Show jANDRA THE JE JEALOUS LOUSBy LOUS- LOUS By Jane P Phelps ps I r I I I 1 I I j A CHAPTER 3 3 3 J And e- e And nci the Whole Whale World World Throbbing With Life f It It W was vas s in May lay that that I t first met EYe Everett Ev Everett EY- EY erett e erett Graham Graham r llam Pc For f r several ev ra days days' da 1 it h had b been eri un unusually warm The leav leaves s son on on ih the tr trees es and ind And shrubs had stolen sto en silently from the their r rJ J winter hiding places and were bursting brilliantly green o on their stalks stalks stalks' and branches It se seemed ned to me e that the whole e w world was throbbing with life was more I 1 keenly alive aliv than ever ever- everit it it had been before I I 1 was was just st a a. girl that wonderful with just a girls girl's h her r ideas ideas s a and arid Ideals Th The books bools' I had read were were mostly light novels and romances s which exaggerated those ideas without dof doing me any particular hood or harm harm Y Yet t ih ih-a ih a way I realize I that t they ey helped rp me to to overlook l the difference in our ages Ma Marry Many y of the heroines of the novels the novels I I had read had married men much olden oid than they and had been happy ever yer- after alter alter-ae- cording to the Hie narrator I t had always liked ed my name Sandra Sandra San San- dra dra Rose said it sounded as if I was wasa a writer and had hAQ had taken take it as as my nom jiom nomI de plume Rose nose often said such I things although o she w WAS s a per perfect pet pet- dear But But ut after she s said id that per per-j I liked my name better heller than e er e San ever San r-San- San Sandra d dra a Courtney When 1 J I said afi said it aloud I was was' pleased with the sound and and glad plad I be- be been n. n named names Mary or r Margaret or Nellie Neme I I. I liked my o own n I name name so eo so m much ch better I have tol told 1 li how ho Everett looked antI ant I I expect p pole who read my m stor story would like to Im know w something of how r I poked pol d also als I 1 was tall taller tan taller than most of my J friends I 1 I was wag la thin alm almost st scrawny Everett called caned it willowy which sounded much nicer My hair was 1 erY Very darl daric aub auburn rn deep red-gold red in some lights T T r- often orten used to wish I I that whatever hate pigment had been used they I-they they say that's what hat causes differ differ- ent colors in hair hair had had not been used quite s so 1 lavishly People could see seemy see seemy my hair before they could see me So Rose Rose said I 1 had the brownish eyes I II and t the e light skin that usually goes had had had- with such hair And I also freckles I had trl tried d to to tog g get t rid of them in every possible way way since since I Iwas I Iwas Iwas I was was ten but taken although f y h had taken off the skin kin skip many the the- freckles persisted They were lighter In m color I 1 In n now rj and smaller mailer Mother said s-iid that I ln when hen I was older th they would proba- proba I bly by disappear altogether But But they j were iV were r a great trial to me My two brothers made fun of me for trying to get rid of f them so that finally I stopped But 1 I commenced again that spring I met Everett EVerett but but with no success Sometimes I used to think that having brothers brothen was was not an an unalloyed I joy r I Ras was s sure sur-e. sure of i ii the d day y they I t told ld Everett that t I I was was putting on stuff t to get get rid rid of tl the freckles be because because be- be caus cause h he came carne tb to see me Sandra S 'S n ra raIs is Is' Is putting inputting p hing stuff on her face I because of you Yon yo ToadIes his right name was If airy confided to Everett She s d done n it before and it ft didn't r l work worth a cent but sh she thinks I you you'll think she's pt prettier without I freckles Girls Is silly anyway al Freckles dont don't hurt I Buster my older brother his right I name was Vas Charles wasn't quite so bad yet he ho also often orten said frightfully embarrassing things Rose Grandon hadn't any brothers and once I wasso was wass was wasso so exasperated I 1 told her she ought to be thankful she hadn't I used to urge urge mother t to punish them but she s sid said ld all aU boys DOYS who had young young lady I sisters sisters' were were just like T and and Buster I 1 didn't wonder wonder- sometimes i II when they had been worse than usual that boys bOYs' were said to be made of scissors scissors and snails and puppy dogs dogs' tails or something equally horrid Of course they weren't like that aUthe all aU the time When Whim they were good I w was s really fond of them ToadIes was was Courte fourteen nj and Bust Buster r was twelve I 1 Iguess Iguess gue guess s those are r rather t e bad ages for boys Neither hay lay nor grass father hadsal had said onci n when I 1 begged him to tomake tomake tomake make them b behave ave Everett seemed seemed- to like Ilke them and was was quite nl nice e to them so they didn't pl play y any more more tricks or tell teli tales about me while lie he stayed When he got got back to to New York he sent Too- Too dies a fishing rod rod and tackle and Buster a a big push wagon for which he he had expressed s d a wish wish expressed expressed s d' d di i it loudly But Bitt it made things very very comfortable for forme me b because c use jf lf Jf the boys boys commenced commenced- n ed to act act badly i I 1 I threatened hr to to tell teli Mr Graham I I I l CHAPTER CHAPTER IV IV s Everett Surprises Sandra With a aL L Letter The world seemed very uninteresting anti ing after Everett Eveiett l left ft I felt almost is if it 1 were all alone lone although all the town boys and girls were around as usual But some way Everett h had d a away away away way of making you j ou know he was therel there I l' l dont don't know how hov else to express it But Bui Rose and ana some of the others others- made rio secret of or their joy that he had 1 gone gone So grandpa has finally taken himself himself himself him him- self out of the wa way has he Rose Ros asked Now Now perhaps we can ha have e esome some fun I 1 never said much when they teased me and called Ev Everett erett Grandpa b but t tit it made me uncomfortable and I al always always al- al ways flushed terribly When Ev Everetts Everett's rett's first letter tetter came about three thre days after he left I 1 was so pleased that I didn't mind their teasing me one single bit bitHe He had said nothing about writing to me so I was awfully surprised It was just a short letter such a aone one as as' as any friend might have hav written me There wasn't a word about caring for forme forme forme me in it But just at the last he said saidI I have missed my little friend more than I ever thought it possible to miss anyone It was silly but I l kissed the paper right on those thos lines Th Then n I 1 carried it in the bosom of or my dress for days just days just like the girls in the novels did But finally I put it away in the bureau drawer rawer under my shirtwaists The boys bors n never ver disturbed them and the the- letter was getting worn out It took me one whole afternoon to answer that letter I must have wasted nearly a box of paper before it suited me Then it didn't not didn't-not not perfectly I wrote about everyday things the people he knew etc just as he did until I came to the Very end of my letter etter Then I told him that I had haa mi missed sed him too more more than I ever ever had missed anyone before J I wasn wasn't t v very cr ry original but T Thad had spoiled so man many 1 sheets of P Pl didn't dare I use use anymore any anymore more more As' As AS As' It was was va I had t to burn bum up all the the- thes s spoiled oiled sheets and the envelopes envelopes en en- to to t match i for fear the boys J would find them It would have been I terrible if they had I never nev-cr should have heard the last of it ft It jis s is strange how ow things things' long past come back to to us I recall distinctly that whenever Everett came to call can in that s1 short rt first week I knew him that I was always a bit frightened to go godown godown go godown down to meet him him him-he he always asked for me for me for fear I did not look nice enough Even then I h had d heard 1 him in express an opinion upon the way some of or the girls in our town were dressed at the the tennis party and it made shade me meI I uncomfortable I wore simple wash dresses at home but they were always freshly laundered and until he commenced commenced commenced com com- coming to the house I never had thought of wearing anything dif- dif ferent Even now I 1 know there could not have beers been an anything thing wrong abo about about my ginghams for morning and dainty muslins for afternoon Anyway Eveett Eve tI ett att said I looked lovely in them and that mother was sensible to keep me looking so y young ng I I dont don't know that I was was very differ different different r rent ent from other girls of my age brought up as a's as I had been and If I confess th that t I 1 felt in some som someway way different set apart from the rest of the town girls aft after x I I received Everetts Everett's Ei En erett's letter I J think mos most most I people will understand i I I attached d a sentimental value to the few lines he had written th that t J X nev never sho should ld have hae dreamed of or putting upon the e- e en n notee 0 t 1 T Had s l.-et l. from froni the town boys This charming I man from a great city where there I were eo so O many man lovely girls had sin singled l d me me S Sandra Courtney out for forcial hl hiss u ucal I cal cial attentions i t tIt It was a a long tong time before h he my letter Jetter Nearly Neaily sis six But as he sent me some books books' t a candy in the interim I did J not ot feel t t he had forgotten me ne although I loo r r. anxiously e each ch day f for r a rcpt lePI IRM once or twice I T lo locked ked myself ii In j Ii I room and shed a few tears teals l father said there was no mail mall Then came came th the morning when Iii Tiff ce ved Everetts Everett's second second let letter el I walked down with father and w wet we f with him to the postoffice J I re as I walked slowly home hom ll i blossoming trees the scent of fir ea flowers In the air air He sor sort of P for not replying ing sooner a as i ime f me to forgive him and said he lie wo wot wo j Q be more prompt in the future would He also said he would b. b Lakeville a again ain before fall sed rd nd sit si himself Your Tour fond friend Ever Evers Ever I 1 Graham J To be continued I t i |