The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-11-20

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"The judge said you'd be with US
only a few days. He is going to
play bridge somewhere tonight, and
he's having his dinner at seven.
Mrs. Marshbanks and Miss Amy are
going out to dinner before party,
and he's to bring them home dear
knows when. It's coming-out par
ty for Miss Patsy Randall"
II didn't mind that, my DEAR" she
said. Here we are," May added,
as the car stopped at the foot of an
imposing flight of stone steps. "I'm
going to slip upstairs, and I'll not
see you again unless you need me.
Molly'n show you your room. I'm
usually with the old lady after din
ner, but she's away and I'm going
to movie tonight. You ask Molly
for anything you want"
Cherry and her patent-leather bag
were abandoned for just a few mo-
ments in the big entrance hall. She
had time only for breath-taking
impression of such spaciousness and
beauty and color as she had never
seen before, of soft rugs beneath
her feet and dirnly lighted arches
leading to great dinly lighted rooms
on all sides, of potted palms and
bursts OF winter flowers, before
Judge Marshbanks came forward to
take possession of her, and confide
her to the care Of Molly, a pretty
maid with very black eyes and a
very white skin.
By this time the girl was too much
dazed to believe her senses. She
followed Molly upstairs to an in
credibly luxurious big room with an
unbelievably complete bathroom
next to it, brushed her hair and
washed her face in a condition of
complete bewilderment, and de-
scended again, still under .Molly's
escort, to the dining room where it
appeared that she and her host were
to be the. only persons at dinner.
He was halfway through his meal;
hers was served to her fresh and
hot. But she was unable to eat. The
quality of the Italian lace that was
spread on the polished wood, the
beauty of china and crystal, the soft
light of candles were such as Cher
ry had never seen in her life be-
fore, nor ever dreamed could exist,
and the numbing sense of being only
in a dream made it impossible for
her to taste or swallow anything.
Even the food was beyond what had
been her most fantastic imaginings.
Don't you like that?" the judge
asked, looking over his paper. IA
cts wonderful. She made a val
liant attack upon. it.
Know what it ISL" H.,
/ ''No, sir. Chicken, ]. guess"
.'That's partridge. If you don't.
like it Martin will get you an ONE.
lette." as, a... 4
\ sOh, no, please! It's delicious. I"
To her own disgust and surprise,
her voice thickened. But he did not
seem to notice it, and when he re-,
turned to his paper she made her
self finish her dinner, and felt her
nerves more steady. s
A sudden sense that she did not
belong in this scene, that it had
nothing to do with her, that she
never should have entered it, had
almost wrecked her self-control for
a moment. With the binding force
of a revelation she knew that her
rumpled childish dress was absurd.
that the dowdy hat she had left up
stairs, the bullying shabby patent
leather bag, the ugly school shoes
and cotton gloves and stockings had
no place in this house, and were
like nothing that had ever been here
before. She knew, inexperienced as
she was-she had read it in her
hosts first look-that her shabbi-
ness. and LONELINESS had shocked
him. He had seen her only once,
before, flushed with triumph after
the school play, made up into her
handsomest self as brown-slxinned
Indian girl gay in, feathers and
fringes.
The knowledge that came to her
in this fash of shame and pain
made the big dining-room chair in
which she sat seat Of torture to
her.
But she did her best to conquer
the feeling, and was quite calm
when a young man came in, UNI
announced, and drew a chair to
Judge Marshbank's side.
The judge. after a casual friendly
greeting, glanced over at her and
said, "Mr. Coates, Cherry" and
then, "This is Miss Rawlings,
Kelly" s-