IT'S JUST AN OLD FEMININE CUSTOM

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 181, 2 August 1941, Page 15

IT'S JUST AN OLD FEMININE CUSTOM

By Colette

you see a couple of smart hats very close together n animated conversation over the eacups you can be sure there's i lot of no good being dealt out o someone; whether deserved or andeserved it's not for me to say.

*J Sitting down opposite one such ?ouple in a coffee shop the other dav . broke up their little huddle arid thereby brought down on myself a concentrated glance of some potency from two pairs of bright eyes. As I studied the menu, snuglv conscious that my lid was born on b ifth Avenoo. I knew I was being raked fore and aft by no mean amateurs. However. I could take it and, after giving my order, and in the intervals of lighting up, did a bit of casual shooting on my own account. Opinions on the weather and similar prophylactic subjects were being exchanged in rarefied accents and I noted that the perkv red hat was a streamlined blonde, latest model, and the nonsensical bit of black felt and veiling was a scatterbrain brunette. Red Hat and Black Veil My order arrived and I fell on it with every sign of being one whose only interest is food and who has been starving for a week. Thus lulled, the conversation opposite let down.its hair and got going on the serious business once again. It appeared that the red hat had all the inside information and was dishing it out with expert attention to climax and anti-climax. The Black Veiling was lapping it up. So was I—as much as the acoustics, which varied from PPP to crescendo, would allow me. ". . . So that night she had dinner with him at the Splendid and they went on to a show afterwards." "What she have on?" this from the Black Veiling, who, like me, was all agog for every detail. "Oh, that blue thing. I don't think she can wear blue, though, do you? Not with that skin. You remember what a little fibber she used to be, I even at school? Well, she said he said she had eyes like forget-me-nots— so she said!" This tit-bit brought forth appropriate brunette disgust. "Good heavens! But go on, what happened after that?" "Well, in the car, going home. . . ." Here there was such a significant pause that, although I was affecting a passionate interest in something at. the far end of the room. I knew they were looking across at me and that I was suspect. So it was that, strain my ears as shamelessly as I might (quite con trary to the advice I once absorbed at my mamma's knee with regard tc the quaint old-fashioned vice ol "eavesdropping") I could only follow the course of events from the Black Veiling's expressive face. This regis

tered everything from pop-eyed horror to outraged virtue in a manner most tantalising to behold. However, the effort of trying to! scream in a whisper on receipt of all l the sensational news was too much for my little brunette, and I was soon rewarded with a high pitched yelp. 9 "Golly! Imagine him saying he'd like to wring her neck! What did she do then?" "Well, she said," replied the disbelieving Red Hat, giving my performance of a gourmand concentrating on cream cake a cold glance and Towering her voice still further. I regret to say that any further remarks she might have made are completely lost to this history and ; I was left up in the air, mentally fly- '■ ing from one scandalous supposition \ to another. What had happened? '. Did he try to wring her neck (no gentleman, apparently!) If so, why? I My guess was as good as anybody's ; —probably better, to.my gifted ' imagination! ; Life and Ladies • At this moment, the >lack Veiling, • in the tone of one who has heard all the facts and is now going to ' give judgment, came across severely ' with "Well, it all sounds fishy to me, and do you know what I think?" \ Unfortunately I missed this ' unusual treat too because just "then the Red Hat suddenly said, "Oh, my godfathers! Here she "s!" • We all looked up with a guilty ■ start and a quickly assumed smile of j alarming brightness. The newcomer was the streamlined, scatterbrain type, wearing a perky blue hat trimmed with some nonsensical veil- '■• ing. "Darling!" said the Red Hat, "how t nice to see you. We've just been talking about you and wondering •' when we'd see you again." t In the general rejoicings eonseg quent upon the meeting of old g friends I thought it best to remove v my superfluous presence. d As I paid my bill at the counter I noticed two of my dear friends at s the table in the corner with heads i- together in animated conversation d over the teacups. Thev didn't see o me and I didn't disturb them. I •f didn't want to run the risk of hearv ing the familiar greeting, k "Darling! How nice to see you. 3- We've just been talking about you."