Page:The plastic age, (IA plasticage00mark).pdf/245

Rh their speech and their actions, beautiful dancers, tnd as offhand with men as they were with each >ther. Within a week Hugh got over his prejulice against women’s smoking. Nearly every roman he met, including Mrs. Parker, smoked, and very girl carried her cigarette-case. Most of the girls treated Norry as if he were very nice small boy, but they adopted a different ttitude toward Hugh. They flirted with him, perected his “petting” technique, occasionally treated iim to a drink, and made no pretense of hiding his ttraction for them. At first Hugh was startled and a little repelled, ut he soon grew to like the frankness, the petting, nd the liquor; and he was having a much too ex¬ iting time to pause often for criticism of himself r anybody else. It was during the last week of is visit that he fell in love. He and Norry were standing near the float watchlg a number of swimmers. Suddenly Hugh was ttracted by a girl he had never seen before. She ore a red one-piece bathing-suit that revealed every urve of her slender, boyish figure. She noticed Norry and threw up her arm in reeting. “Who is she?” Hugh demanded eagerly. “Cynthia Day. She’s just back from visiting dends in Maine. She’s an awfully good swimmer.
 * ood swimmers, full of “dirt,” as they called gossip,