1940-12-20 — Page 2

PERCY Bones had always desired to shine, but personal distinc- tion had been denied him. He had, in his time, desired to shine in almost every way-among the other children as a runner or a Spinner of tops, at school as a scholar, and in the various jobs he had tried, as a go-ahead young chap with a future; in all these ways he had desired to shine, but his brightest and most constarit desire was to shine socially,

Percy Bones would have liked to be liked -not just not disliked but actively liked and sought- alter, welcome to drop in at any tume at lots of houses and aware that even in his absence people spoke well of him and went abou! saying what an awfully nice chap Bones was. His ambition was to be the life and soul of the party. and to have dewy-eyed girls look ing up of him with parted lips and telling him he was a one and in- ploving him. amid trills of de- lighted giggles, to give over or he would be the death of them. He had known of several such tunate men arul und observed with a painful envy the success which they enjoyed. What was the little something, he had so often asked himself, which they ul. viously had and he seemed Jack

ance

ill-favoured.

to

THE CHINA MAIL FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER 20, 1940.

MOTTO

for SUCCESS

P.Y.Betts

Several couples were treading an immobilised foxtrot by the gramo- phone at one end of the room, others were playing some paper game that consisted in identifying cryptic pencil sketches pinned on to the backs of the other guests. Nobody pinned a sketch on Percy Bones's back or indeed took any notice of him except to shake a plate of sandwiches with curled- up edges under his nose from time to time. He hung about on the fringes of groups, joining in the laughter at rattling fine jokes whose point he had missed be- cause the tellers had their backs to him. One man particularly, a tall fat man with a shiny face and a green paper jockey cap was, in the eyes of Percy Bones, insuffer- able. It was plain as a pikestaff that he was that envied and in- imitable type, the life and soul of the party. Percy Bones, retired now to a corner of a settec under the pretence of looking at Christ- mas cards, watched him with loathing.

The man took the floor in front of the fireplace. voice and butcher's presence, little With his loud

in the afternoon that this remembrance came back into his mind, and he felt himself by little he drew the attention of the other guests upon himself. He pierced- with the familiar pang of

was the rallying point of the even- doubt. Why, after all, had this girl ing, the life and soul of the party. asked him? She scarcely knew He whisked a large yellow silk him. If, as was highly improbable, handkerchief out of his pocket. considering his past experience, she had been so much taken with

"Anybody know this trick?" he him at Arst blush that she had asked. "Anybody here know how been moved to invite him to this to pass a tumbler full of water with her, why had she Through a handkerchief without ignored him for the rest of the up-setting the tumbler or making evening after those few words with him about his plans for Christmas?

doing for Whitsun, The answer "Oh, nothing special. I think 1 of three o'clock Was always the same; nothing sholl spend it quietly at home this special, just spending the holiday year," he said. Before Miss Haver quietly at home. And what, Pergy had time to respond with the Bones would inquire brightly, remark that there was nothing to were they doing"

beat a quiet Christinas, their con- versation was interrupted by the It was true that his appear-

Oh, they were going away. arrival of young Larkin,, the popu- was perhaps against him

Friends had invited them down, lur man of the club, to claim a ther that it was not exactly Five of them were motoring down dance with Miss Haver who, as for him, for he was not poatively in Bob's car-- a bit of a squash, Percy had been quick to note,

party He was obliged to but it all made more fun, inucking was a personable young woman, admit that his was not the sort

In together. Though, of course, à of face and figure they use for ad. quiet Christmas, or a quiet Whit- vertising hair lotion or high-class sun or Easter, as the case might tobacco, yet at the same time he be, took a lot of beating: that is, could not fail to notice that far if you liked that sort of thing. uglier men than he often had far better fun. After the first shock.

If you liked that sort of thing, people did not care much one way Percy Bones didn't like that sort or the other about what # TATA

of thing. Christmas in lodgings- looked like so long as he was able who in their senses could like that to compell their attention. Once sort of thing? The sort of thing

had got people

Percy interested that

Bones liked Cnough to take notice of you you were well on the way to being the life and soul of the party. The difficulty was to get people to no- fice you at all.

you

He had no further speech with

a hole in the handkerchief?" her that evening, but some ten days later he was surprised and

He looked about him question- delighted to receive from her a

ingly. Nobody did, of course. He note, addressed him him care of

No. the explanation could only could count on nobody's knowing. the club, and forwarded on, asking be that he had been invited as a With

a look of fatuous com- him whether he would care le ae make-weight. Some better man, placency on his face, the fat man company Miss Haver to a small some hearty good fellow with so spread the yellow handkerchief on Christmas party given by some many invitations that he could

a table, set a brimming glass of friends of hers on the other side pick and choose where he would water on the handkerchief, waved

some his Night, wils of the town on Boxing Night. It spend his Boxing

hands and muttered parties, nice friendly parties with would be quite informal. There rousing party chap had failed them abracadabra, smirked knowingly everybody liking him and list- would be coffee and sandwiches, at the last minute, and Miss Haver at his audience, gathered the four ening to him and hanging on his There was a convenient bus that had been implored to bring along corners of the handkerchief to- words. He had never actually been would taken them almost to the another man-any mati-o make gether raised them-raised them to a party like that, but always at door. Would he let her know by the numbers even. And Percy and there, preposterously, sit- the back of his mind harboured the telephone as soon as possible Bones,, the only man who had not ting by itself undisturbed upon the vision of this ideal party to at her office?

long ago completed his arrange the polished table, glinted the which he would one day be bid-

ments for the holidays, the only tumbler brimful of water. den, and where he would shim! like the star on the wand of the fairy on the top of the Christmas

Perry Bones had done all the tungs, of course. He had joined a social club. He had joined a jam- bling club. He had rambled until his feet felt as if they had been bastinadoed, and he had been tree. sociable until his face ached with the fixity of his smile; yet still success had not come his way.

In a ferment of pleasure he rang up her oflice at nine o'clock that morning, before she had so much as arrived. Half an hour later he rang her office again. He This year it looked like being spoke to her then, Yes, he would The same.

be delighted. Delighted. Absolutely delighted. Miss Haver. It was not till some time afterwards, when the first flush of his excitement had cooled a little, that it came back into his mind that though her voice had sounded polite, it had not sounded thrilled.

It was at the lack-lustre hour

"And what are you doing for Christmas, Mr. Bones?” asked Miss Haver, a new member with whom Percy Bones happened to be thrown together for a few min- utes at the winter social of the

"What are you doing for Christ- mas, Mr. Bones"" people at the social club would ask him during conversational pâuses towards the end of November, just as earlier in the year people at the rambling club would ask him during con- versational pauses what he was rambling club.

man who had not been snapped "What d'you know about that?" up already. Percy Bones, was in- cried the fat man. "Eh? Eh?" He

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"M is the first and the last is A," it said.

vited to the party. He knew. He stood back with his stomach stuck knew. He know all right. He was out and received the ; applause, being made a convenience of. Ho "And now I'll show you another turned over in his mind the pos- little trick,” he offered. "Not at sibility of withdrawing his ac- all a bad little trick. Quite simple, ceptance and leaving them in the of course, A. child could do it. "All lurch, and for perhaps twenty I need is a pack of cards and a minutes he pretended to believe young lady to hold the cards so that he was not going to the party, that everybody, can see what's go- that he had his pride and was ing on fair and square and simply not going. But in his heart above-board, that's me. Now what of hearts he knew all along that about you holding the cards, he could not really bring himself Gladys? Eh? Come on, don't be to deny himself this party and that shy, they won't bite and nor will In the end he would be tamely ac- 1!" And there stood Miss Haver, companying Miss Haver on the giggling with embarrassed plen-. long bus ride to the other side af sure, holding a fan of cards facing the town; and so he was.

the company while the fat man,! the party fellow, stood behind her 1. During the journey Miss Havera: and reached over-her shoulder and manner. though polite, was hard- picked out by magic, it seemed,, ly warm, and as soon as they whichever card the audienco reached the house she was engulf. named. The success of this trick ed in a laughing crowd of over- was terrific. The at man was heated people · already flaunting patted on the back. More drinks, "paper hats." Percy Bones was per-" were called for. People "changed functorily introduced to one or paper hats with one another, A. ftwo guests, who promptly left him new box of crackers was opened. flat and was soon left hovering," The funny man put on a false cking out a hum sandwich and a nose. Alone in his corner, glass of port. All the other people seemed to know each other.

(Continued on Page 6)