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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 1923)
MAGAZINE SECTION The Sunday Bee 6 I __ ■ _ "A,,! A*—NO. 25 OMAIIA, SINDAY .MORNING, DECEMBER 2. 1923._FIVE CENTS. " I I features! 1 FICTION i phdv Rnnif ^'TiTFF Bys°phieKerr X J' 1*"^ 1 X 3 X 3 X V/ X X Illustrated by Arthur William Hrma J ^ t Maiie imsh.il through (he crowd. “Hum did you get here?" she demanded. I ERE was electricity in the air, keen troubling. Mrs. Cleburne's paying guests, assembled at dinner, were aware of It. and nta their delicious orange custard In silence. They had heard the custard cups being thumped down on'the serving tray out in the pantry. They had seen the scared eyes of Regina, the colored waitress, as she came in. Even the lovely quiet of tlie June evening, and the maj esty of Mrs. Cleburne herself, did not reassure the guests. The custard being finished, Miss Edwards and her married sister, Mrs. Word!, hurried away to the movies. Mr. Hentz thought he’d just step down to the store and look UP one or two bad accounts. Mr. Bert Green stmply disappear ed. Mrs. Ogleby, the high school teacher, also vanished. “I have some themes to correct," she said. Remaining at the table, therefore, were only Mrs. Cleburne, her daugh ter Marie and Alec la-wden, who had eaten Ids custard and stayed for coffee, with no apparent cog nizance of the human storm raging S.> tie Ait 20 Aloe IpiWden bud set out Hi tieiome ttte great Amerlcun painter. Now. at 32, fie was com mercial nrtist on the staff of the War Advertising agency. For three summers he had come out anil spent five months at Mrs. Cleburne's, commuting to the city, nnil was, therefore, almost like one of the family. Marie Cleburne rolled her eyes significantly toward the pantry and said: “How did she find out?" “Why—you see—” hesitated Mrs. Cleburne, “I had the dress sent out C. O. D. I hadn't quite enough money with me, and when It came I simply said to Martha, ‘Let me have $10. dear, will you?’ And at once she began to be disagreeable.-' “But she gave It to you?” “Well—I’ve got the dress on.” Mrs. Cleburne glaced down compla cently at herself “My dear, I had to hove something. I wns In rags, literally In rags. This Is only a cheap little thing, but after your peach-bloom taffeta I felt thut I couldn't afford anything belter. We mothers must be unselfish, Mr. Low den." Wie gave Alec Bowden a stalling, sweet glance. "J don't know why she's so set on going to lids donee, anyway," pur sued Millie "M .i t; i lakes fancies like that sometimes. And it worries me to deii-li iii persuade her out of them.” Rut Mrs. Cleburne's pint id face didn't show h line “I d Is glad enough to have her go,” conceded Marie. "But she's got no dress, and nobody to take her, and I simply can’t have her hang ing along with nte now that Ous Kramer—you know what I mean, mother." Marie got up slowly. If she had ever applied to any theatrical man ager for a Job, she would have been descrilted technically as “Big Blonde, Good Show-Girl Type." Her mother's gaze dwelt on her fondly as she disappeared. “It’s my greatest delight Just to look at Marie,” she explained to Alec. “She's exactly what I was at her age, exactly. With her face —and her figure-she could marry any one—anyone! If we could only afford to go to some really fashion able summer resort for Just one season—" She rose, with Just a hint of haste. “You don't mind If I leave you? I want to speak to Marie." “What she really wants Is to get from under before Martha steps ln, " thought Aloe. Aloud he said, "Oh. I mind, of course, Mrs. Cle burne. who wouldn’t? But under the circumstances—" He rose and bowed, He did not sit down again, but walked over and flung open the pantry door. "Come on in and get your dinner, Murtha,” he said. "You’ve scared ’em all away but me. Come In and tell me all about the row." The girl who entered and dropped down wearily at the tablo was neither big nor blond, nor near to beauty. She was of no type, non descript, medium height, with dark, untidy hair, a determined little chin, and lips drawn tight. Her pink calico dress was failed Her sleeves were rolled up, her collar often. Only her eyes, almond shaped, with flecks of green ntid brown In their- shadowy depths, fringed with heavy lashes, Intensely nlive, intensely unhappy, redeemed her from Insignificance. "I don’t wnitt anything but a cup of coffee, Iteglna,” she said to the waitress. “Oh, eat some soup.'" urged Imw den. “That was wonderful soup to night. You made It. didn't you?” “I got the whole dinner. Amelia Ann has gone on strike." “How cortie?" "Ah, there you have It," said Martha. “My, llmt soup Is good!’’ “Bring some chicken and some rice and the fruit salmi and hot roils for Miss Maltha. Iteglna,'* or dered Bowden. “What wns all the row about?’’ asked l.owdcii presently “Why nre you on the warpath? Kverybody sat here trembling, expo ting to see you enter with war cries and toma hawks." “I’d'va liked to. I have got Vm terrorized, haven't 1? But they stay. That’s my cooking—mjne and Amelia Ann's." "You may as well tell me. It's gfanethlng alK>ut your mother's new dress—and that club dance Marie's going to tomorrow night." "So they've been talking. Then I suppose I may, too. It's a sim ple story. I paid the town tax yes terday and the Insurance, and I hadn't a red left. And I'd prom ised Amelia Ann >10 advance for an installment on her furniture set. By digging and scraping and stalling off the butcher I got the >10, and then mother went into Baltimore, bought that new dress, and had It sent out C. O. P. 1 ought to 've made hor send It back." "Why didn t you .’ "I hardly know. 1 was so tired and there was so much to do, and she cried anil carried on so. So 1 gave her the $10. Amelia Ann went qn strike, ami I had to get dinner. She'll be back tomorrow, though." ‘‘Hut what has all this to do with the dance tomorrow night?" Something pitiful and young flashed across Martha's face, and was gone. "Oh, 1 got a silly streak. I got It into my head, somehow, that I’d like to go to that dance. So 1 told mother to took around when she was In town and see If she could find a little dress for me at the sales. And—and when the box came this afternoon—at first—I thought—that was what It was." She stopped abruptly. "Oh, well. It really doesn't mat ter," sho went on, presently. "I'd have had a dull time, 1 suppose. Hut f"d Just have liked to sit and look—lights and music and young people, and no clean towels to think about, nor gi Oder's orders, nor Amelia Ann. Oh, darn everything!" She laughed. "I had a brain storm, I can tell you. Mother and Marie cringed, and as for poor Re gina— she cowered every time 1 touched a butcher knife. Anyway we’ve blown ourselves for a mag nincciil costume for Marie, and she certainly ought to bo able to make Oils Kramer fall when he sees her In It. Oops, my dear! She sure <to look malicious, as Regina says. And If she only can get Ous—that'll lie one liability written off this es tablishment. llul fins Is spoiled and Marie Is a poison mushroom to talk $o one of the deadliest aiiianl tas who ever killed a conversation. Give me a eigaret. will you?” “Come outside and smoke it. Tou have to wash the dishes?” "No. Regina will. Golly, it's fine to sit down and loaf with a sympa thetic soul.” "There goes your mother down the street." said Taiwden. as they sat on the side porch "Where's she off to—the movies?" "No: coiner down to play hridee with old Mrs. Granger and the Millses. She'll come home with thirty cents' winnings. and as pleased ns Punch. Funny abont Mother—she's one of those women who never look at the truth, never see If When she was a girl ehe thought she'd marry money and live In a big house, and have lots of servants and entertain a lot. She married Father, who was as poor as poverty. S..d hounded him into buying this place and let him work himself to death trying to pay for if. Then we had to take boarders. Hut It’s all the same to Mother. She’s living In a lug bouse, even If It Is nearly tumbling down: sites' got servants—me and Itegina and Amelia Ann' she his guests—w-ho pay their way. to be sure, hut what difference does that make? “Are you sure," asked Bowden, "that you look at the truth? This dance, for instance. Can't you real ly go’" "Without a man, and without a dress? Aiw, wake up." "So far as the man's concerned. I'll take you. If it will give you a moment's pleasure. I’ll only be b>o glad to martyr myself." • I don't mind In the least mar trying you," said Martha, but even so, I can't go. I’ve only got that old white organdie I made myself." "It won't do. You ought never to wear white, Martha. It's hideously unl>ecoming to you. Hasn't Marie got a dr ss you could snitch. In an emergency like lids?" "Marie would scream till you could hear her In Baltimore before she'd let me take a rag of hers." "Need she know It—until after ward? She can hardly scream at the dance, before the captious Gua." Martha began to laugh. "Marie's got a white crepe de chine that will be perfectly all right for me. I'll have to hem It up." "But it's white. Hasn't she got something In a brilliant color— flame, or Indian red. or orange, or henna?" "They don't still our dear Ma rie's simple girlish style." lJrlng Down me .ir- -w -mywiy, and let na look at It " "I can’t get It y ' She's s.tting upstairs at the front window w a:t inf for Gus Kramer to come in his car and toot the horn for her lie lieve me, Alex, if any man • mie for me in hls car and sat ml tooted the horn. I'd never run t to him. unless maybe I bad a f ill size hard hitting hr!--'- in either hand." "What a little t• • -.- i 1 > * - " “Yes, 1 am. I'm fed up *;th t> - Ing to run this place on a slow string, and Mother and Mari' noth ing but a pair of parasites. Jud when I get something laid aside r the plumber, dear Marie has to have new pumps—fourteen dollu . bing; or Mother blows herself > k frock, ns per today. And wli.t 4o I get? Seven days a week f heavy toil. Well, pardon my tar ings. . . , Usten—there's :l N > ble Gust us—" A low. sporty i.ir stopped w- 1 out in the street and the song -f the hooter was heard in the It- i. They could hear Marie's rush dot* tt stairs, the flattening joy of her greeting. Inarticulate gutturals re plied. The car ‘chuffed." slid away. "May she be Inspired to brillian cy-—until she's got him," said M ir tha fervently. "Send her a thought wave, Alec, maybe it'll help the poor old bean to spark." “You skip up and gel that dress," commanded I-owden Martha appeared with a limp whiteness spread on her arm Hera it is," she said. "Come inside where we can see It.” It was a simple enough frock, milk white, the color turning Mar tha's dark skin to an ugly sallow ness ns she held it before her. "Nothing but a slip and a sash " she said. "But not bad when it s on, really." Iaowden fingered the soft stuff "It ought to be flame color The ••nly thing to do Is to dye it. Hot any gasolene?" "Now, what Is all this'.' snl Martha. "You can t dye this dn - Marie would have a fit " "'What does It f •*--* ’ •’ In for crime, Marti dye this dress a ce ply put the eye o at that dance. A wliat can she do? t got a red nose If si noses are so unbecoll g -'l n . s. Come on. bring out quick." Aloe ran upstaii pulled out his trunk »n l begun » lurrtrto rummaging thru in Ait -