listen." Isabelle suggested. getting to
her feet. She didn't like this sort of
talk. If a girl couldn't hold her own
against another girl she should keep
quiet, no matter how much it hurt.
A few days later Isabelle received
her first dose of how much it could
hurt. when Chester Armstrong brought
her straight home from ride without
stopping at Pals Drive-Inn for even
so much as a milk shake. Chester had
a dinner date with Gloria.
Isabelle soon received another dose
when Ken Taylor, who was taking
her to the Ritz-Imperial Theater.
suggested, much too casually. that
they take along Wally Bowen and
Gloria Tate.
The following day Isabelle had to
grit her teeth behind her smile when
Gloria strolled into Kittredge's Neigh
borhood Drugstore where Isabelle
and Wally were drinking cokes "a
quick one. for Wally had only half an
hour to spare. Wally insisted that
Gloria join them; the half hour
stretched into an hour before Wally
could tear himself away.
But that night Isabelle's bitter hurt
was assuaged when Clifford Reed
took her to the movies, then to the
Tanglewood Grill. Gloria was already
there with Ken and Kay and Chester,
at the large table perpetually reserved
for the crowd. Clifford did not suggest
joining them. Not even when Gloria
beckoned to him There was no gritting
of <nn<k MN, 1u1,or Ioab>o1ln orn;Ind.