Show Telegram Fiction I LOVELY LITTLE FOOL By Bv Phyllis Moore Gallacher WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE Betsy Seymour a a. beautiful young government clerk madly in love with Marshall Van Devanter Devanter De- De had been his guest at a yachting party on the beautiful Potomac This Thu was wa a gala affair for the rich and rich near the tho social elite eUte and climbers Betsy suffers Butter her first pangs of oC- fear and jealousy because of Marshall's Marshalls Marshalls Marshall's Marshalls Marshall's Mar Mar- shall's open attentions to Libby Stockton spoiled daughter of ot an anold anold old and wealthy Washington fam fam- ily She meets Raoul de Pruden- Pruden tio at the embassy of ot a Latin-American Latin country who is immediately attracted by her beauty She a also 0 mets John Storm a Boston youth In the capital cap hal ital studying law and who is 13 to play an important part in her life Ufe from that moment The n next d day y Betsy is surprised when John appears appear at the thedoor door of ot her home It develops that thal he has rented a a. room there not knowing that it was her home I CHAPTER PTER TWO I Johns John's coat was tan camels camel's hair hall and the collar was turned up snug I around his bronzed throat He was smiling an awkward shy smile and andas as he took off his hu hat a 0 lock of yellow yellow yel- yel low ow hair fell feU over his hu forehead Betsy stood looking at him for a eo moment Last night on the Kingston's Kingston's King King- I ston's stans yacht she sho hadn't really noticed no- no iced John Her stricken eyes had been too full of a petunia satin shadows leaning together up at the bow ow of the boat Now she saw that his its eyes yes were very gray and friendly friend friend- ly Iy y and she had a strange Irrelevant irrelevant irrelevant vant feeling that he would never say cruel harsh words She liked his ils mouth Im HIm John Storm he said You dont don't remember me do you Oh indeed I do she said ald color flooding her chee cheeks Im just too too surprised to speak And then Youre e not by any remote chance our new roomer are y you u 7 Sh She was looking at the big suitcases on the top step Third floor front front he s a said a I d grinning To quote a banal and threadbare precept The world Is b certainly one small place He brought In the two suitcases r big walrus bags plastered with gay ay little foreign stickers and lumbered up the steps with them Betsy watched him until he disappeared disappeared disappeared around the Then she stood as u if It transfixed listening to his tread on the second flight At last she took a soft breath and turned to her mother who had come out into the hall from the dining room Mother softly Mother softly so John Storm couldn't hear I met him lost last night nighton on the cruise Isn't that funn funny He told me my voice was like silverbelL silver sliver bells belL All AH Serene SereneA A As Betsy bathed and dressed for tor Jennie Jennic Travers Travers' dinner party she could hear John moving about in his hla room above here She was wu going to like Uke him up there she thought The movement of his feet on the bare floor was friendly I I as friendly as us hi his gray eyes eyu and his awkward rather shy smile Johns John's arrival had made her forget some of ot her troubles yet when she lifted the white taffeta dress from the closet clout and took it ot off the wire hanger hang hang- er she he paled visibly Shed She'd never like that dress again It brought back too poignantly the thing that hurt her most the bright swirl of ot a petunia satin aUn Marshall and Libby She put the dress on bec because use she had nothing else she he could wear to a formal dinner but she didn't pirouette before be- be ore fore the mirror in it She kept saying saying say- say ing ng over and over avoiding her re reflection reflection re- re I r shouldn't blame the dres It is a nice dress And she tried hard to like it because mothers mother's stitches were vere ere on the halter neck and mothers mother's tired hands had carefully carefully carefully care care- fully pressed the billowing skirt skirl Later when she heard Terry open the he front door and Marshalls Marshall's voice saying Hello Terry How're you Mrs Seymour Semour she floated like a soft breeze down the tho creaking old stal stairs rs Lovely lovely Marshall said as asif asit it if f he ho had never before seen the white taffeta His voice seemed very big yet soft and tender Perhaps that was vas because she stood so 80 close to him Oh everything was all right after all aU Marshal hadn't changed The realization of this made relief and happiness sparkle in her eyes dance on the highlights of her gold- gold end hair dimple the tho corners of ot her mouth Even Terry scowling at the front door obviously disliking Marshall Marshall Marshall Mar Mar- shall and being rude enough to show It t didn't rob her of this recaptured C ecstasy Betsy flung a wisp of a velvet jacket over her shoulders blew her family a night good-night kiss lingering lin Un gering a little on fathers father's kiss kIas and took Marshalls Marshall's arm They hurrIed hurried hur hur- ried ned down the three white steps and across tho the ancient brick walk to the car Libby Stockton wrapped cozily in her white ermine evening cape turned languidly on the tho front seat to greet them Bets Betsy didn't see her herat herat herat at first She didn't actually believe that Libby was there not until Marshall opened the rear door and helped her into the lonely back seat and Libby said in her husky cultivated cultivated cul cul- cu- cu drawl He Hello It 0 there Betsy darling Then Marshall w wen went e n t around and slid under the steering wheel next to Libby next to Libby And in Betsy's heart somehow somehow somehow some some- how cold and lost in a dark deep place where tears seemed to be falling fallIng falling fall fall- ing a part of her youth died Jennies Jennie's house was ready for the party part flowers tilled filled the amber glass cornucopias the Limoges vases the crystal bowls the tho old silver champagne buckets buckels on the hearth The gentle scrape crape of ot violin strings and the tinkle of steel guitars edged the laughter of ot young oung voices There was a pleasant bustle colored waiters waiters wallers wait wall ers in the dining room a butler servIng serving ing lag cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in inthe inthe the drawing room serving Raoul de Lee Travers Travers Jennies Jennie's red headed brothers who looked for all the world like her sleek hen sleek navy 1 officers and legation attaches Girls in saUna satins and laces and chiffons whose faces smiled daily from society so so- so-I so dely clety pages and rotogravures sprinkled sprinkled sprin sprin- kled the mauve room like spring flowers As M Betsy came through the door following in Libby's wake she saw sawall I IaU aU all this panoply of ol color through a I troubled blur Jennie Swinging a I little tittle tall fish-tall train of gold lame II behind here greeted them Her red redhair redhair hair flamed under the chandelier prisms her gray eyes were cordial Raoul CherIo Cheerio Betsy's white tate taffeta skirt rustled like autumn leaves in a light wind windas as s she hurried up the stairs to Jennies Jennie's Jennies Jennie's Jen Jen- nies nie's room She did things to her hair her nose looked long at her wretched little face toce Oh how could Marshal have hac done this to her Made her ride alone while he laughed and talked with Libby and looked not once toward the rear seat not even in the vision rear-vision mirror What was happening to them When she came back down the winding stairs Raoul was wa waiting at the foot for herI herI her erI er I thought you'd never come Betsy he ho said and kissed her finger finger fin tin ger gel tips Ive worn out the die toe too of ot my shoe tapping it with tience Betsy saw the other girls watchIng watching watching watch watch- ing her now Saw them raise rabe their brows discreetly and exchange wry glances unpleasant glances Raoul was a man of the world as handsome as a god He belonged to tb their set and yet he ho had left them all to talk with a girl who didn't belong a girl who was being thrust upon them by Marshall Van De- De Oh she could see what they thought But it didn't matter Nothing mattered for there was Marshall leaning against the old rosewood secretary in the drawing room clicking fragile cocktail glosses glasses with Libby toasting her with his eyes It if not his lips And there was Libby In ice blue satin trimmed with mink looking up at him from beneath her long dark lashes Jennie came over to Betsy and slipped sUpped an affectionate arm around her slim sUm waist Im so glad you could come Betsy she said her eyes gentle You met everyone on the yacht last night didn't you Betsy said shyly I 1 think so just about every everyone one anyway Jennie perched her head a little littleto to one side Were Vere going to be befriends befriends befriends friends Bets Betsy Seymour Do you feel leel that too Leech Betsy did feel teel it She had felt It last night on the ruise cruise when Jennie Jennie Jennie Jen Jen- nie had smiled at her her her head a bright friendly flash in that cold Indifferent gathering Betsy was to learn later that Jennie Jennie Jennie Jen Jen- nie Travers was famous for her Now when she turned to Raoul and said sharply I thought you Spanish cavaliers reserved your ll kissing hand for tor married ladles ladies v Raoul Raoui How Is It I find you kissing Betsy's hand 1 and Raoul answered evenly Sometimes it Is a tribute to beauty Jennie Betsy found herself herself herselt her her- self uneasy and ald embarrassed Well if I were you said Jennie looking straight into his eyes I would control myself You might put Betsy in the wrong light I Raoul's fact darkened but he said sald lightly Please Jennie Spare me Ive I've been told the tip of your ton tongue ue is as sharp as a dagger point Tonight Tonight Tonight To To- night is the first tint have been pricked by it Pricked 7 repeated e Jennie I Iam Iam Iam am slipping Dinner was wa announced and they all filed tiled into the long dining room where the soft flames of the tho candelabra candelabra candelabra can can- delabra pulsed over the white damask damask damask dam dam- ask the glittering silver and crystal crystal crystal crys crys- tal goblets the gardenias clustered on flat fiat mirrors Bets Betsy waited on breathless second second second sec sec- ond for Marshall Marahall to come to her but there was Libby on his arm again and there was Raoul bowing I before her and tucking her fingers through his arm How could Marshall Marshall Mar Mar- Mar Mar-I shall treat her this way How could she walk Into that dining room conversing with an air of sprightlIness just as if her breathIng breathing breathing breath breath- ing wasn't as difficult as WI inhaling threads of wool Oh it was hard enough to be in this strange house housein in the midst of ot all these frigidly courteous girls without Marshall treating her cruelly Marshalls Marshall's was next to He was standing there smiling when she came around to her chair He bent over to her whispered softly his eyes whimsically whimsically whimsically cally tender Darling save me from this woman woman wom worn an Dont Don't stand off oft flirting with Raoul I tell you ou Libby's a I le leech ch He drew out her chair and his fingers swept lightly across her bare shoulders The brief contact made Betsy's heart beat Intolerably Just that touch just hl his voice which seemed to pour over her vibrating through her very bones had changed everything Swe Sweetness flowed back hack Into her and her eyes became washed with a misty hope And how does docs a girl go about abou saving a young man from a leech 1 she asked tremulously Shall I offer to split a can of leech exterminator exterminator exterminator ex ex- ex- ex terminator with ith her her or or maybe mabe you'd resent that thaU He was wag sitting next to her now his lashed brown-lashed eyes looking into hers his lips over white teeth y Say dont don't tell mo rae youve you've been thinking that Libby and I I. I His voice gave her that divinely horrible sinking feeling Oh no no-no no no she said quickly She had been a fool of ot course A blind stupid silly little fool foot Could not Marshall look at another girl gir without her thinking wild crazy things Was Vas she going to be bo Ilk like this all aU her life lite suspicious afraid making Marshall Marshal unhappy making herself miserable To Bo Be Continued Wednesday Copyright for The Telegram |