| Show LEAP YEAR GIRBY GIRS GIRn BY BOB non EDEN BEGIN KEGIN HERE TODAY Judith Avery had hOod been heartsick when Toby Locke married Donna Herriot after a whirlwind affair Judith had fallen in love with Toby in th the three short months she had gone cone with him But when he married mar ried rigid Donna Judith tried to for forget et him Her work in the office of ot Dr Craig Mitchell made her almost happy hf And when Craig insisted that she enter atrial a n atrial trial en Went cn r lent with him Judith agreed to the the arrangement Craig was a 1 jolly companion thoughtful attentive and once Judith almost thought she loved him Occasionally she saw aw Tob Toby HL glorious marriage wasn't panning out so welL Donna had promised to live within his salary had promised to help him work for tor the big future he had before him in the bank Buther But Buther her reckless spending piled the debts high and Toby worried over them It was Donnas Donna's extravagance that tha t turned Tab Toby against her It stunned Judith when Toby told her he was wac getting etting a divorce He wanted to marT marr marry her after he hc had received received re the final decree and Judith consented Toby assured her that he could get the divorce with no trouble at alL lIL But he didn't know Donna Donna told Judith that she had filed a suit cross naming Judith as Judith was stunned The sordidness of the thc whole thing appalled her What would her parents par eats her sister Rita nib think if iC she were involved in a scandal Judith was sick of ot the divorce already NOW GO ON WITH THE TilE STORY CHAPTER THIRTY THIRTY EIGHT EIGHT People passed in iii front of oC them to the closed doors leading into the theater theater the the- ater people l lingered around them chatting In soft hlL hushed hashed hed tones Now and then as the doors opened voices come came from the screen Once a scream sent shivers of terror through Judith JudithA A Avery Avery- very She and Toby had come Into the theater not to see the picture but to talk in the lobby Donna aga again The girl irl wondered when they would be through discussing her or whether all their lives she would be with them as she was tonight menacing t vindictive Judith had worked all da day with the image of Donna in her mind mend the interview in interview in in- ew last Jast evening Donna superbly victorious She didn't want to think about it but she couldn't help it It did no good to try to force the memory mem memo memory ory away for away for Donna still remained clad in the yellow and chartreuse velvet velvet vel vel- vet pajamas I 1 know its it's going coln to be hard on you ou but if it its it's the only way Judith Judith Ju Ju- Toby was saying twirling his cap in his hands There must be some other way There has to be n Toby didn't understand under stand either cither that Donna must not go through with her plan Ho didn't see it as she did the did the publicity of it the shame o of being ing talked about Her tier friends her mothers mother's friends All night she had thought about it worried about it and at breakfast she could hardly face Mrs Avery If it were only herself she wouldn't mind so much but the scandal would affect other people whose lives touched hers her mother her father and Rita Rib But dear If JC that's the the only wa way Donna will get a divorce we might as aswell aswell aswell well face it it You want me to have a divorce dont don't you ITS SETTLED Yes Yes The double doors opened and people poured out of or the theater theater the the- ater laughing talking A band playing play play- playing ing on the screen the screen the sound of or heavy feet marching Well then its it's settled isn't it Ill I'll withdraw my petition petition because because it'll be worse if it its it's a contested d di di- vorce Much worse If Donna carries car car- Tics ries it alone it cant can't be so bad bad Bad enough when Im I'm going to tobe tobe tobe be named as Judith said bitterly When Donnas Donna's gom going to accuse me in black and white of stealing you from her I didn't do that Toby Tob I didn't I know dear but dear but j if she th thinks so we cant can't do anything about it it She wont won't listen to reason when she's mad You cant can't argue with her 1 J I learned that to my sorrow Shell She'll always get her wa way somehow But it will simplify matters if she gets fets the divorceS divorce divorce- S Simplify y Judith was indignant To have Donna get the divorce would make matters a thousand times limes wor worse c. c A m million times worse wor e. e Hush Hush I I didn't exactly mean that I meant it always looks better if it a woman oman gets gels a divorce You see see I dont don't see Toby and I 1 dont don't want to lo be talked about and about and that's thal's what will happen if Donna gets the divorce and names me Everybody will wm talk ever everybody body I know Therell There'll be scandal scan dal dal oh oh it'll be a horrible m mess s Why couldn't he see Why did hestand he hestand hestand stand there twirling his cap Why didn't he realize that she was only 20 O too young oun to be mixed up in divorce divorce di vorce cases PEOPLE FORGET People forgot quickly Judith The They talk for tor a couple of or days and then they forget Not things like this They hadn't forgotten Mrs Randolph who lived across the street from the Averys Averys The nei neighbors although the they were outwardly friendly still brought up old rumors when they discussed discussed discussed dis dis- cussed her among themselves The They still talked about the divorce suit in which she had been the principal fi figure figure fig fig- ure seven years rears ago Judith remembered it vaguely remembered re rc remembered when pretty Mrs 1 Randolph Randolph Randolph Ran Ran- dolph had come to lo live in the little room five bungalow with her new husband the day after the first Mrs l I Randolph's divorce was final I Yes they do dear If It you ou would talk to Donna Donna- Donna I. I It wouldn't do any good I know that and Id I'd rather not see sec her an anyway any any- way Id I'd rather handle this through I our lawyers That's the right way wayMen way Men were so blind It wouldn't be Toby whom gossip ossip would touch It would be she who would suffer People People Peo Peo- pIc didn't talk about men much The They talked bIked about women Toby think of or some other way The only other Wl way I can think of ot Is for me mc to go back to Donna That's really what she wants I sup suppose pose That's what she hinted to you she wanted isn't it Yes Yes Do you want me to go back to her Judith Give up all nil our plans and stop the divorce No but butTh but but- Th Then n our way is quite clear I Well We'll let Donna tel get the divorce and well we'll struggle le through h it somehow somehow- I YOU DONT DON'T LOVE LOYE MEl U Ill struggle lc through it il it you mean mean It'll all 1 be on m my shoulders she iu mw p cd cl despairingly The whole whole weight of or of it would rest I accusation on her th Its only once in your Toby pleaded and and it m have each other ther In the thea end J a little gossip If it we can be married story story- The Thc papers might print pr th tb What if it they do Youre You're bJ bi bl en enough ouCh to stand it it Judith tried to fi fight ht ba bark back k the te teal fer that came to her eyes She w wani waSn big en enough ouCh to stand It It She felt help less small insignificant r Do you think Donna draw aw the charges if would Wit wil i it you w Went nt to h he h hand and told her you dont don't vr wit want i vorce only a a d dat separation For at least We could a w gl put o off oU our Ur for a little bit In mb bit and and t then a f tt she calms down you could bring the divorce again 1 Judith clutched at the s str eagerly She didn't want t to Pill pat her marriage to of 01 Toby it scene years away y as it wai but Vat but it if thc were no other way Judith you dont don't love lo md me me 1 I Ida I do doThen do Then you ou wouldn't suggest an thing like that thaL You cant can't love a 5 nj if iC you want to lo wait years years- It wont won't be years 3 You dont don't know Donna Donn Donna Iti b I tell years INo you I know her well V n No Ao weve we've got t lo to prett gO fio with this now or we well we'll never through with it it He spoke fir g final ml Everything hinges on whether vr love me enough t to o go 10 through w wit y it it it Judith If It you dont don't well we'll call caU i I off ort right now IT ISN'T ONLY US US' Their eyes met for a moment do love you the girl whispered Enough It doesn't seem seem seem- Toby interrupted her Tell Ten me Judith do you love n rr i enough to want to do this for tor u w Its It's for both o of us you know Again she looked at him tears tear we wet wel ing mg in her eyes One o of the tha splashed plashed on her hand Toby she said very softly Fine then well we'll go through wimy wit wi it Ill I'll go to m my lawyer torn and tell him to withdraw my pe pet tion lion and see sec Donnas Donna's lawyer There Then nothing to be afraid of dear G Gt Gc sip sips cant can't hurt our love any It It isn't only us its us-it's its it's mother ai as Rita and what they'll think You said id you loved me roe enough t go through with It he chided I I know I 1 do I wont won't it again I 1 really wont Toby smiled encouragingly Son day well we'll laugh about it She didn't answer She wouldn laugh about it Shed She'd never lau JaU laug about it iL Furtively she wiped h heyes he eyes and her nose Toby slipped into his overcoat Next year ear at this time we won woi be coming into theaters to talk J Jt Jl Well We'll be sitting silting home by a aown nu u own fire he said as they went o ou into the night TOBY TORY IS GAY Next winter wInter but but there were good many bridges to cross betor belor next winter came before they woul be by their own fire Judith reflect as she felt the light touch of snot on her cheeks The divorce Th ma was yet to come This divorce i to fo which she instead of ot Toby Toby- had t bear the brunt of the scandal Y Yc she had been the one who had it Toby had left it up to her As they walked along to the tm car snowflakes peppered the darness dark dar ness soft clinging flakes lakes that se I tied on Judiths Judith's eyelashes a ai an brushed her lips car caressingly Ti Th first snow Last t year at the first sno fall she hadn't met Toby Locke SI Sh hadn't even known he existed SI S much could happen in a a year car SI S terribly much Grateful for fOl the touch of or his ling lingers fir ers on n her arm she tried lo to keep stet with his long stride but didn't su roc suc Toby was whispering Mo Motears Motears Morl tears fell from irom her eyes and mingles with snowflakes on her cheeks cheek The divorce didn't seem to after Toby as it did her She couldn understand it L J To be continued A |
