| Show I TELEGRAM I r BUT S By Katharine Q S Spite t M. M Marriage f r rIa e FICTION O pIe 1 t C Q a g Taylor Haviland-Taylor SYNOPSIS Marsha Moore tells her rector about her problem which is that although al al' although though she is madly in love with Bob Powers now she married him in the first place because she believed Geoffrey Geoffrey frey Tarleton had married another girl and girl and Marsha Marsh l had thought Geoff ithe the ideal mate for tor herself The rector rector rec rec- tor tells her to go on in silence and Marsha does But she feels a slight constraint in Bobs Bob's attitude toward her CHAPTER 19 i Well Wen she had turned over several new pages Marsha thought She he rose he too rose but unwillingly I Ella EIla summons us she's wi wigwagging wigwag wag ging from a window Dinner I sup sup- pose They were both very happy that night at dinner they each remembered remembered later and bitterly The vague storm clouds which had muted other hours did not appear They were as close as they had ever been with a realization now of ot what closeness meant Great dinner you ou dear thing he said and with absurd intensity then Good h heavens havens avens Im I'm happy Ah she realized she loved him loved him And he loved her best when he did not know quite how much she loved him Why did she well weIl inured to the world and its wounding ways expect perfection But she did she cried for it il inside Stories to Tell His eyes note change In her made him say Headache No she assured him You looked a little done in just then Youre You're certain He was almost too gentle with her when he felt sh she suffered in any way It thawed her Ill tell you about It some day she promised some day when you are bored I believe confessions fill gaps admirably Betty Forsythe concocts con concocts the most amazing tales She says her husband sleeps otherwise and that she would rather listen Usten to his shocked than to his syncopated snores Perhaps Ill I'll come to that thaU better not he answered I 1 suppose Im I'm a but I hate that sort of thing Bad enough for tor forman a II aman man to bleat out a lot of ot repentant guff But 11 U a woman has it to bleat And some secret that keeps bothering bothering bother bother- in ing her by bobbing up from well well well- say a tall past like mine He smiled I wonder how many men did care for you he questioned idly Ever count em Heavens when I think Lucky for me you didn't care enough for any anyone one of ot them He reached for a mint and after a nibble com com- Stale he said where did you get them Dont Don't you think they're stale Geoff Pays a Visit Marsha sampled the condemned considered carefully and then said she thought the mints were stale And she looked all the evening as if she had a headache Walking in the pale thin sunlight the next morning Marsha looked up and over the low stone wall A motor which had been purring up the lane had come to a standstill Quiet has its own arresting qualities qualities ties tics often it is more ominous than the loudest din It was the quiet that made Marsha turn in the path and it was Geoffrey Tarleton's quiet that led her to sa say Why Geoff What are arc you doing here He answered with Happened along Wonderful she said in the way she felt to be school girlishly Wont you come in Bob is in the village I believe Well in m such case I might Geoffrey Geoffrey tre frey responded as he raised his brows and smiled I meant hell he'll be sorry to m miss you Oh I see How do I reach your delectable retreat Ladder or airplane airplane air air- plane Oh gates I see sec A bit along isn't it Better park in front she called the tradesmen come rushing around the corner and never seem to think think- The rest of her warning was absorbed in the sound of or changing chang ing gears She frowned as she turned to pace toward the lower end of the garden She wished Geoff had not come Geoff who smiled at her and with his smile made her feel an idiot Geoff who awoke questions in her hen Among them a wonder about whether she wasn't drugged She walked the length of at the path three times and smiled tolerantly over Geoff's method which was to heighten interest with suspense How they understood each other Rather a relief relict that not having to play up She stepped in the shelter of a tiny arbor to light a Her hands were shaking She surveyed her own tremors quizzically and with some scorn She knew what made them Geoff did not Geoff's knowing her so entirely and forcing her old real self upon herself did If It she re rc fleeted Bob knew her and still cared cared- But those things didn't happen except ex cx- perhaps in heaven or in books Geoff Accepts She heard the crunch of ot gravel under un un- un der a leisured step and did not turn Well WeB princess she heard in Geoffrey's bantering tone Well WeIl Geo Geoff How is it going Beautifully God He laughed after he spoke To think that I should live to see this day How v did he do it Really you dont don't want a description tion tion- tion she questioned His eyes es narrowed No he answered answered an nn I Z think I dont Ag Again lin he laughed and this time a sneer was caught and held in the sound To think that I should live Un to see this day Have luncheon with us she asked He bowed with an ironical ness His drawled Charmed carried carried car car- ried ned on the effect he wished to pro pro- duce Marsha pretending she did not notice notice no no- tice Geoffrey's threatening upset spread out her pretty hand palm upward and turned her face to the sky b better she said carelessly care care- lessly I think its it's going to snow Without speaking he toll followed owed her herlo herto herto to lo the house After he Je had gone up the absurd little stairs to brush from himself the traces of at motoring and had in a tiny chintz dc orated bedroom used a military brush that elbowed Marsha's Marsha rose enamel and silver bure bureau u things he made his way down again arain and turned to the living room where a driftwood fire burned brightly brightly Marsha was off oU somewhere Probably Probably Probably ably changing her frock he decided to something a bit more more daring tha than the one she laid away to something that would knock an eye out He sat planning Copyright 1934 by K Haviland Haviland- Taylor |
