Show SERIAL Forever and Forever Terry Is Now Up After His Illness 1 By PHYLLIS M. M GALLAGHER CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Terry was about again in two weeks He was magnificently strong and he tossed off of his con con- He had a scar across his forehead and he was thin thin thin- terribly pathetically thin But that was all Faith wasn't certain certain certain tain but she believed Bill Rutherford Rutherford Rutherford Ruth Ruth- erford had been out to The Starlight Starlight Starlight Star Star- light had t talked with Joe Spinelli Spi- Spi nelli He did not say that he had but at the station the day Nella left for New York to to- sail for Cuba she had overheard Bill telling Nella that she didn't have havea a thing to worry about now Not Nota a thing Bill had said confident confident- ly Not a thing Keep your chin up Nella These were difficult days for Faith She went through them painfully almost incapable of thought or speech and fortunately fortunately fortunately fortu fortu- a any n y outward show of grief Once or twice her mother noticed her drooping and dragging dragging dragging drag drag- ging about noticed her la lack k of appetite Are you feeling ill Faith she asked And Faith said swiftly Not at all I 1 feel perfectly all right Im I'm just a little tired Theres There's been so much to do on the Stockbridge wedding wedding wedding wed wed- ding reception you know That and and all the other parties piling up at the office Reception Morning Finally Comes And now It was the morning of the reception The family was at breakfast when Faith came down Terry had the morning paper in m front of him balanced against his water tumbler He was reading reading reading read read- ing the comics Dick Tracy sure Is in a mess Terry said Bill said Yes isn't he Hes He's got me worried this time Think hell he'll get out of that jam O. O K Of course he will Penny said seriously He always does doesn't he Hurry up Terry will you I 1 want to read Jane Arden The radio announcer who had been telling Washington at breakfast that the best fur coats in the city could be purchased on an easy payment plan pan and stored free of charge until winter winter win win- ter went off of the air and recordings recordings recordings record record- ings of Benny Goodmans Goodman's orchestra orchestra orchestra orches orches- tra came on Penny began to waggle her forefinger wall wail her eyes Boy is that guy in the groove breathed Penny Boy if he doesn't do things to us old rug-cutters rug Mr Carter looking up from the legal notices in the paper grinned and Mrs Carter com com- ing in from the kitchen with Faiths Faith's cereal said Penny For heavens heaven's sake No wonder you never gain any weight Cant Can't Cantu you u even sit still when youre you're eating She put the cereal in front of Faith and told her to eat every bit of it And dont don't tell me its it's too hot to eat she said firmly Its a lovely cool day Its It's a perfectly gorgeous day I dont don't like you running off to the office with nothing in your stomach but orange juice and coffee She turned to Bill no breakfast breakfast breakfast break break- fast for a working girl is it Decidedly not not agreed Bill with a professional air Young lady dont don't you know breakfast is the most important meal of the day Oh stop trying to make me eat when Im I'm not hungry said Faith with an unusual touch of impatience Bill put his napkin beside his plate and got up Im in rather a hurry he said I have two operations this morning but if you dont don't take more than fifteen minutes to eat that cereal I can give you a lift to your office if you'd like Faith Im not nat going to ta take five minutes Faith said gulping her coffee And Id I'd be grateful for fora a lift The buses are so darned crowded at this hour I 1 think everyone in Washington has a job Terry said grimly Oh yeah Well the statistics dont don't agree with you young lady Theres There's a alot alot alot lot of unemployment in the dis dis- dis- dis Too much Count your blessings pet and be off with you u. u In Bills Bill's car driving downtown Faith was silent How could she get through this day she won won- dered How could she possibly endure it Tony and Marcia Shed She'd have to face it somehow Shed She'd have to be at the Stock- Stock bridges' bridges around three check the caterers the florists look over overall overall overall all the last minute details Then shed she'd have to hurry home and dress and go back to the reception reception reception recep recep- tion as a guest And shed she'd have to tobe tobe tobe be so careful Congratulating Tony Wishing Marcia happiness Doing it with such heartiness that no insincere ring would edge her voice At thirty four-thirty everything was in readiness for the reception and Faith put her hat on with relief She had been afraid for forthe forthe forthe the last hour and a half that she might run into Tony might see him with no one around but the servants But she had not She had not even seen Marcia Only Mrs Stockbridge Mrs Stockbridge Stockbridge Stockbridge Stock- Stock bridge in a black chiffon gown looking very regal and lovely her gray hair a sculptured perfection about her pale face her blue blueeyes blueeyes blueeyes eyes a little unhappy pointed She had told Faith solemnly solemnly solemnly sol sol- I dont don't know why girls do things like this Elope It spoils everything Even this reception reception reception re re- re- re is an anticlimax Dont Don't ever do this to your mother Miss Carter And Faith had said I wont won't Mrs Stockbridge Had said it in ina ina ina a small strained voice remembering remembering remembering bering the night she and Tony had almost gone to Rockville At the announcer had al already already already al- al ready called out several hundred names and the great halls and rooms of the Stockbridge mansion mansion mansion man man- sion were ringing with laughter with g gay y chattering voices There was the tinkle of champagne I glasses too and the gentle scrape 1 of dancing feet in the ballroom j 1 of feet climbing the marble i stairs descending them moving j through the wide halls Outside I Ithe 1 the avenue was noisy with the j 1 mechanical hum of powerful limousines Taxis and cars made 1 j shining links under the porte- porte j Coming in her own taxi Faith saw the congestion that 1 was tying up traffic for blocks j 1 the cars poured out of the drive- drive way Policemen were waving 1 frantically blowing t the their h e i r j 1 whistles to divert other cars from the Stockbridge mansion down Twenty-third Twenty street treet and past the Turkish embassy Faith had been with Mrs j 1 Continued on the Following Page Pace i FOREVER and Forever Continued from Preceding Page Leeds long enough now to recognize recognize recognize nize important people when she saw them After she left her coat upstairs she came down slowly looking around All of Washington seemed to be here Ambassadors and ministers high- high ranking officers of the army and navy officials in the administrative administrative administrative adminis adminis- branches of the government government government govern govern- ment and members of the cave dwellers who were being gracious and charming to some of the capitals capital's newcomers despite the fact that their small ultra ex elusive set resented the constant influx of strangers into the city had been known to snub even the occupants of the White House itself How Tony must be loving loving loving lov lov- ing this Faith thought How he must be eating it up And she hated herself for the thought At the bottom of the stairs she paused a moment before going into that long dimly lit flower- flower filled drawing room where Mr and Mrs Stockbridge Tony and Marcia stood in the receiving line But it had to be done It had to be done She walked slowly conscious of the curious smothered feeling one has in a nightmare Afterwards she could remember nothing she had said and only fragments torn fragments torn fragments fragments fragments frag frag- ments of what she had seen red roses flowing gracefully over Marcias Marcia's arm Tonys Tony's fingers reaching out for her own Tonys Tony's blond hair waving back from his bronzed forehead and that rebel corner of his mouth turned downward Marcias Marcia's flaming hair Marcias Marcia's white satin dress Someone saying saying say say- ing received eleven sun dials What on earth do you suppose those children will do with 11 sundials Someone else saying Arent they a perfectly perfectly perfectly per per- stunning couple Just made for each other Faith remembered leaving the room remembered leaning close to speak to Justice who was w was s quite deaf remembered the justice answering in that curious way deaf people have of shouting as if it you too were deaf A young man she had never seen before asked her to dance Another young man vaguely familiar cutting in on him and then Bill The blur left completely when Bill cut in Bill said Shall we have a big wedding spread like this darling darling darling dar dar- ling or shall we be cosy Just Justa a little little home job with only the family weeping ana wailing There wasn't time for an answer answer answer an an- for Roger Stockbridge cut in Roger danced with one hand handon on her back his free arm hanging hanging hanging hang hang- ing loose He looked straight down into her face and laughed Got you right in the solar plexus hasn't it Faith he said Hurts plenty doesn't it Faith found that little shelter of reserve that she always crept into when she was embarrassed or startled She said steadily Dont talk like an idiot Roger And dont don't pretend you arent aren't cut up over this wedding If I remember correctly you were going to marry Tony Marshall Or have you forgotten that little speech with speech with gestures gestures on on the Carson mezzanine I haven't forgotten the speech or or the gestures Faith said quietly And Im I'm still pretty good at gestures Roger She looked away feeling a little sick a little frightened And over Rogers Roger's shoulder she saw that Tony and Marcia had left the re receiving receiving receiving re- re line were dancing very close together Its It's getting late was all she thought now I can go Now I can go home It must be getting late ate if Tony and Marcia arent aren't in the receiving line Then someone cut in on Marcia Marcia Marcia Mar Mar- cia and Faith saw Tony coming straight to her She tried to overcome overcome me the panic that shot through her but it was like trying trying try try- ing to catch a specter by the throat Sh She didn't even know that she had stopped dancing until until until un un- un- un til Roger said If you dont don't want to dance with me just say so I cant can't say that I get any particular lar thrill out of holding you in my arms Then Rogers Roger's whole expression changed He said Oh I see for Tony ony was tapping tapping tapping tap tap- ping him lightly on the arm Tony was saying Break Comrade Comrade Comrade Com Com- rade And then Faith was in Tonys Tony's arms The orchestra changed abruptly abrupt abrupt- ly to a waltz A beautiful waltz as smooth as the flowing of the Danube as soft as the evening wind murmuring among willows |