Thomas Yoseloff Ltd.
123 New Bond Street
London, W.1, England
To the memory
of my husband
CECIL B. RUSKAY
whose delightful personality
and creative gifts
made him so beloved
by his children and grandchildren
and a host of young friends.
CONTENTS
Chapter and Title Page 1 [So You’re Going to Aspen] 11 2 [Aspen: From Silver Dust to Music] 19 3 [Pleasures of Travel] 27 4 [First Glimpse of Aspen] 37 5 [A Rude Yet Pleasant Awakening] 52 6 [Karl] 66 7 [A Family Argument Happily Resolved] 77 8 [Smuggler’s Café] 90 9 [A Small Triumph] 99 10 [A Catastrophe with a Happy Ending] 106 11 [Judy, Amateur Psychologist] 124 12 [Ashcroft, The Ghost Town] 135 13 [The Huskies] 147 14 [“Confidentially Yours”] 154 15 [The Mountain Climb] 157 16 [Near Tragedy and Rescue] 170 17 [Clouds on the Horizon] 180 18 [A Dream Is Crystallized] 190 19 [Farewell to Aspen] 203 20 [Mother and Daughter] 211
DISCOVERY AT ASPEN
1
SO YOU’RE GOING TO ASPEN
Judy Lurie sat cross-legged on the floor of her room surveying the results of her labor. The room was a mess, even by her easy standards. But the box containing her last summer’s meager wardrobe had been thoroughly gone over and everything that could be salvaged was in piles ready for the family trunk. The empty battered suitcase and the books, she decided, could wait, since it was still five days before she and her parents, Minna and John Lurie, were to leave for the summer holiday.
“So you’re going to Aspen!” a familiar voice ejaculated. “How wonderful for you and John!”
Preoccupied as Judy was, the voices from the living room reached her dimly at first. Her room, a tiny alcove separated from the living room by heavy chintz draperies, frequently had its disadvantages. But there were compensations, too. You could hear and see and yet be delightfully invisible.
“I wish I were able to go to Colorado!” another voice remarked with a shade of envy. “How wonderful for you and John.... By the way, where is John? Is he trying to hide from us?”