Show jANDRA ANDRA THE JEAL t JEALOUS JL OUS US By r Jane one Phelps CHAPTER 29 Sandra Longs to Be Older I was delighted that that this dinner party broke up rather early I 1 had been even more bored than usual The Theman Theman Theman man who took me In In a Mr Cantwell wa was so silly He did nothing but tell me how lovely I was and what t a lucky I i dog Graham was to have won me I Iwas Iwas was so embarrassed I did not know I what to to- do I 1 told Everett about him I and the silly things he had said while we were driving home lies Hes noted as a flatterer Sandra When you are older older you will know how to take such speeches They mean absolutely nothing Oh Ev Everett rett I exclaimed recalling my my determination made at the table d do tell me all U about that lovely Mrs Barton yoU Barton yoU always are paired oft off with You seem to have haYe such good times together r r. Haven't you Barton I Of course course 1 I 1 met her at Mrs Irs Car Car- C Gar Garry rL r- r ry i dinner v L Mf I II I I thought so Well WeHr she is a very old friend of mine Is she a widow Yes She dresses beautifully She She must must bo bEt very rich She is Do tell me mo something about her You ou ou seem to know her so Intimately The he ne one sided conversation was getting getting get- get ting on my nerves nerves I r I told you vou she was a very old friend d o of mine How old Is she I r should Judge about 38 I I wish I were 38 Everyone treats me as if it I were a child If It you would let me do my hair hall high and wear other 1 clothes I would look older and then I people would be nicer to me What at do you mean by being nicer to you 1 Oh being like Uke you ar are with that Mrs Barton Parton Talking to me and actIng actIng acting act- act Ing so Interested in what I said It must be lovely to have a man act act that way to ar one one In instead tead of either sort of ot laughing at what one says or treatIng treatIng treating treat- treat Ing them like a child I had no thought of ot any man In my mind except Everett when I 1 spoke and was astonished astonIshed astonished aston aston- when he turned to me and s said ld sternly So you are already wanting wanting- men mento mento en ento to act Interested In you are you 1 Then he mumbled something about women being all alike and I 1 thought at once he was comparing me to Leola Not men men but but I 1 would like you to tobe tobe tobe be interested in me and when when- I 1 have to go in to dinner with some man to have haYe them act like you do with Mrs Barton Everett flushed but made no reply I 1 knew I 1 had annoyed him yet I 1 didn't much care It wasn't fair tall to me meto meto meto to keep me so young Jo looking I 1 felt feJt exactly as as' I 1 did when I 1 used to beg mother to let me stop wearing my hair hall hallIn In pigtails and to let down my dresses I 1 wanted wan to be grown up then so so 1 could go out more with the boys and girls and so I could sit up a a. little later instead of going to bed almost as soon as we finished dinner Now Novi I 1 wanted to appear older so BO that Everett Everett Everett Ever Ever- ett would act toward me ad as he had toward Mrs Barton He seemed to enjoy talking with her so much and he listened with so so much attention to what she said Then too I l' l also wanted others to show Interest in what I said That Mr l Cantwell treated me exactly as i if I 1 were stUl still playing with dolls instead of as a married woman You see see Everett I 1 continued paying paying paying pay pay- ing no attention to his scowl I shalbe shall shaU be 18 years old next month Dont Don't you think I could put my hair on top of m my head then Sd men would act Interested in you ou His tone was sneering No so No so that men and women both wont won't act as as if It I 1 were unworthy of notice what notice what I say I mean Again he had scowled You w wear ar your hair as I 1 liko like it It and do not bring up uP the subject again That is one childish trait of which you youcan youcan youcan can cure yourself to both your own and my advantage When we have settled a a. a question once please bear In mind that it is not again to be re referred referred re re- to in any way If It I change my mind concerning any matter we have discussed I will so inform you jou ou The te tears rs started at his cold uncompromising uncompromising uncompromising promising speech I was as not to speak of ot anything even when h he had once decided what he wanted done dono Leola had not been meek and obeyed him In such things thing's or in anything according to the impression he had given me in our talk of her yet he had loved her dearly He loved her now better than he did me and she had been dead nine ye years rs I brushed the tears away so that he would not see them I must learn not notto notto to cry I 1 said to myself He hated tears so dreadfully It always seemed to tp make him hard toward me when I I cried I 1 wondered if It Leola ever cried I Some day 1 f would find out all about that first Mrs I Graham I 1 didn't know Just how when I had gIven Driven my word not to ask questions But in I some way I 1 must kno more about I her herGo Go right to bed dear Everett said when we reached home And ho hI gave me a tender kiss I 1 threw my arms around his neck as I 1 whispered Always be nice like this to me Everett Thep Then The without waiting for foran foran foran an an answer answer I 1 ran quickly up th the stairs CHAPTER 30 Sandra Meets B Barrett ra er tt Edmonds We were quite gay after atter the holidays holi holi- hoH- hoH d days ys were over We Ve had tickets for the opera and went once or twice a a. week Then we had many invitations to dinners and receptions usually usually usually ally followed by a supper dance Had It not been for for the dancing I 1 should have hated them all But 1 I loved to dance and because I 1 danced well and he also was a good dancer I 1 had some really good times dancing with Everett H He never allowed me to go on the floor when we dined in a public restaurant restaurant res res- but at private dinners and receptions he allowed me to dance all aU I wanted to That is if I 1 only had as partners men of whom he approved But as it was the dancing I 1 cared for and not the men I 1 was happy if they were good dancers That was all that interested me In fact I 1 preferred Everett as a partner r rt t to anyone I 1 knew That is I did until until un un- un- un til I met Barrett Edmonds It was at a supper dance following a formal dinner I 1 had as usual been bored to death at the dinner and was delighted when I I 1 saw quite a few young people come in for the dance Not quite as young as I 1 was perhaps but around 25 or 30 SO SOI I 1 had noticed Barrett Edmonds' Edmonds because be- be because because be be- cause Of of his height He was 6 feet 2 inches tall and well proportioned The hostess presented him to me and he asked me to dance I felt as if it I r ha had wings He danced so wonderfully wonderfully wonder wonder- wonderfully fully that we scarcely seemed to touch the floor so light was he on his feet It was heavenly and I 1 told him so I 1 expect I 1 gushed a little but if It I did it was pardonable Everett knew him and c came me up to tous tous tous us when we had finished He shook hands and spoke so nicely to him I 1 could have hugged him Someway 1 I wanted this strapping young fellow to think well of ot my husband and and ot of me I had asked him how tall taU he was and when he ho replied he said Six feet 2 2 25 years old free white and at your service fair lady when you will deign to favor me me I 1 thought that the loveliest speech I I. h had d ever heard He did not say It in a patroniZing patronising way but Just as if it ithe he liked me and enjoyed being with me meOn On the way home I 1 started to tell teU Everett how nice I thought him but something held me back So all I 1 Isaid Isaid said was In reply to Everetts Everett's question question question ques ques- tion as to how I enjoyed myself I I had a very nice time I 1 had sev several ral nice partners Mr Edmonds is a fine dancer I noticed that But dont don't dance with the same man more than twice hereafter It Isn't good form I had to dance with him or else dance with that awful Mr Lever- Lever edge I danced with him once and he stepped all over me He hurt me meso meso meso so I 1 thought I 1 should have to go home dome He lIe came down so hard on my toe Hes He's too fat and old to dance anyway Neither age nor fat make any difference difference dif dl- ference If a man is light on his feet Unfortunately Leveridge is not I 1 Iam Iam am sorry he hurt you yet as we are connected often in big business deals l' l C should not like you to offend him by refusing to dance If he asks you lIes Hes such a a. bore I lie e calls me little girl gill and laughs at me I returned d to my old grievance b but bt t re received received re re- no sympathy from Everett He simply lImply refused to lo consider it a ance grievance had We We e h had given one one dinner a a 1 stiff aUf formal affair Just like those we at attended at- at tended And we were wera to give an an- other I asked Everett if ill I might ask one or tw two young people I 1 had met metat metat metat at the supper dance A Miss Dagmar Stewart and Barrett Edmonds and a ayoung ayoung ayoung young married couple Mr and Mrs Sloane her Sloane-her her name was wa j Alice Why should we wo ask them They were so nice I 1 liked them eo so much It would make our dinner dipner a little more lively perhaps than the thelast thelast thelast last one That was awfully stupid It To you perhaps because you are not yet capable of Joining intelligently in the conversation It was was was' no noto no noto noto to me iI J This was one of ot the of ot Ev Everetts Everett's reUs reU's treatment of AIt n would insist upon keeping mein mi me in all outward ways then find fault because I 1 was in into n nto nto to understand and appreciate women twice and three times May I 1 invite them I 1 per pen You may ask Mr and Mrs That will wUl be sufficient This Is Js to repay our obligations lt who have ha shown you to have a n. gay ay timeTo time 31 I ITo To be continued |