OCR Text |
Show GIVEN IN MARRIAGE By AD EXE OABBMOW Lillian's Cynical Comment on Mysterious 'Floss" Serves to Soothe Madjie "Thi Tloss' insect" Lillian began, and there was an airy, humorous contempt in her voice that vaguely confronted me, "1 evidently on of thaa new ttyl 'go-getting1 female. How did her vole sound? Young, or a bit worn off tb edges of the plating?" "Distinctly young." I answered, with an Involuntary smlla, despite my misery, (t bar ridiculous phrasing. phras-ing. "Yes, X thought so," th said. "Th young one have th moat galL Th older women hava soma inhibition ia' "You know," the crossed her knees comfortably, and leaned back in her chair as If she meant to talk indefinitely, in-definitely, "there waa a time when if a woman wanted a married man, th went after him under cover, as if she were doing something rather discreditable. But one of these modern mod-ern huaaiee walk up to th wife of a man she fancies and cays, 'Mov ovor, you. I'm staking a claim on this. You'r option' run out any-wy. any-wy. Qitr "Than it's up to little wifey. She either run her off th reservation with a gun and establish a hectic liaison between hubby' dome and th buslneaa and of a rolling pin. or (h hands over th spouseail depending de-pending upon the value aba place upon Friend Husband." Daea LUllaa Knew Tlee-t t looked t her with wld. startled eye. Did ah mean that thi "Floes" w. trying to annex Dicky? If ah did. then she must know something about th young woman that I did not "Don't gat Ideas into your head." ah adjured, after a whimsical, comprehending com-prehending look at me. "I'm not talking from any personal knowledge knowl-edge of thi 'Flos' beetle. But I know her laep' as th gown sale women say. "Women of that particular species don't even sound out th mm they P'c to if they're willing to be grbbd. They just look 'em over with a predatory eye, and get ready to snatch 'em and run before th po- ixwrnan on to beat has a chance to unlimbw hi nightstick." "But Lillian I protested, "Dicky1 ""rtk"? h". b wouldn't call him Dickjr-blrd. and know hi horn telephone) number tin h did. And she actually was surprised to know he was married." Ptoky Earprieed, Tea I "And ITI bat the Dicky-bird will ",nF urprted to know that auch an Interest la being taken in hi i-flr i-flr by a girl like that" th retorted. i.,m.?,M?df,lm,ooutoltI Don't Judge th lad because torn rattl brain like that has left a telephone message for him. You've summered and wintered with him a long time, and while we don't dispute that he aometlme has a 'roving eye,' you know ther' never been any real harm la hi philander inga And bit teste never haa run to anything at common as I Imagine thi 'Flo' mutt b." I had had Urn now to get my bearing bear-ing I shrewdly suspected that Lillian Lil-lian had rattled on with her cynical comments for that very reason and I put a quick, tens query to her: J-When I give that meesag of bars to Dicky, will you stay in th room?" I wondered if I Imagined th startled star-tled look that cam into her eyea, but there waa no mistaking the hesitancy before bar answer. A KNOCK AT THE DOOB "Ar you sur you want me hrr ah asked. "Yea, I do," I said stubbornly, and her lip curved in aa indulgent whimsical whim-sical mil. "AUrlght" h Mid. Til b th little (hock absorber. But wH have to be mighty careful that the Dickybird Dicky-bird has no suspicion that you have aaked m to stick around. He must deduce that I Just happened In." A double knock, Dickey' own signal, sig-nal, sounded on tha hall door, and Lillian f lathed a atartled grin at me. (Continued tomorrow.) (Copyright, 1032 K. F. tv, Inc.) |