Show iEt GRAM L 1 f c TELEGRAM FACTION i Dance Hall il Lady i L By rOAN JOAN etA CLAYTON J 1 f CHAPTER When Anne wearing p. p a turquoise hl blue c bathing s suit lt wrapped din in a tu tur turquoise tur- tur beach ach robe her small feet thrust into slippers slippers' many times tames too large came downstairs she The found Stanley on on one ODe of t the e glass glus ln d In piazzas zas danci dancing g with Allson Alison As she appeared ap appeared aP ap- tentatively at the door Stanley Stanley Stanley Stan Stan- ley Instantly st st. stopped dancing L Lets ts t's finish the re record ord out any n how said saId'S Alison annoyed Not a chance The three cut around the house and trailed down to the pool where boys and girls girls' sprawled on on ona n a cemented ramp or s swam lazily In hi th the water Th Their ir ar arrival ival caused little stir sUr a few hell hellos hello's s 's a f f few W W. smiles a few introduce Hons Alison promptly detached hed he'd herself herself her her- self and slid off into t the e. e w water t. t Nancy poised at the diving board called a cheery greeting greetIng- plunged from the board bord with i ai J great splash came caine up shrieked d a challenge to Stanley and started pell pelt mell for the She othet othe end of the pool Like a flash h he was yas over the side ant and after fter her Anne was hota not a good swimmer Her swimming vas of the was w wing water variety va variety ri ty unused unwed from one season to tle next She had always planned to take tak it up seriously to become really proficient proficient pro pro- but In a city stich such virtuous resolutions arc are e easily lly deferred She seat seated d herself on the e cement m nt edge of th the pool dangling her feet and enviously regarded Nancys Nancy's careless graceful maneuvers graceful maneuvers at the div diving board Nancy with Stanley Stanley ducking her her- Nancy eluding his grip In lh turn ducking him Suddenly Anne looked away She had selected a position on the ramp near two of the other girls Alice Brewster and Joyce SewelL Sewel but they calmly continued their voiced low con conversation versa apparently unconscious of her presence Anne kicked her feet back an and i forth In the thc water alertly watched the swimmers swimmer maintained au an expression of smiling interested amusement But she knew th thit t tall all aU of ci her nervous fears were going to be justified GIrlS Girl Disinterested i iThe The girls were svere like Mrs Bye they were not rude they were simply dis dis- dis interested She was an outsider and that was the thc end of it Any girl understands understands under under- der stands that other girls and not men are th the thereal real a arbiters biters o of popularity or social success Men usually are too timid or too lazy Anne knew that no matter matter- what miracle she might be beable abl able t to work upon the men was going to make these girls accept her TI They y would spoil poil h her r week end e k would In convincing the men that she was queer she didn't belong What was she doing here a n girl who didn't swim ride play ten ten- nis or or golf golf golf-a a girl who didn't know the people they knew speak the language Ian lan gu guage- guage ge- ge they spoke Why dont don't you come on on in someone someone some some- one shouted and splashed at her It was Arch Sli SKeets He and three other men were playing a a rough game of water polo with a large red and white while striped ballI ballI ball I cant can't swim well enough Sure you can Everybody among Archs Arch's could swim well enough he imagined that Anne was leading him on Anne glanced toward Al Alice ce Brewster Brewster Brewster Brew- Brew ster and Joyce and she Imagined that both were were watching She took tooka a long breath and started out making a dreadful commotion panting like a small mall active tug praying that she would keep afloat She had advanced barely five yards when she saw the red and white ball flying through the theair theair theair air straight at her head It was Archs Arch's comment on her method of locomotion The ball struck her on the side of the fa fate fade e she gave a frightened frightened fright fright- ened yip and at once sank Arch was distant by more than 15 yards but he caught the expression in the blue eyes eyes' as she went under He covered th the 15 yards in much less time than she had taken for five In a twinkling he fished her up and convoyed convoyed convoyed con con- con con- voyed her to the edge of the pool where he hung beside side her his face face- as White as her own The others crowded around questioning exclaiming What is it What happened Gosh I thought you were fooling tooling This from Irom th stricken the Arch Anne Anne are arc yo yoli 00 aU right Stanley bobbed up after a breathless dash from the springboard His voice was touched with panic A The girl was still breathing exhaustedly exhaustedly exhaust exhaust- edly deeply still clinking clinging desperate desperately ly to Archs Arch's hand Her arms ached tier her er shoulders her n nose se and arid eyes stung All right now I I Il-I I w was s scared Hr Bi lips trembling her eyes dark with remembered fright she attempted attempt attempt- ed an uncertain little smile Arch tightened his grip on her fingers What a nerve nervel he commented ad I dar dared d her I. I thought al althe all the time time time-IO He was beginning anew anew for tor Stanleys Stanley's benefit when Nancy who had swum In a more leisurely fashion joined the crowd in the water water wa wa- wa ter and hoisted holsted herself to the edge of the pooL What in the world induced you to try it she d demanded solicitously and contrived to inject into her question ques ques- tion lion a hint that perhaps Anne had done this thu to attract attention Anne failed to answer Her fear had departed departed de do- parted as swiftly as it had come she only wanted now to think no rio more about it Stanley guessed Lets all get out he said abruptly Ive had hila enough swimming for one day Right you ou are Nancy decided taking his remark to herself Its time timeto to dress for for- dinner anyhow Go GOto to House They all clambered out of at the poo pool and straggled toward the house Anne accompanied on one side by Stanley on the other by the subdued Arch Already Already Al Al- read ready she felt silly Her performance had been inexcusable foolhardy W Worse rsc it had made her conspicuous in just the Way Jay she desired not riot to be She reached the blue room and shut shul the d door or Dinner loomed before her large and formidable The Incident at the proved once and for all that she could not meet these girls on their own ground She would have to work to think up some line of other her own to stick sUck to it she would have to pretend every minute of ot tonight and tom tomorrow and tomorrow evening that she was Wa having a 3 marvelous time She would have to get fun she could and let the rest gp go Sighing she rose She surveyed her ner wardrobe and was faced by another problem Nancy had spoken of dressing for dinner What had she meant A dinner dress dreas Anne h hid had d brought two one she had borrowed from Irene an informal I flowered chiffon that lit fit rather badly 1 In n the sleeves and another more formal formal formal for for- mal of stiffly starched net that was Wil becoming The net would be just the thing in town The problem grew rew with her I 11 ti thin n. n She tried to recall what she had bad read In magazines and newspaper fashion columns columns' of correct country dress She recalled nothing Normal ly she might have hav been en amused by bythe bythe the dilemma but she was in an abnormally abnormally ab ab- normally sensitive frame ram ot of mind The decision became one of Important of her life life her her whole future future futuro fu fu- fu- fu ture turo se seethed seemed to dep depend nd up upon n it Joyce Sewell was dr dressing In the next room but Anne thought that sh she would rather die than appeal to J Joyce or to the theother other girls or before she would ring for the maid maJa to ask such sucha a question As she agonized over the fI final al choice a ah au answer came came to he her from out of 01 the past Long ago she remembered talking with her her gay wise little mUe mother after a a wretchedly un unsuccessful hi high h school dance Her mother had said Probably that you tr tried d too h hard hird ray my my d dear and weren't yourself Any girl who is Js natural natural nat ural and sweet and just herself Js s bound to tobe be popular and and If she is Isn't t she she knows she's d done ne her best she ahe hasn't any hasn't-any hasn't any regrets ts Anne marched across the room and and got Into the starched net And then after a moment she stepped into the hall lall paused at Joyce's Joyces door and he her hez heart hearl pounding she knocked The door was was' opened quickly Joyce lQ ked surprised but not unfriendly I I 1 I was wondering Anne stammered slam stam her words tumbling ov over over r each other Do you my dress Is all allright right Its Us swell vell Joyce assured her after atter af- af ter er that instant of surprise She hesitated hesitated hesi- hesi and added Wont you ou come i in till ill I finish dressing We can go down together I Iwas was worrying myself sick Anne confessed after she had gone Inside ind nd dropped to the bed You see Ive I've never been in a place like this before and I I-I I I didn't know Everyone does docs pretty much as 15 he hc pleases here Joyce put it comfortably comfortably comfort comfort- ably as she comb combed d her hair But I Inow know now how you felt Ive I've felt the same way when Ive I've been thrown with a. a bunch of strange girls Girls always I treat anybody new like a a lep leper r. r Works Like Charm Just being herself not nol a line at all all and the thing worked like a charm chasm Joyce was a girl just like herself It was Wa natural that the newcomer make he advances Soon the two were viere talking talk- talk II lag ing ng easily and animatedly and after alter they had gone downstairs Anne discovered discovered dis dis- covered that Joyce had done her areal a ar a areal r real al kindness They were the only ones in dinner dinner gowns The other girls gathered about the table loaded with cocktails and had changed into nto sports dresses fresh and charmIng charming charm charm- Ing but unmistakably sports dresses cottons and striped tub silks andin and linens in ens 0 Stanley left of off fiddling with th the dials dials' of a radio and crossed to Anne Gee you look great he said boy boy- admiringly regarding the lair fair haired girl in her long stiff stift skirts her bare arms and shoulders shoulder lightly powdered powdered powdered pow pow- dered and gleaming in the lights Im afraid I look a little as as' If it I were dressed for the firemen's b ball U Anne replied composedly But Joyce Sewell was too loo tender hearted t to tell m me and I was was too roo proud to ask asic the the maid v just where you are re clever he began earnestly subduing his mirth The other girls ke a tip tip from from you forget about tennis and golf gol at night even if it we arent aren't in town Lown You You why why you are beautiful You dont don't look like a boy You look like a a-a a a lady I guess it is in The men shared his opinion Within a afew few minutes Anne was talking and laughing In the midst of an eager ring of young male A good bit of ot grumbling grumbling grumbling grum grum- bling ensued over who was to sit next to the rosy flushed girl at dinner While this went on Nancy retained her tier smiling good humor She w was s acting act ing as hostess In the absence of Mrs Bye who had appeared to explain th that t she and her contemporaries were not dining with the children Anne Anna suspected that the other was not too well pleased but Nancy was a veteran at concealing her real thoughts On the surface she appeared delighted with Annes Anne's success The young people streamed people streamed into the tha dining room The table had been arranged ar ranged beforehand but that meant nothing to Stanley Promptly he juggled juggled juggled jug jug- the cards to place J himself on Annes Anne's right and Arch Sheets on her left From From the head of the table Nancy smiled at the haired fair Anne You seem to be a regular heartbreaker heartbreaker heart- heart breaker Anne Lee she said gaily all protested A Anne Aine ne But there was a sense of ot burning triumph In her heart I To-b To To be C Cop Copyright right 1333 1033 by bythe the George I Matthew Adams Service |