Show a aLL L urban LL au c J Phelps CHAPTER 63 Carol Blacklock's Message I took the receiver from Norah and my voice trembled a a. little so eager was wasI I to know what this man who Vho I had seen Been only once had to say to me Iam I t am am giving a slumming party Mrs Ra Randall d ll and I want yourself and Mr Randall Randal to be b m my guests Please waive all formality and tell me you ou will go go and nd the eagerness in his voice matched my own I 1 have ha planned it for tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- torpor torpor- row night If It you will hold the wire Ill I'll ask Mr Randall if he has an engagement I replied then called to Tom Oh Tom Mr Blacklock is giving a slumming party tomorrow night and ind wants us to go go You haven't any en engagement engagement engagement en- en have you ou ou No but No but I hate that sort of stuff stuff he added so low v I scarcely heard without giving him a a chance to say more I 1 hastily told Mr Blacklock No r Mr 11 Randall RandaU has nb engagement engagement engagement engage engage- ment well we'll be glad to go go fine fineL Ill I'll send my car for you about 8 S o Well We'll have dinner first then thEO take in the sights As soon as I had hung up th the re receiver receiver receiver re- re I turned to Tom I was so BO excited I could scarcely ly talk taUt Oh Tom Do tell me what a slummIng slumming slumming slum slum- ming party Is What ao do do and where do they go And Tom what what shall I wear wear wear-my my new dress I 1 should say NOT he answered my last question first People wear their old clothes slumming They They go I go goto to some pretty shady places MRS WERNER IS INTERESTED What is Js this thing you call slummIng slumming slum slum- mIng mother asked I f am like Ilk Sue I never heard of it it itOh itOh Oh a lot of p people ople get together and go down in Chinatown and to Hungarian Hungarian Hun Hun- garian restaurants and other quaint or unusual places Greenwich village etc I never never could see much fun in it myself myself myself my my- self that is after the first time or two but some people seem to be fascinated with the idea and it is quite a popular way tp entertain Why couldn't we pay some of our d debts that way I asked If It they go goto goto goto to those sort of places it must be bech ch cheap chap ap Cheap Tom laughed Why Sue you can spend more on one of those slumming parties than if you went to the best places in n New York But what shall I wear vear I asked again We Ve dont don't know who's going and I want to look nice hice Mr Blacklock Blacklock Blacklock Black- Black lock said hed he'd send his nis car tor for us so soI soI soI I wont won't have to get all mussed up in that horrid subway How your ideas have changed Tom said a bit soberly you thought the subway wonderful a few months ago now you call it horrid Well Vell it is horrid when you are dressed up I always feel as if everyone everyone everyone every every- one were staring at me then I hate to have my clothes so crushed AN ARGUMENT Wear Veal your old tailor suit and a pretty waist Tom said Then you'll be all right light no matter where you go go That old thing I grumbled Tom dear I I 1 look like a frump in It It You dont don't mean that suit you had made at home do you Sue I thought you looked very well In that I looked all right for Freeport rt but New York is quite different Things that are stylish out there look like the dickens here a a dyed in the wool New New Yorker Yorker Yorker-as as far as her clothes are concerned concerned concerned con con- Tom broke in But Jut clothes here are so gay They seem to me to be out of taste for poor folks Not that I mean that you ou are poor Tom she hastened to add you certainly earn a a. big salary for forso forso forso so young young- a man I 1 have never known what it meant to handle so much money New York women DO dress that's sure Tom answered and I again in interrupted interrupted interrupted in- in But Tom dont don't you think I could wear the blue dress It is not so low necked as the rose one one No You'd make yourself ridiculous ridiculous l lous us Wear Vear what I told you YOl and and you'll be all right Id I'd rather stay home with mother than to go at all Yes but youve you've done all these things while T I n never vel have Perhaps when I have been everywhere Ill I'll feel the same way No Now Nov I want to see things CHAPTER CHAPTER 64 Peggy Halstead Arrives I was terribly excited over the slummIng slumming slum slum- ming party and my excitement was increased when at breal breakfast fast time a telegram came from Peggy saying she would arrive that morning mornin But nut what shall I do I asked Tom ready to cry Not that I wasn wasn't t glad gladI that Peggy was coming but I did so want to go to Carol I party Cant Can't you take Peggy with you Im I'm sure she would enjoy going mother suggested Of Of course you jou can take her Sue Better call Blacklock right up and tell ten him Oh Tom lom You do it I wouldn't know what to say J t haven't time J Just st tell him that you have a girl friend coming to visit you that she arrives today Hell He'll do dothe dothe dothe the rest I As soon as breakfast was over I hurried to the telephone I found Mr Blacklock's office address easily and called him up Mr Blacklock hasn't come in yet a woman womans woman's s voice answered Can I give him your message Yes ask him to call Mrs Randall when he lie comes In In InI I had scarcely hung up when I heard hearda a taxI ta outside and running to the window I saw it was Peggy I didn't wait walt for the elevator but ran down the stairs to meet meet her Jf Im 1 m t so o glad to see y you ou I 1 exclaimed as we ue stepped into the lift Peggy to tomy tomy tomy my amazement acting as If Jf she had always been accustomed to them But she was an adaptable little creature and I 1 knew hated to show ignorance AN ADDED GUEST The telephone maam ma'am Norah called just as we reached my apartment apart apart- m ment nt Hello I said This is a Carol Bla Blacklock klock Mrs Randall Randall Randan Ran Ran- dall dan j I found a message from you wh when n I 1 came in I hope you are not gong going to disappoint me tonight I dont don't know really Mr 1 Blacklock Blacklock Blacklock Black- Black lock I replied in a hesitating manner manner man man- ner I have a visitor a girl friend from my old home has Just arrived and of course I couldn't leave her herBring Bring her heir right along The more the merrier on these parties Oh Oh how nice Thank you vou so much I know shell she'll enjoy It I replied then wondered as I hung up the phone what was suitable to wear Peggys going too I told mother then turned to Peggy to explaIn e What fun she exclaimed Ive read about slumming parties but I never expected to go on one What shall shan I wear That seems to be a very very vital question question question ques ques- tion in New York mother broke In Tom told Sue to dress very plainly It Is not a fashionable party as I understand understand understand un un- it it No though No though probably fashionable people will ill go I added Just wear weara a tailor suit or a dark dress and a coat Tom says no one CIne dres dresses es up AN APPROPRIATE GOWN Ive got Just the thing then Just Justas Justas as as soon as father said I could come I sent for a catalo catalogue ue of ready-made ready dresses This is the one I mean and she held up a lovely dark blue serge piece one-piece dress with bead embroidery and the new big pockets on the sides Father kicked like a steer when he got the bill for it You see I put It over on him I 1 told him It couldn't be returned unless he wanted to waste a alot alot alot lot of money paying express charges I fell felt a little Jealous twinge as I Ito took to k the lovely dress and looked closely closely closely close close- ly at it I T had seen Just such models In the store windows window s and thought how much I should like one But Tom had said I 1 couldn't have anything more until we paid paid for foi the rose one and goodness only knew when that would be or how I was to get the 50 to augment augment augment aug aug- ment what Tom would give me for it All the afternoon we talked of little else but the slumming party Better eat a bite Tom said when he came in Im going to The food In those places isn't A l and the stuff they serve to wash It down with is sometimes sometime sometime atrocious I couldn't eat a mouthful I was so excited But both Peggy and Tom ate atea a good dinner I 1 hated to leave mother because she was going back home Ina in ina ina a day or two but nothing In the world would have made me give up the me par party tv When the car came for vs tS we WI were all ready and waiting though I still felt that I should have worn a better dress dreos But I had made the mistake of being overdressed once I didn't want I to do It again To To A orrow-A A Good Impression |