Show stephanie goes south by br MARIAN P JOHNSON a mcclura ure nl newspaper amper syndicate service 96 0 0 SOUTH young yos lady t com banded the gay colored placard in the window of claytons claytona Clay tons depart department ment store on what snapped Step stephanie banle chad wick I 1 the window was the deck of a ship the models bronzed men then and daintily tanned girls made a charr charming alrig group I 1 stephanie herself was one of them the lady in white perhaps 1 no not the white she decided surveying the model with rl critical eye now that blue and pink over there in the cotton mesh 1 go south young lady blazed the P poster oster persistently of course conceded stephanie a little uncertainly 1 I could pre pretend 1 and so she slipped from the monotonous onous gray mist ot of the february afternoon into tho the humming bumming treasure house that was Clay claytona tons department store im going south she caroled cajoled to the saleswoman let me see something e appropriate please I 1 she began trying them on the yellow sun dress diess with the bands of 0 orange r ange and no back at all and the great sun hat to match the blue bine and pink cotton mesh an or gandie gandle of delicate rose that billowed about her dark loveliness like a soft cloud with the evening things stephanie came to earth again she glanced desperately pera tely at her wrist watch exclaimed heavens 1 im latel late and began getting wo into her own things with feverish baste I 1 stephanie passed into the february slush tho the south had bad lain the warn warm fingers of its golden sunshine upon her and so she dung clung to the mad game she had begun she went to the steamship office and aad stood her hands bands filled with multicolored multi colored folders her heart racing steve stere chadwick cried a familiar voice helen blaine Bl alne echoed stephanie this disgustingly good looking creature Is roy my cousin john roger thorne chattered helen stephanie chadwick john ive hardly seen her since we were in school 1 mr Th gray eyes looked from Steph anies nilles face to the hands with the folders so youre going to bermuda he ha rep re marked germuda fien ter nuda muda I 1 repeated stephanie with the lilt 0 of a sea breeze in her soft young voice I 1 where rin im going I 1 exclaimed john roger koger thorne I 1 Steph anies heart swept into a series of quick little bumps 9 T eci you suggested mr air th thorne orno lets nil all have dirmer somewhere and then than dance 11 4 oh I 1 coult wt said stephanie quickly 1 I im not dressed tor for it nonsense Kons onse I 1 nelen well po go to the theater then ril call tad xing king izelen and tad went olt off somewhere litter after dinner so stephanie and john roger explored alone and talked about bermuda john roger described it to her it do any harm barin just to listen stephanie le told herself She have to see him again shed pretend it was all true just ast tor for tonight dut but john roger thorne seemed tiled filled with a strong determination to see more ot of stephanie ne ile wanted to call to take her places to get to be real friends before they started to bermuda I 1 standing one day before Clay claytonl claytons tons window stephanie looked at the young man model and suddenly a cold little chill of realization aaion caught at her heart tonight was their last evening together hers and john rogers ires hes going to bermuda Der muda she thought wretchedly but im staying staring at hornell homel and then the young man model began to blur and stephanie bad to wink very fast before she could see him clearly again ill make some sort of excuse she decided til ill have toll tol tomorrow murmured john roger softly tomorrow steve 1 there was a lump in Steph anies throat im not going to bermuda she said and suddenly he began to blur like the young man model in Clay dayton tons 3 window why steve demanded john roger 1 very fast bastl stephanie told him not the excuses she had bad planned only the truth I 1 it was a game she confessed 1 I was pretending pretend log because I 1 wanted so BO much to gol el I 1 never dreamed id see you again she added hurriedly how ever could I 1 know bo be going there and would keep heep coming to see me and asking me ma questions well she concluded with a perfectly good laugh that was only a little shaky goodby good by john rozer koger see bermuda for formel me I 1 now usten listen here young lady said mid john roger boger thorne holding her dose close dont think youre going to get away from me ma tit at this late lata datel date I 1 you ion are ingoing going to bermuda Berm udal I 1 do you under stand I 1 stephanie understood they i in the cab at all they were on thai isumer 1 silver beach she was waa wearing the rose colored gandie gandle or cloud she was in john rogers elgera arms and there was i som soft stringed music playing she could even catch the tha fragrance of orange blossoms blossom swann warm and inocent ina cent and J sweet I 1 i J i ilal |