Polytechnic High School - Caerulea Yearbook (Long Beach, CA)

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things. She smiled suddenly. I guess that we don't need to worry over Mother though. Do you know what Muriel Marne said the other day, Sis? He asked her cautiously. No, what? Muriel Marne was still a novelty in the little town of Marshville, for with her dashing city manners and her flashy clothes, she differed greatly from the usual belle of that small town. She said that the women in New York nearly all smoke if they Want to be in style at all. They smoke cigarettes. His voice lowered to a whisper. She said that some of them didn't like the flavor of the cigf arettes, so they have tiny cigars, or little handfcarved pipes. Dan! Horror was in her voice. Do you suppose Aunt Em smokes? Oh, I guess so. She always did tell Mother that she believed in keeping up with the times and the styles. He flicked a bit of dust from his sleeve with a nonchalant air and strolled out into the yard. A few moments later the sound of the flivver groaning its way out of the yard, entered her dazed senses. Dan had gone after Mother. Would she be changed? Of course not. But Mother, her Mother, had always said, When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Even then she would not continue such a habit when no longer among the Romans, or New Yorkers in this case. Then came the remembrance of an article she had once read which said that the cigarette habit, when once started, was a difficult one to overcome. In a very short length of time she heard the old car rattling its way up the driveway. Little jimmy hurled himself upon the dainty and exf cellently dressed little woman alighting from the car. Yes, the woman was citified in her dress, but it was the same little Mother who had left the farm for her first vacation in twenty years, that gathered her into a strong embrace. It was after dinner that the little mother, her pale blue eyes smiling happily, led her little brood up to the bedroom to see what her suitcase contained. There were gifts for every one. Maxine gazed incredulously at a silver case, much like one that Muriel Marne carried. In it was a cake of oncefforbidden face powder. Mother certainly had changed. Maxine wasn't sure but that it was a likable change though. She fondled Twenty-four

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f - M' ' '- A'AAAA4- QTHER will be here in exactly one hour! Maxine Curtis ':A ' 2153, SVLIAVI turned from her occupation of Q .Y basting a halfdone chicken, to address her I L AAV. ,'r T N brother. Do get your hair combed and 2 i ijiclelan cellar on, Dan. YOE kncow that 4 , ot er i es to see you spic an span. Say, can't you ring off for a while? He asked her the question with a bored frown. You know that I'll do it when the time comes. Yes, when the time comes, replied his sister. When will that be, pray tell? You know that you have to drive the Ford down to the station to get her, and usually it takes forever to crank it. She turned suddenly toward her big, burly father, who stood framed in the doorway. Did you clean the car? she asked. From the top of the stairs came a long drawn wail. Max, Jimmie won't let me comb his hair! Well, she's pullin' it. This from the youngest member of the family. James, mind your sister! Margaret, comb his hair gently. Did you brush your hair yourself? Thus were the commands, questions, and exclamations added to the general hubbub of excitement. Finally peace was restored. Dan had retired to the bedfroom, where a valiant wrestling match with a new tie caused his water soaked pomf padour to be in a deplorble condition. Fourfyear old jimmy, with a well scrubbed, though freckled countenance, sat upon the corner of the wood box, and looked very uncomfortable. Margaret still primped upstairs. I am surely glad that Mother is coming home, sighed Maxine, glancing with a critical eye at her hands, roughened by extra household cares. I hope that she has enjoyed the change at Aunt Emily's in New York, and yet, I'm afraid that all this will seem pretty dull after that. You don't s'pose that Mother has changed any, do you? James entered the room with an anxious frown. I hope not. But Aunt Em has such a big house and so many serv' ants, and a whole month is a long time in which to get used to such Twenty-three

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a pair of silk stockings happily. Mother had never let her have them before. Some time later she encountered Dan in the hall. He seemed to be not a little surprised and even dazed. Funny, isn't it? he asked. Mother gave me some toilet water. She said that the boys in New York liked to put it on their hair. And did you see her shoes? They had high heels. She always did say that they would ruin one's feet. But then, it won't last long. It did last, however. Mother was cooking breakfast the next morn' ing in a bungalow apron with a shower of pink flowers in embroidery upon it. She had always worn gray calico before. Maxine felt instincf tively, however, that the clothes, gifts of her aunt and the result of long saving on her mother's part too, were in good taste. She looked around brightly as the girl entered. Good morning, dear. How is my little helper this morning? They talked happily together for a long while. Then, out of a clear sky, came the thunderbolt of surprise. Nearly all of the girls in New York have their hair bobbed. I have seen so much of it that I have decided, if you wish, you may bob yours, dear. Your father doesn't care. After breakfast you may get hfty cents out of my purse and go and get it done. It was a very excited girl who went to her mother's purse to get the money which she felt would change her whole future. Almost as soon as she saw the money she saw something else which caused her to jump. In the very bottom of her mother's purse lay live brightly colored cigar bands of-a well known make. To whom did they belong? Mr. Curtis never smoked, and if he did how did the bands from off them get into her mother's purse? She could not, she would not believe anything of her mother on such mere circumstantial evidence. There was probably a very simple explanation of it. Then why not ask her mother about it? She knew that this was one thing that she did not feel like asking even her mother about. Snapping the purse shut, she departed with shaking knees for the barber shop. It was almost noon when she returned from the barber's, feeling like a lamb just straight from the shearing. Her father looked at her often and her younger sister spent the time asking that she too might have Twenty-five