Show I Men at Her HerL Feet r I L V y B By ROB ED EDEN N 4 1 I CHAPTER THIRTY Of course Im I'm telling you the truth Vicki exclaimed t for r the third time in five minutes Why wouldn't he believe her Carol had been right She shouldn't have worn the watch tonight If It she hadn't worn it it Ray wouldn't be bc sitting there beside her his eyes on her wrist and his lips telling her coldly that he didn't believe Mrs Richards had given her herthe herthe herthe the watch I dont don't believe belle it came his deliberate deliberate de de- de liberate quiet reply Too quiet quilt too deliberate You think think- think think-It she began but bul Ray interrupted her in the same even chilly tone Yes I think Jameson gave it to you if you want to know Why should hould I think anything else else else- after youve you've gone out with him so much Im I'm not a dunce Vicki Ive I've got eyes too like you ou have Quarreling about the watch when she had been so proud a of it an hour ago Ray Ive I've never lied to you before Why should you think Im I'm lying now now I dont don't know whether youve you've ever lied to me before Vicki But I know I C dont don't trust you any more He left lert the couch and walked to the other end nd of ot the room his hands jammed in his coat pockets ASK THEM If U 11 you wish you can take lake the watch to Creelman's and ask them who bought it Jt for tor mel met Vicki couldn't think of anything else to say She pulled her sleeve over the gleaming thing so she wouldn't see it any more and Ray wouldn't see it thinking wearily as she did it that it had taken Ray a long time to notice the watch Half an hour since he had come She thought he was never going to mention it Ray started to pace the floor from the bookcase to the window and back again He walked swiftly and turned sharply at the corners No Vicki It isn't only the watch Its It's everything Its It's been piling up and piling up for a couple of months only yonly Ive I've been too blind to see t it t until until un un- til lii recently Too blind to see what That you dont don't care for me any morel That I 1 dont don't care she echoed softly Yes that thal you dont don't care and that tha you never cared in the beginning enough to marry me I 1 thought though you did and perhaps you thought 3 you ou did at first firstI first first- I WAS A FOOL When she cared more than ever he was saying that When she he could couk not riot sleep at night worrying about him about Janice and about the muddle mud dle dIe of things as they were He was the one who didn't care That was it He didn't see her white face anc and the flutter of her hands as she clasped them together tightly He had paused at the window and pulling back the curtain looked out ut in the darkness Only for a moment though then he resumed his pacing his head bent down I 1 was a fool tool to consent to your scheme I knew that at the time bu buI but butI I 1 thought because I couldn't have you any other way I 1 had to consent And then you met Jameson you Jameson-you yoi never would have met him if I had hat put my foot down at nt the start as I ought to have done And then we started slipping apart and wee were getting getting get get- ting farther and farther apart all al the time You see that Vicki as well as asI asI I 1 do GROWING APART Yes she saw that and the thought of it was a dagger poised over her heart Ever since the house party the they had been growing II apart At first she didn't realize it She wouldn't let herself realize it it H. But It wasn't she who was pulling away away it it was Ray It was he who had hac changed not she He who had stopped caring If we could pick up the threads thread the old threads things might be different different dif dif- ferent Ray continued harshly but butI I dont don't see how we can They'd be hard to find those threads end and nd I dont don't think you want to look for them It was he who didn't want to t look for 01 them She put her hands to her mouth so she wouldn't speak so she couldn't speak The pressure of ncr ner cold fingers bruised her lips Something Something Something Some Some- thing was wa-s beating in m her head hammer ham- ham mer e like In the silence that followed Rays Ray's last words she could almost hear the blows She had been expecting this but she didn't think it would come s so sosoon o soon Ray would be telling her soon he hc was In iii love with Janice Keable SHALL WE STOP What do you oU think Do you want to go on or shall we stop slop here while we arent aren't so bitter And shall we call the last couple of months an art unfortunate unfortunate un un- un- un fortunate and try to 0 forget forget forget for for- get it Vicki caught her breath and tried to speak naturally What do you want to do Why was she asking that when she knew what he hc w wanted to do He wanted to stop stop herc hercHe He wanted to have Janice Hadn't he told her when he said they could taU tall the last couple of months an unfortunate experience She put one hand to her head to try to stop the pounding but it did no good She could hardly hear his answer for foi you jou ou to say say say- Ray all aU over Leaving the t th to her the answer r to her was too gentlemanly to himself Well she knew what sun hT hr he her to say and shed she'd The words wouldn't come for forand forand a and when they did come her didn't sound natural It w was lo low 2 hoarse If you want to W stop P her Its It's all right with me t OFF OUR MINDS tf All right with her Alt All JL J Everything topsy Her V vt her life She thou thought ht for a that she he was going to cry Tf There a rush of at tears to her eyes but t didn't fall and she wa was gia glad i didn't want to cry now now now- now now-f of all 11 when Ray flay was standing lo 1 he her J herThen Then that's settled hemd a while We ought to feel leel that its it's off our minds Off Oct his mind he meant si Why he including her in m everything I i this we that when it should i been I 1 this and I 1 that T She heard herself hersel speaking anai that tha t strange hoarse voice Y vJ want your ring back back back- 4 No Vicki I want you to keep bep ep fe Its It's yours Emphatically i Tugging at the ring to get it cAt c cAt e At first it wouldn't come bw she was so nervous Th Then it l shining thing in the palm o of of i h hand band No I couldn't keep it Keep ll-Keep nOt it-nOt nn Keep his ring after this W Wear War when Ray didn't love her any aon FORGET ME How she found strength to wm lu th the couch and walk up to him himi never knew But she ahe did andi handed him im the ring and he toc took tock and twisted it in his fingers 3 Id rather you kept it Please Then its it's over overt j Why didn't he go if it was wai ore Why did he stand staring at ht Ho He had what he wanted didn't i t He was free and she he was free i t that was that 1 i Its over over over- over over-It she repeated o 0 and after tonight Ray would b boC be beof t of oC her life me and into Janice's T dream had been true after allhouse all T house was to be Janice's And Jn would be with Ray Ray walked to the hall hail where 1 I hat was lying on the table and i followed him from habit and ate to standing while he opened th the dc de slowly lowly forget me Vicki and forget you in you in t time me I mean forget torget the these e past few some day well we'll mec meet again and iv we der how we wc ever made such fools ourselves ourselves' He looked at her as aJ spoke and she nodded mechanical ical Good bye I J JIrs ITS IT'S ALL OVER He held out his hand but bu though she saw it and nd knew knew- i s should take it it she couldn't ev evl when she he tried She couldn't meShe moShe mo no She could only stand her teeth teething Ilag b I bing ing lag into her lower lip and that thaI ME film of tears her Si over o eyes seemed surprised surprised-at at least ea bi y ha 11 seemed surprised and alter after r a m in merit ment he went out the thc door and Si heard it close softly after him bin Then from front the living room roots v. v dow later she saw him get into 1 car and the car speed away Ev ETI from where she was on the third Co no with the window only open a era she heard the gears clash as th meshed together She was glad that Carol and Jo ld weren't home If she had to f fc them now she didn't know what i s would do It W was vas IS only nine odo but she undressed put putout out the li lu luand and crawled into bed quickly so 4 they did come home she woul have to see them t Under the covers she felt for 1 t third finger of ot her left leU hand SUm Strain empty No ring Long after her brother and law in-law came home and went to tx b she lay staring at the ceiling U kept getting lighter and lighter w- w f the dawn trying to make herself 1 I lieve lic that that everything e was over 1 I tween Ray and herself It was was b hi hito to believe like believe like a problem in try that wouldn't solve itself b the hypothesis was wrong j Over Oven Done with 1 In the morning when Carol call caL her and she awakened she look for forthe the ring Rays Ray's ring It still w gone sone In the glaring light of t morn inn it was easier to believe To Be Continued |