Show 9 I I HER FL IN G B By Y ELENORE I Who Wrote Chickie and The Th Astound Astounding r g Story of a Society Girl Sandy I Continued from yesterday esterday They are friends of ot mine mother Another Surely Surel you ou are not going to invite in invite In- In vite them That unheard of fam- fam lly lly She shook back the sleeves of ot her I soft sort gray negligee took off oft her er glasses eyeing me with tion Those are the people Gail GaU with nith whom you r u are taking that r ridiculous course in socialism Z Its It's a course on the causes and prevention of poverty crt mother I 1 care nothing about it It She turned Impatiently to her desk and anddrew anddrew anddrew drew a fine line line through three nam names s. s You ma may mayy tal take e courses with them since I 1 cannot prevent It but certainly you ou cannot m meet et them s socially I I have already invited them mother I I shall shaU tell teU Adele what you have done done Gall She may not wish to come to your your tenI tea ten I I have told her already alread She is pleased Adele Guerin was my one ver very very- I girl friend She had been a year in Paris I 1 was giving l ing g a tea in honor of her return And the blacklisted guests were I The the daughters in a family Alice Matthew v had Introduced to me the st most unusual people I 1 had ever ever eer met There were vere these three girls all aU supporting self an and two oung t Dung men the oldest an engineer the die youngest a law student One I of ct the girls was a bacteriologist the cond a school teacher and Pat the the flirt of ot the family was a stenographer stenographer stenographer sten sten- This s family was a revelation to toI toine I ine rile The first time I 1 had dinner with them I 1 was actually trembling trembling trem trem- bling hung lest the meal end in blows tn n argument starting peaceably turned into a wild angry discuss discus discus- s sion an n. n Clem the eldest a sober earnest arnest feU fellow ow about twenty six Was J as against it and Bob a tem hot flashing eyed youngster of ot shouted his approval in deafening unintelligible I ot 1 ot t so loud Bob the mother a quiet old-fashioned old dear little body softly turned the spoon in a ad adish adish d dish sh piled high with mashed po potatoes po- po all aU right mother take his part Just like you ou Of course I 1 dont don't know anything Aw keep your shirt on on Cant Can't arg argue e intelligently Clem fired tired in to disgust Dont Don't talk to me Bob flung out out an angry hand gritted his teeth t all aU the fat heads He turned for sympathy to Margaret the teacher Isn't he the idiot Aw nev never r speak to me again ag He stabbed tabbed a knife with furious into an enormous cut of steak attacked it quickly in a few moments flung his hair chair from the table Pardon lardon me me he said with an en engaging engaging engaging en- en grin Im Ini late With a sheepish flash of ot white teeth ana vivid eyes eres he tapped his older brothers brother's rs r's Lend Lend Lendus us a five Clem j e He got it There had never been anything like this in our home Even with Marian I I 1 was usually polite polte often formal There was no pretense among the Laceys Th They y were ayoung ayoung a ayoung young world in themselves and to tome tome me a fascinating inspiring world They were ele as interested in itt me as I 1 was vas as in hh them The girls were i athirst for tor a glimpse 3 of the inner i world where I 1 lived So I 1 had de de- to invite them to this ver very brilliant tea I 1 was to give I had not actually invited them the morning my mother made her objections If I 1 had guessed essed the I significance she was to put on the the I Incident I 1 might h have lve avoided It it But in the middle of the week a chance call on them decided It The latch was off of the door of ot the little house in the Bronx Stay Star out That was Bobs Bob's imperious imperious imperious im im- im- im young voice As no one gave further invitation or bothered to open the door doot I 1 pushed it back backon on n a n sq square are are disordered d room son somewhat somewhat some some- tj- tj what overcrowded with ith furniture voices people Sprawled before re an n open fire on a worn Mack lack bear hear rug was the youth Bob In one corner was was a big roller top desk with a bookcase or ory 01 top of it and opposite was a n low walnut hureau bureau bu hu- reau where where ivor ivory toilet tonet articles articles' a purse a flower vase a boudoir lamp dance programs dangling from the mirror and several in metal frames all struggled for space f t Next to the bureau Was as an oblong table littered with p papers pers and n notebooks Here Jean sat a narrow narrow drawer filled with small glass slides before before before be be- fore her She was carefully going over the slides and making nO notes s on white cards as she did It Margaret the school teacher stretched her sinuous length on a couch near the window and Patricia Patricia Patricia Patri Patri- cia in a faded bedraggled kimono sat in a chair a hand mirror before before be be- fore her selecting with the greatest greatest greatest great great- est precision certain hairs to be plucked from her eyebrows As 1 I r came in in Bob scrambled to i his feet Otherwise I was not of- of of offended offended fended tended with undue ceremony Jean more serious and more emphatic emphatic emphatic em em- than the others greeted me with unaffected pleasure I was thinking about you Gall Gail You know theres there's a big field for women doctors You have money I and something of a brain abrain why 1 dont don't nt you ou go in for tor it Oh yes just like that Pat put down her mirror and whistled a a breath Dont Don pay the slight slight- slightest est attention to that nu nut nut Gail GaU Gail Watch Vatch you OU and con conquer 9 Juer er the world worm Bob Dob sneered Come oti Oh Bob got up P and ushered ushered ush- ush i ered me down to the tle hall to the kitchen made me butter the toast as iLl he browned rowne l it gave pave ruthless or- or ders lIe He was quite a chef cef In ten minutes a tray trav ready Jean cleared a corner of ot nero her table I What a treat for you ou Gail Oh think ot of the Joy of never shover having to wait on yourself pat at picked over the toast till she got a n piece swimming swim swim- min ming In ln butter i bu ei And breakfast in bed every morning And never nevera a typewriter to flatten your our fingers fingers fin fin- gers Ah Ute life a bore d get tired of f it Money is isLet Let me be bored then Pat was more more eager and curious than either of her sisters Id like to see a few bored people in action S Would you ou Before e I realized It ft the bid was given Well VeIl Im I'm having having hav- hav J ing f a atea t tea a and DUn Dull have the chance They'll all all' be there Her wide blue eyes that were like corn flowers sparkled So sh she said flushing I am to tose see them If It you'll come come all all of ot you ou CHAPTER 28 28 The Reception Oh Im I'm sure they wont won't come Marian all nIl in gold except for the splash of the pale lavender orchids w waited as as' as I pinned lilies of the valley valley val val- ley against the black spangles of my gown It wis was the day of ot the tea I 1 was nervous sorry I had invited d the La La- c ys For mother had nagged about it and then taken the story over to Marian They will come Marian tarlan and I wish it I 1 said obstinately By 5 5 o'clock the room was filled names announced nn so quickly that I 1 didn't catch half of them The women women women wo wo- woI I men most of ot them covered with furs greeted Adele making insipid remarks passing gracefully down the room laughter and perfume perfume perfume per per- fume trailing behind them I sat opposite her turned my mingling with the strains of ot music the fragrance of ot roses Here we are Roll up your your- sleeves Adele whispered Couldn't be worse Coming Into the room were vere ere the Laceys Laceys Patricia's Patricia's cheeks pink a I squirrel cape thrown nonchalantly about aboul her shoulders Margaret In a smart blue tailored suit with a rather shabby for scarf and Jean ina Ina in ina a piece one-piece dress and a very undersized undersized undersized under under- sized mink neckpiece At the same moment came Mary Cranston and Sue Holbrook Mary Cranston was staring at them They paused a moment un un- certainly I 1 bowed and they walked with wit quite a grace to me Patricia winked raised her shout shoulders era ever so slightly as though to as ask me what I 1 thought of her splendor Margaret and Je Jean n were uncomfortable just a trifle embarrassed Adeles Adele's vivacity reassured them Im glad to meet you she said cordially Gail Gall has told me of ot your tea fights You must let me come cometo to some of them I 1 was watching my mother Her Herback Herback Herback back was stiffly turned I 1 wish I bad had taken the warning I 1 Mother I said just touching her arm These are my friends She was talking in animated tones to Mrs Dudley Preston pretended not notto notto notto to hear I 1 had Margarets Margaret's hand in mine stepped in front of mother Pardon I I laughed You must meet Miss Lacey Miss Jean and P Patricia Lacey The four of ot us faced her Her Here e eyes es narrowed and looking deliberately deliberately deliberately over our heads she said In Jn Ina a cold drawl that was v.-as insulting How do you OU do Without extending her hand without the courtesy of a glance she became immediately interested in Mrs Ashton n. n It was the most complete snub I 1 had ever seen I began to talk excitedly excitedly ex ex- ex- ex praying they had not noticed noticed noticed no no- It it introducing them then to toMary toMary toMary Mary Cranston and Sue and two or three others who came in just then The introductions were edged That was all Some of ot the brows raised as though they would s. s say Lacey Lacey humph humph Where do they spring from Pat Eat took it it coldly Jean was al at- at ready a a. trifle indignant The three e girls followed the others down th the thu I room Dozens were now coming I 1 Iwas Iwas was busy greeting them I cant can't stand it any longer I 1 whispered at last to Im goIng going go go- I Ing Into the dining room room a moment Jean stood up I 1 think Ill I'll go go I 1 walked through ugh the drawing room wl with h them hem m managed to say sar hurriedly |