Show One Man an anBy Woman By VIDA HURST BEGIN HERE Margie Garver Carver is just a honey to to her friends but to her bUs business ne 3 associates ates utes she is a successful interior dec orator Associated with the Colton Collon Construction company of Detroit Margie is given all the particularly difficult assignments She has amack a n mack linack nack about pleasing men and md finicky women When Zinna Keating selects one of the apartments owned by the Colton company to occupy after her marriage in September Margie is given the heartbreaking task of decorating dec orating it Heartbreaking because Margie Is Js in love with Dennis Killian the man who will wm marry Zinna When Zinna was hurt before the apartment was completed competed Margie Margiel l had ad Iad to go over plans with wih Dennis That was di difficult because Margie largie feels ees rather silly about having ad ad- her love for him Her one joy is in decorating his room just as ashe ashe he wanted it To cure herself of her hurt over Dennis Margie accepts the proposal of Jack Carrol Carro a New York attorney She has told him that she doesn't love lov him but he doesn't mind He is sure sur he lie can make her happy happ CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE TWENTY Was Dennis Killian Kilian just plain dumb or extraordinarily clever After al all that had happened pre ious when Margie had admitted that tha she was in love lo with him he persisted art jn acting as if everything e were just the same Will VilI you have dinner with me rae tonight tonight to to- night he asked ased Margie re reflected bitterly that he vas was only inviting her because Zinna was in the hospital and he didn't wish to dine alone Her first impulse was to refuse Instead she heard herself herself her her- self sel saying Why dont don't you come to the thc apartment Jean Jem is home anc and md would like to se see you again Besides its it's my night to cook The girls will willbe willbe willbe be disappointed if il I go out You dont don't mean to imply that you youcan youcan youcan can really cook Dennis demanded Come and sec see Ill Til be delighted Sh Shall U I bring something to add 10 the feast No Its It's my party Sitting in her office afterward Marcis Margis Mar Mar- sis cis wondered why she could never keep her resolutions not to see sec him again Time after time she had planned not to accept his next invitation tion It was nothing to her credit to tobe tobe tobe be asked to o do things merely because Zinna was war aW away 1 Yet his invitation came so unexpectedly each time She was so certain each one would be the Jast last ast that she never seemed strong stron enough to resist DREAMING AGAIN AGAI Besides she was now just us as muc much engaged as Dennis There Thele was nothing nothing noth noth- ing but the most casual sort o of friend ship between them No reason the they shouldn't have dinner together No reason except that for the r re rc- of the day Margie Garver was utterly incapacitated inc for fOl business She sat at her desk scribbling pro prospective pros pros- menus mentis on her memorandum pad Lamb crops and arid fresh pens peas with wit mint jelly and md new potatoes wit with parsley A tomato cocktail or would woul fresh flesh shrimps be better I must buy cocktail sauce sh she mused A salad of grapefruit wit with roquefort cheese dressing and fo for dessert She lifted the telephone and ordered or or- dered a frozen pudding to be delis delis' cred ered at nt six ix What would woul Maury think if he knew that already aready only two days after her engagement she abc was as completely compete absorbed in planning planning plan plan- ning a dinner which she hoped would please pease another man mm Ho hum she si hed Its really nOI none c of Maury's affair but it will vilI b bif be bc beit if it r I spend any iny more time on on it Come Margie get down to business Call Cal the he wholesale house about thos sam pies of chintz and ask about the plain green and cream-colored cream voile for curia curtains ins Dennis arrived at seven o clock o'clock with a box of fudge from Saunders M My contribution he announced Vera was in pajamas Jean in her business clothes while Margie being cook wore a white silk smock mock Her hair lair curled more tightly than ever from Tom the steam of the small kitchenette kitchenette kitchen kitchen- ette her cheeks checks were pink Greetings Gre she he c called I cant can't leave cave the lamb chops Dennis was astonished at the daintily set table and the kitchen with its Is burden of food A V CALL FROM JACK J. When did you do all this After I came home Everything Im I'm having is cas easy Mar Margie ie cooks better than an any olus ofus ofus of ol us Jean said warmly The only trouble rouble is getting her to sta stay home lon long ong enough to do it it Where did you OU learn Dennis asked stealing a stalk of celery I thought bought you ou were a boarding school product We had to get Sunday night suppers suppers suppers sup sup- pers at Paton Hall she explained But I really like to cook You see there are a few stock things I can do which keep up my reputation Im afraid youre you're too modest Dennis insisted Anyone who can broil roil lamb chops like those is a pro pro- f She had evidently chosen her food well vell or perhaps it was merely another another an an- other proof of similar tastes between them At an any rate Dennis ate heartily of everything she had prepared The rne four of them laughed and ate for almost al ale most two hours They were still vere still at athe atthe atthe the he table at nine o'clock when the telephone rang Vera Vcra answered hoping as always that hat it would woud be Rich but it was New NewYork NewYork NewYork York calling Margie She had almost almos forgotten that she was engaged until Vera Vcra cried Give him our heartiest hearties congratulations tula II It embarrassed Margie to talk before be be- fore ore them They were compelled to tojo tobe tobe be jo silent so that she might hear Were forced to listen whether they wished to or not Margies Margie's voice was as formal Hello HelJo Jack How are arc you Hello Heno darling Im I'm sending your ring ing by re registered mail tomorrow I hope lope you'll like it IL DECIDES Panic Panle was in her heart hearl With Dennis Denis Denis' Dennis Den Den- nis nis' is' is quiet gaze upon her Margie knew she could never accept the ring Could not marry Jack Carrol But that was ridiculous Of course she would marry him Hadn't he said it didn't matter whether she was in love with him NOW or not I the matter Margie l You dont don't sound very enthusiastic Oh yes es I am You haven't changed your mind have lave you Now she had hod a chance to tell him im but jut she couldn't do it Of course not It must be the con con- You dont don't sound very naturaE natural natu natu- ral raE either cither Ill I'll write to you OU Jack Ill I'll write tonight before I go to bed All right sweetheart You Yott do that Ill I'll call you again the last o of this week Margie replaced the receiver trembling like a lea leaf Feeling like a traitor I cant can't go on with it she thought and despised herself for being weal weak and vacillating I The mere fact that Dennis was as inthe inthe in inthe I the room an innocent listener had made her anno cd and impatient with the man she was to marry If she felt like lile that now how would she feel when he was really her husband hus hus- band No matter how attractive he was to other women she didn't love him Dennis stayed until the dishes had been washed and Vera Vcra and Jean had retired to the bedroom Then at last he rose to go Will you tell me mc something even I i if it isn't any any of my business he said impulsively She faced him dizzily I probably will Have you ou become engaged to Jack Carrol since Saturday I It was certainly none none of or his affair but nit his blue eyes were so compelling Mar Margie ie had to answer Yes I have she confessed Why Docs Does that matter It certainly y does docs You wouldn't be e foolish enough to marry a 3 manou man you ou dont don't love would you Mar Margie ie Margie laughed with a lightness which surprised herI herI her I hope you didn't believe what I told old you ou Saturday His eyes ces were so blue thc they dazzled her You mean to say you were joking about bout what you ou said Of or course coursel I supposed you OU understood under under- I stood that it was just in fun A curious expression crossed his face ace I didn't think you were at the theme time me but if it you were it makes every every- thin thing ung much simpler out her Much she agreed holding hand and Good night Come over again some ome time Thanks he answered smiling We must go o shopping for furniture as s soon as Zinna gets back When do you expect her By the end of this week All right You can telephone me mc Margie largie answered But two minutes after acter the door had closed she was back at the desk writing writ writ- ing ng furious furiously To Be Continued |