The Wilmington morning star., 1944-02-14

| Carnations, Oapy pTeatH, VlOletS
daisies. Also there were TING cot
tages, even restaurants in which
to dine and dance. Carlos ant
the girl had been sitting erect il
the regular kitchen chairs placed
along the sides OF the chalupa
Now he arranged cushions so the,
couIl recline as if in steamer
chairs or an American canoe.
Two guitar players came along
side, in their own boat, to ash
Carlos to engage them. Ever
though we are better on Sunday
with our Marimba player, we are
good without him.
They were excellent. They knew
every romantic Mexican song -
"Marquita, "Quiereme Mucho,"
the American yours; "Adios
Maraquita Linda" pose" Best
Of all, they played and sang con.
stantly.
After an hour, Carlos bought
Lunch from a vendor who had a
tiny stove in his boat. Chicken,
steaming sweet potatoes and hot
tamales. Also, from an Indial girl
In a canoe, he bought two enor-
nous punches of gardenias. Mai
!ory realized that Carlos was hav-
ing as much fun as she, that ne
also was playing hockey from
his regular life. They kissed rap
turously, sang along with the
musicians. 1t was marvellous to
be where no one knew them. So
Mallory thought, until two hours
,ater, after Laying along those
sluggish canals, they were back
at the dock.
There the guitar players accept
I'd Carlos generous pay, then
turned to the girl. I'VE heard
ycur concert, Miss Baker, and we
shall hear the next one
Through surprise she said,
please do. Come back stage"
They did, after both the' Dec.
% performance and the one on
Jan 8. They all but burst with
pride because they were recog-
nized by the great Mallory Baker
They did not know that she had
faculty for remembering faces,
also that Patrick had pounded into
her the wisdom of friendliness for
the poorer people who, in turn,
would give her more friendliness
than the higher classes. Despite
her black spangled net for the
second concert and silver lame
for the last, also entirely differ
ent programs, the singer felt as
if she were living through the
same ritual as she received her
guests. The same flowers. the
same people, Manuelita at her ell
bow, the two Smiths, Carlos and
his parents, with their cordial but
unpiercable frierdliness. as if
waiting for some crisis.
Everything was the same. ex-
cept that for the last two con-
certs her manager had not even
made an appearance. She longed
to ask Manuelita if she had seen
him. She'd wanted to ask her
ever since the day Manuelita went
to Taxco, but she was too Stub
born. So she stood. smiling. talk
ing and feeling like some child
who had not received a gift on the
Christmas tree. And she hadn't re-
ceived one from Tod Patrick. Blast
him!
Not only did the concerts seem
identical, but also the intervening
hours. Bickering with Prism. Re-
hearsals with Sandy. Worry over
Richard Blythe and the delay in
experimenting Johann and Wilhelm
Schmidt. To see them at her con-
certs, light hearted and suave, en-
ragged Mallory. And those dinners
at Carlos home! Three invitations
had followed the first, with NAL
Tory hoping each time to find fam
lily intimacy and an encourag ing
atmosphere.
She remembered the first eve
ming. Carlos and Manuelita had
called for her. At the massive
iron gates before the three-story
Estrada mansion, the three had
waited while servant came with
key to admit them. They had
walked into gardens, furnished as
if they were really a dwelling and
on :nto house filled with too
many treasures. And too many
guests. The needlepoint chair and
diamond clear chandeliers and
brocaded draperies and priceless
paintings all reminded Mallory of
palace set foy a scene in one
of her Hollywood pictures. The
gowns and jewels of the women
rivaled any she had seen in Holly
wood also. for that matter.
Although she had been we'll re.
ceived, It all was rather unsatis.
factory She had not known just
why. But now. smiling. apparent
ly giving undivided attention to
her admirers, Mallory did know.
Instead of dawdling politeness. no
matter how pleasant and impress
sive, she wanted American action.
The following morning she was
not so sure. The Sonora Estrada
called while the girl was having
breakfast in bed: she made a
move to get up when Prism ush-
cred in the older woman.
please do not, Mallory" She
sat down in the chair that the
maid moved nearer to the bed.
II know how tired you are after
| the concert Yo,1've heen most