*’"'*' ' -..iJli^**-'
= B\ L UC Y=
SALAMANCA
Illustrated, by
Henrietta McCaig Starrett
SPELL OF SUMMER -
Janice Didn't
Have to Worry
About Two
Per Cent
After Her
Vacation
MISS JANICE WOOD sat trimly before
the big adding machine, well
groomed hands poised dutifully above
the keys, waiting for Mr. Carlos Trent
to call the next figure.
Mr. Trent flipped some pages of the
bound notebook he held on his knee,
scowled, cleared his throat and shot a
brief glance at Miss Wood over his tor
toise-shell glasses.
“Ready. Miss Wood?”
“Ready, Mr. Trent”
“Jones & Reed, $4082.95 ”
"Jones <ss Reed,” repeated Miss Wood,
then. Angers flying, “$4082.95 "
“Smathers & Blake, $575 and .* "
Like battledore and shuttlecock their
voices caught up and tossed back the
names and figures. Interminable names.
Interminable figures, droning on through
the heat of the Summer afternoon.
“Oh, If he would only finish,” groaned
Miss Wood to herself as the hands of
the clock crept around to 4:30, 5 and five
minutes after. Today of all days he was
going to keep her overtime again, when
she had arranged to drop into the vaca
tion bureau to make final arrangements.
VACATION bureau! Miss Wood's mind
slipped to mental visions of silver
waters by moonlight . . careless, care
free voices calling across tennis courts
. . soft whispers In the shadows of flow
ering vines . deep, lazy chairs on hotel
verandas . whirling tulle and chiffon
under rosy lights of an evening while
music beat all about. . .
Never mind the Interminable figures
Never mind Mr. Trent. Never mind the
stuffy office. Never mind anything t\ow
with her precious two weeks just around
Uhe corner. For two weeks, at any rate,
she would live. two glorious, glowing
weeks sheawomd live in a world of en
chantment whereat she had dreamed
longed In this world. Jerry belonged to
her world, too. That even as she
should, by all the needs of her beauty
loving, tradition-loving nature, remain
in this world, so should she have Jerry
to make life perfect.
But there was that other Janice rhe
one who knew that she must return to
the hot and noisy city, search again
for another stuffy Job in a stuffy office,
begin again that vicious, deadly circle
that circumscribed her existence. T
won’t allow him to think that I would
take advantage of his feeling for me.
encouraged and fostered by all the
beauty and propinquity of eon
* centrated hours of happiness, just, as
an escape from tl*te other,” she told
herself passionately. "I will go back I
willl” *
Anri Lark shj went. Indeed, leaving a
She dropped down beside him on the
sand, laughing at him.
”1 know,” she nodded, teasingly, “like
John Burroughs said— ’Nor time, nor
space, nor deep, nor high, Can keep my
own away from me.’ ”
‘‘Laugh If you want to,” he said
stoutly, “but I believe that.”
“For that matter,” she said suddenly
as if it had just occurred to her, “so
do I!”
It was an enchanted afternoon. He
teamed that she “added up figures in a
stuffy New York office.” She learned
that he was “living right now in Scars
dale with some friends but ha<* to quit fc
playing pretty soon and get to work
f#e" learned '•hat she* was on her vacC-
Xion and was staying at Willoughby
She„ learned, he had come up
spirit — a need that had become inten
sified through the years of planning and
saving, and so now with fulfillment was
more keenly enjoyed Janice reveled
in it— the big hotel beside a mountain
lake. She loved the simplicity of It
the charm and distinction of its furn
ishings and decoration, the quiet tra
ditional repose of its well-ordered ac
i ivtties.
She loved the feeling of belonging in
a world where life was leisurely, digni
fied. serene and substantial. She loved
the wide windows, draped in chintz
thit gave Her a view from her bedroom
across the ruffly waters of Lake Penel
op#. She loved the quiet breakfasts
She dropped down on the sand, laughing at him. It was an enchanted
afternoon. He learned that she “added up figures in a stuffy office”
impulse to tell him what she really
thought of the idea she would be fired
at once, of course. And that would mean
the end of her cherished vacation —the
one for which she had starved and
stinted for almost two years. Well, she
wouldn't give It up. Not for all the Cas
tlebys in New York or anywhere else. She
would not deprive herself of the salary
if the next two weeks by being fired
now. She would hold off Mr. Castleby
until her return. Then, after her vaca
tion. she would look for another job.
sighed wearily. LooSs and style, she felt
bitterly, we?e a hanciicap in a city of
predators like New York. She almost
wished she had been bom bow-legged.
Don’t tell me you forgot the lady who
waited on you when she said such things
about how vou could wear clothes. Miss
Wood.”
“Ah Miss Kelton . . to be sure. She
was very nice, and I found just what 1
needed for my vacation, Mr. Castleby
I'm Indebted to you for the card, I'm
sure “
“Oh. it ain’t that,” beamed Mr. Cas
tleby, waving aside her thanks in a gen
erous manner. “It’s because Miss Kel
ton was so impressed by your style and
the way you took to them expensive
clothes that interests me. I got an idea
l been opportunities go to
waste. Miss Wood. 1 said to myself, why
should 1 let so tatent ior clothes £o
• to waste, blush unseen like the flower
• in the desert, Miss Wood. Why should