Show SERIAL SERIAL- Forever r and Forever Bill Suggests That Faith Begin Lookin Looking ing For Fora a House Housein in Love Lovely IV Spring Valley By By PHYLLIS M. M GALLAGHER CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN TY SEVE Faith and Bill reached New NewYork NewYork NewYork York on November 19 Cabot Rutherford met them at the pier beaming his delight at seeing them He said they were as brown as Indians and as lean as whippets they give you anything to eat down In Bermuda Ber Ber- muda he asked Are Arc they on rations In Hamilton 1 Bill told his father how much walking and swimming and cycling they had done explained that exercise exercise exer exer- cise else was the best method he knew of to remove excess fat Excess fat Cabot Rutherford snorted Well the next time I see you rou I want ou you both to have that excess fat back on your bones bones' As the taxi crawled through traffic Faith wondered what old Cabot Rutherford would say if Jl she suddenly burst out with the truth about their honeymoon She knew he was already cious She could almost see doubt glimmering an and quivering in his mind like a flickering shadow cast by a dark candle He kept looking at her studying his sons son's face At luncheon he finally asked pointblank You two haven't b been n foolish enough chough to quarrel over som something have you 1 I certainly hope not Deny They Thoy Have Been Quarreling Bill was hearty In his denial of that and Faith joined him In It as sincerely and as firmly as she could But she was relieved when luncheon was over and they didn't have to pretend any more Bill and his father went off on ona ona ona a business appointment In Wall WallStreet Wallstreet street and Faith was left free for two hours before m meeting ting Bill at the Pennsylvania Pennsyl station She had been carrying with her herall herall herall all morning a large magazine holding boldine it in her lap guarding arding it zealously Once or twice she had hade seen Hen e n Bill glance at It as if to say the big ides Idea If you lot lost It you could set get another on one for 25 cents cent But Bill did rot not know that inside the pages of the magazine were the carefully typed ah sheets ts of the short story she had written on the boat coming com com- ing ng back bade to New York The ships ship's stenographer had done the typIng typing typing ing for her had said afterward a perfectly swell story Mrs Rutherford Where are your stories stones published Id I'd like to read more of them them and and Faith had been so pleased and excited she had hardly been able to say that she was only a would-be would writer that she hadn't been published published published pub pub- anywhere yet anywhere yet Now Faith walked quickly up Fifth avenue the snow swirling around her like e foam the magazine magazine magazine maga maga- zine rolled carefully under her arm so the pages of the manuscript manuscript manuscript manu manu- script would not get wet When she reached Lare office building she wondered if the famous famous famous fa fa- literary agent would have her tossed out with the message that he wasn't interested in be be- be But saw her almost at once told her hed he'd read the manuscript over the week end that If it had possibilities ties he would offer it to the magazines magazines magazines mag mag- if not hed he'd return it to her He thanked her graciously for coming in and when Faith reached the street happiness and hope were running through her like light Maybe the ships ship's stenographer stenographer stenographer ste ste- had been right maybe It was a good story She had been dabbling with writing ever since she was 16 Maybe Maybe May May- be But she wouldn't let herself think about it too much If this story like all the others was rejected the disappointment would be almost unbearable In Washington Bill directed the taxi to the Shoreham hotel Getting Getting Getting Get Get- ting of off the train Faith had wondered wondered wondered won won- dered if they were going to stay at the Carson and was relieved when she discovered that they w were ere not The memories clinging to the Carson were too fresh fresh fresh- and too painful painful to to look back upon Suggests They Find nd a House HouseAs As Bill was unpacking his hk baItS bags he called out to Faith from his room I think we ought to find finda a house right away Faith Hotel suites and apartments well even the largest of th them m are too small Wed We'd be smack-dab smack up against each other all the time colliding Faith went on silently with her own unpacking carried her black faille facile housecoat to the tM d closet t and hung it upAre up Of Are you listening to me or ora a arent aren't nt you ou Bill shouted What the devil are you OU so 50 quiet about In there 1 I said we ought to get geta a noose house Right away A big h house use She was crossing to her Mr trunk when DID Bill came and stood in the doorway that joined their two bedrooms She said quietly Any special place you'd Oud like Uke me to look tomorrow Spring Valley is Ix beautiful Do you ou think you'd like Spring Valley Vaney The houses are very ery large Iare We wouldn't bump Into each other other other-at at all We wouldn't even have have to to see each other Spring Valley sounds perfect he said and turned and went back into his room A little later she heard his light snap off heard the hall door of his room open and close the sound of his feet muffled by the thickly carpeted hall Faith went over to the window and stood looking down on the crescent driveway of the hotel on the taxis that were covered with snow like white clouds It was still snowing hard and she saw Bill go out the front door turn up his coat collar and step Into the cab that the uniformed uniformed uni uniformed uni- uni formed doorman signaled She had no Idea where he was going or when he was coming back back back- and it came to her with a little pang that shed she'd have no right to question him when he did return Presently Faith dressed gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered up the presents she had bought her family in Bermuda and hurried out of the lonely hotel suite She was Impatient to see her family again and they were vere she found with delight as she tiptoed quietly through the front door into the warm comfortable comfortable comfortable com com- house all there before the grate fire Her father and Terry were reading the comics Penny w was as curled up on the sofa with a movie magazine her mother was sewing by the light of a bridge lamp and Nubby Bills Bill's cocker spaniel was asleep on the hearth Penny looked up and saw Faith standing in the hall She sprang off the sofa with a yell yell and and then the whole Continued on Ui the Following Pare Pace FOREVER and Forever Forever Continued from Pr Preceding Page family was on her laughing chattering hugging and kissing as if she had been gone for years instead of six weeks Nubby went crazy He rolled over and over he licked Faiths Faith's suede shoes he barked wildly Despite her unhappiness unhappiness un- un happiness layers of de and excitement fluffed and billowed Inside of her and family life beat against her ears with a beloved familiarity Penny pranced around swinging the yards of black silk which Faith had brought her Terry and Mr Carter Carter Carter Car Car- ter admired their leather wallets Mrs Carter carefully unfolded the exquisite lace tablecloth and draped it over the sofa for all of them to see and admire Mrs Carsons Carson's Good Spirit Helps Faith For For- Forone one moment Faith wondered wondered wondered won won- dered how their faces would look if they knew she had bought all these things with a part of the 50 her father had given her before her wedding Then she pushed it out of her mind for Mrs Carter was fondling the tablecloth saying Why its it's just like Christmas You should have kept these presents and given them to us on Christmas Faith and and they were all laughing at her Mrs Carter was a fool for Christmas and they all knew it and loved her for it From the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas day she went through the holiday season with such joyous joyous joyous joy joy- ous good humor that they were all swept along with her into that world of superlatives and delight Faith found herself laughing as ashard ashard ashard hard as the others and was al almost almost almost al- al most happy The feeling dimmed a little when little when they all wanted to know where Bill was Oh doctors Faith said airily I 1 guess Im I'm being initiated as a doctors doctor's wife on the very first night back With relief she saw that their expressions did not change They believed her they her they believed her completely She had put it over and it came to her with a little aching pang that this was the first time in her life she had deliberately deceived her family about anything The next morning Bill was up and gone before beCore Faith awakened She did not know what time he had returned last night nor what time lime he had gone out this morn morn- ing She had her break breakfast last alone served in her room After she had dressed she telephoned Mrs Leeds at the Carson Faith In the flesh Faith said laughing Darling what's the news How are you Hows How's Betsy Fine Fine And then excitedly excitedly excitedly ex ex- Faith hold on tight H Have ve you got a good grip on the telephone Well Well here here It Is then Betsy's married married Pierre Le- Le meuse No Rodney Caldwell You remember how Betsy and Rod hit it off during the wedding festivities Well Rod went back to Boston and telephoned every hour on the hour hour or or so 80 it seemed He spent the last week weekend weekend weekend end with us WI and on Saturday afternoon he and Betsy and I drove out to Rockville and were married I mean he and Betsy were They're off oIl to Florida now on a honeymoon Isn't it romantic Oh yes Faith said excitedly Mrs Irs Leeds said And now about you Faith of course you had a glorious time on your honeymoon honeymoon honeymoon hon hon- Yes Of Ot course A glorious time We went to Bermuda you know No I didn't know But Bermudas Bermuda's Bermudas Bermuda's Bermudas Bermuda's Ber Ber- muda's a perfect place for a honeymoon You'll never forget It Faith I No said Faith quietly Ill never forget it Never And then rapidly Any other exciting exciting exciting ex ex- citing news Or has Washington Washing Washing- ton just gone along in its usual sleepy town small-town way Oh not much has happened Mrs Leeds said Let me see oh yes Marcia Stockbridge is in Reno I 1 heard heard but but I 1 dont don't know how much truth there is in it that it-that that she plans to marry Harry Harry Harry Har Har- ry when she's free You remember the day he came in and asked to be put on my list He was wearing that Frosty Bites ensemble Yes I remember I 1 dont don't know what has be become become become be- be come of Tony Mrs Leeds wint w mt nt on Betsy said he was fired from his position in the R. R F F. C. C the third day after he started He must have been badly upset when Admiral Baxters Baxter's relatives went to court over his will If It Tony ever gets his inheritance it certainly wont won't be much after all the court charges lawyers' lawyers fees and what have you Faith tried to divert Mrs Leeds but she went right on You heard about Roger didn't you No Well hes he's Right after your wedding wedding wedding wed wed- ding he packed up bag and baggage baggage baggage bag bag- gage and went off Faith hows how's Bill Fine Wonderful Were We're looking for a house in Spring Valley Have you ou any suggestions suggestions suggestions Know of any vacant ones Big ones We want to rent a house house furnished furnished of course course for for fora a while She swallowed hard Before Before we we buy anything Mrs Leeds knew of a house in Spring Valley The appointment was made for 3 o'clock and Faith went out in a cab The house was an enormous gray graystone graystone graystone stone with a comfortable homelike homelike homelike home home- like quality A pair of ot evergreens evergreens evergreens ever ever- greens stood beside the white door and Faith stood staring at atthe atthe atthe the trees visualizing them as they might look at Christmas Saw them studded with colored lights and topped each one with witha a winking star The front door was wide enough to hold a giant- giant sized wreath wreath dark dark and glossy pricked with lights standing out beautifully against the white paint It would all be as pretty as a Christmas card she thought excitedly and then remembering remembering remembering bering everything her spirits drooped Christmas in this house with things as they were between Bill and herself was going to be bea a nightmare She rang the bell winking her lashes nervously against the tears A Filipino in a starched white coat stood there Mrs Leeds sent me to see the house Faith said and stepped inside Im Im Mrs Rutherford Continued Friday |