Show Men at Her Feet Feet- I 0 By ROB EDEN CHAPTER 31 There had to be explanations about th the he ring Hard ones to make To Carol Vicki told the truth To the girls at the shop she tried to make the loss of it a 1 light matter All over Attempting a smile as asIf asIt J If It It Jt didn't matter in jn the least to her whether hether she had the ring rine or not AsIt Asif As As' Asif if It her engagement had been one of those ephemeral fleeting episodes that come Into ever every girls girl's life As if the ring hadn't been cn binding anyway Nothing Just just a ring nothing more behind it and nothing ahead Gw Gwen n glanced at her sharply after alter the flippant excuse So the chapters chapter's Closed eh eb s I She couldn't meet Gwen's eyes then soshe nodded her head bent over the appointment book Gwen sighed ro and I II i Too bad Rays Ray's so decent I thought bought everything would come com out ight fight It'll be a long time before you ou meet anyone again like him him if if you ou ever vcr ever do And now it'll be clear sailing for r. o-r. Janice Keable Nothing to stop stopher her Shell She'll slide right into your place place place- t She had alread already Vicki thought bitterly bitterly bit bit- terly i t Gwen went vent on fM IM SORRY For theres there's such a thing as snatchIng snatch snatch- i Ing ng a man on the rebound Easy to todo todo if jf ou ciu know knos' how and andt do you know you 1 t think Janice will know how A lot lotof df of f marriages are made that way way way-on on the rebound Some of cm come out and some of em cm dont My sis sis- te ter married that way and she hasn't regretted it yet Gee Im I'm sorry VIckI I like you both so so much much and and if either of you had bad an any sense this wouldn't have hap hap- happened I 1 told you months month ago you ou were skating on pretty thin ice but you didn't pay any attention to me Thought I was joking I guess guess Well I wasn't I knew what I was talking about What arc are you ou going to do donow donow donow now now Do now 1 Yen Yeh without Ra Ray Only two paths open for you One Is to forget him and the theother other Is to try to get him back that back that is if SI you care enough for h. h him I I 1 hadn't thought abo about t it it Of Another An other ether lie because Vicki had done nothing noth noth- lag ing else I No Hes He's worth trying to get back If you ask me mc I I- I wouldn't let a guy gur like Ray get away from me rae as easily as you OU let him get away from you ouId ou Id I'd make a 1 fight to get him back Vicki carefully traced through a name on th the books that was already plain enough The fingers that held th the pencil were not so steady And if he doesn't want to come back If It he doesn't doesn't- want to come back that's another matter Youve You've only one ene way ahead But you cant can't be sure can you Im sure Im sure I gave him his ring b because be cause he wanted it Gwen The pencil pen ell cil made some more elaborate tracings trac trac- ings Was that what Gwen wanted to know Vicki felt better af after r that hough Gwen knew the truth jusas just jus justas as Carol knew it And she could trust Gwen to say nothing about the truth the She same as she could trust Carol minute min mm- Oh was all Gwen said for a ute or so It was early and there were few ew people in the shop 4 If that's the case ase I think Id I'd try to let jet him back Theres such a thing as pride you know know- VickI frowned Pride Say darling theres there's no such thing as pride where love is con con- Not for me anyway Do you think I considered my pride when I was married to Bill Frederick I didn't know what pride was was and and if I had any It lt was dragging in jn the dust and I had forgotten all about it with Vicki Pride doesn't go love not u-not not the kind of ot love I know I haven't any pride yet where Bill Is concerned If It he came back to me to to- morrow Id I'd forget the wre wretched hed year I had w with th him Id I'd forget the divorce and r-and and Id I'd go back to him and suffer I all til over again I If hed he'd come back but he wont won't of oti course He never has That's what Id I'd do because do-because because I know myse myself through and through like a book I Every word by heart You think Im I'm hard as stone Everybody does because be c cause Ive I've got to put up sort of ot a front to forget a lot of things But Im I'm not hard pard underneath Vicki Vicki Vicki-I'm Im I'm soft as Jelly eUy 1 Scott Jameson noticed d that night the ring was missing WHAT'S THE TUE MATTER 1 Lose it he asked a jubilant note in his in-his his voice T VickI said she hadn't lost it ft and tried to change the subject She was wa-s weary of discussion about the absence c of the ring Give it back j t Why had she she gone gone out with Scott anyway She hadn't wanted to especially especially espe- espe espe daily but when he had phoned and she he thought of the whole evening lone alone with Carol and John John John-John John being beng be be- ing ng so thoughtful a and d considerate Carol trying to cheer her up she up-she she said ald she might like lUte to take a ride Carol and John meant well wen but their obvious concern didn't help any any- even If they intended it to help Yes I gave it back Good I Ive I've been waiting for tor this for tor a long time It puts me rae In the running The ring always held me mc back before sort before of f a barrier between be tween us s that I couldn't get over You wouldn't ever let me forget It you remember What's the matter For Forshe Forshe she was frowning Well Vell I dont don't feel exactly hilarious maybe you'd oud better take me home She was was' tir tired of ot riding already as she had tired of the apartment a few minutes after dinner Even the afternoon afternoon after after- noon at the shop had seemed w wean wearisome some before beCore 6 o'clock came busy as it had been CHEER UP Ive no intention lon of ot taking you home Vicki Weve We've got a lot to talk over tonight tonIght that that Is if jf your engagement engage ment is really broken It is is- is dull dully Well VelI then we can get down to business You say youre you're not feeling exactly hilarious I saw that of course the minute you ou got into the car What you ou need Vicki is lq a 1 little cheering up How about it Im not in the mood mood mood- forgotten him yet yel Vicki looked at the long road ahead Where the headlights hit the concrete it was yellow and beyond ond it was black and straight No and I probably ably wont won't forget him for some Ume- Ume Lime Too bad youre you're taking it so hard m my dear Personally Im I'm delighted that youre you're not wearing the ring any longer but longer but I cant can't expect you jou ou to be thrilled about it yet ct Want to forget him liim Scott took some of the pressure off the gas and then slowed ved down Tell Ten me me me- for she didn't answer answer- do you want to forget him I i 1 don't dont know what I want to do I would like to have some ome peace again though If forgetting Ray would give her ier peace then she wanted to forget him If it didn't Great What about taking some lessons from me Lessons in forget forget- ting A complete course with a written written written writ writ- ten guarantee that at the end of a month you'll be yourself again and this Ray Lawrence will be out of your life JiCe NO BLUES Foolish Vicki had to smile No Im I'm serious Really Ill I'll be a good professor professor and and there wont won't be books Quizzes every week and one examination at the end to see sec how howell wen well ell youve you've passed the course My Myown Myown Myown own idea because Ive I've never heard of ofa a complete course like that No tuition tuition tui tui- tui- tui tion no matriculation fees lees no books to to buy and no paper aper for the examination examination examina- examina tion ion because its to be oral Lessons to be every night starting at Classroom right here in the car with laboratory work at Hugos Hugo's and the Golden Slipper and night clubs in gen gen- eral oraL Perhaps a theater once a week if f theres there's a show the professor proCessor thinks you should see ee for the good goad of ot your our souL The course wont won't be hard hard no no lectures except to start each evening and explain the laboratory work to tobe tobe be DC done later Nothing to remember except that youre you're going to have a good time time and and I am too How does that hat sound It sounds good Scott Scott but but Id I'd rather rath rath- er en not Why not I told you OU Id I'd guarantee guarantee guaran- guaran tee ee that in a month you'd be fee feeling ng heart great heart action back to normal No blues Blood pressure 0 O. O K We can start tonight tonight and and well we'll call the evening so far br sort of a pr preliminary sales talk on the course Maybe Ill I'll copyright the course eventually SAY YOU'LL TRY Stilt Still Vicki didn't respond as M he wanted her to Then i if you dont don't want the whole course what about a trial for lor a week to to see how youre you're going to like it The professor is more than willing However he recommends the entire course because without It he cant can't give the written guarantee Id be such rotten company I Scott Scott Scott- She was weakening i that what the course is for I To chase awa away your blues And what do I care if you ou are rotten company at first I can stand t t. Im I'm tickled to death to be with you Of Ot course Im I'm going to todo do my best to make you fall in love with me but me-but but I cant can't do that until youre you're completely cured Wouldn't attempt it in your condition A go Say you OU will Vicki Say Say you'll try Well Ill I'll try it for a we week week- k It was as good a method as s any Vicki decided And she couldn't sit at home and mope If she went fast last enough Ray wouldn't be so lO close There wouldn't be so much time to think about him Scott would keep her amused Already his scheme was appealing ap ap- appealing pea pealing ng to her Fine and Ill I'll wager that after the first week you'll be so delighted with the course that you'll take it for the entire month And well we'll start tonight to to- night Tonight was as s good a time as any So started on Scotts Scott's forgetting forget forgetting ting course that evening To be continued |