Show I V c 1 F W C y BUQO I A I THE TH E STORY SO FAR May lay Seymour Semour whose husband Dr John Seymour killed himself because of her love affair with Jim Care Carewe we returns to her home town after a years year's absence Heavily veiled she comes late lat latone one one night to the h home me of her lawyer lawyer law law- yer yeI Dick Gregory and Gloria hi his wife vIte She tells them how the how the ugly story of her past has followed he everywhere And so she has made mad up her mind to go go gotO to Europe where no no noone one will know her She asks Ulysses X F Forgan a widower who Is Ia In the tho real estat estate business to sell her house for her When hen Ulysses sensibly urges her to live In It It and live down her tation among her townspeople May Maj la bursts bursts' into tears tear's and insists that tha she she- wants walts to be tie footloose She tells Dick to sell her het stocks stock and bonds f for r whatever they will wll wm bring All S 'S she l wants is enough money to dress the part o of ofa a wealthy widow and land a rich husband A week lat later r with in he her handbag she goes down to to to Atlantic City for a short rest before before sailing salling for Europe There she m meets ets Mrs Carlotta a grass grass- wid jw V. and her friends Herbert Waterbury and Dan Sprague They all go gOtO to Ador Adoree's es e's little sup sup- per por club lub and are Joined by Francie Lee one of Adoree's hostesses Waterbury Wa- Wa Waterbury explains that such women as Francie earn their living by dancing with unattached men In these places May lay accidentally drops her bag and her falls out On the way home borne Waterbury tells her Its It's dangerous for her to carry carry the money around wi h her and th then n offers to take care of ot It for her NOW GO GOON ON WITH THE STORY Mays eyes widened as she looked up at him Turn my money over to you she repeated Why MI Mr Waterbury Waterbury Water Water- ate bury I wouldn't think of or doing such sucha a thing After all alIi youre you're an u utter r stranger to me And for all I know you may may maybe be the biggest crook In Christendom She laughed nervously and wen went on n. n Dont misunderstand me ne l know you ar arent aren't nt o of ot course I realy realy real- real really y ly y think youre you're a ver very nice verp-nice nice person But even s so Waterbury pressed her arm with his strong fingers So you do think Im I'm nice even If it youre you're sure Im I'm dishonest he asked In her role of the Wistful Widow May bent her head and nodded Of OJ course I think youre you're nice she breathed And what do you think about me Mr Waterbury He didn't answer answer for a minute or two two I r dont don't know just what I Ido Ido do think of ot you he he blurted out out finally but I know Ive I've done nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing but think about you ou ever since I saw siw you on the train today tay ay looked up ui jit at him and smiled At that moment the girdle of lights along the out leaving leaving leav leav- ing It 1 In gray darkness Beyond I the dim band jand of ot the sand the breakers rolled in edged with white foam Oh Isn't It beautiful May l cried She ran over to the railing and leaned forward with her arms stretched wide And I love the wind dont don't you It makes me feel as CoS if lr I had wings Ji She closed her eyes and raised her ber fa face e to the cold fresh fresn rush of it t tas as it came came In f the sea sea Then hen suddenly sh she felt waterbury's Waterbury's Water Water- burys bury's arms around Tier iler They drew her against and his mouth came down upon down upon hers In a short harsh contact Then rhen as suddenly he let her go May stepped breathless Oh you jou ou she began And was in his arms again He kissed her again and again not roughly this time but butas butas' butas as as' as asif if he would never have done An Anthis And this time May did did not resist him him but lay I In his his arms arms with a curious sense of ot contentment In her heart In Ih al alj of her life she ha had never fever been kissed this wa before passionately and at the same tune time t tenderly nd-erl nd almost comfortingly Im lm sorry If It youre you're angry with witti me I 1 couldn't couldn help myself Waterbury Waterbury Wa Wa- said when her And they stood holding each others other's hands in the windy darkness Im hot not angry May al almost almost al al- most whispered But dont don't do dolt it t again Please one boo ne turned and with her head bent down against the wi windS wind d she i started back toward the hot hotel l. l In silence Wa Waterbury followed her About that money he said in lna in a of matter tone as they entered the lobby Please wont won't you put it into the h hotel tel safe sate if it you don doni wan want t to trust me with It it Im I'm afraid you'll lose Jose it or be ro robbed bed Perhaps I will May lay answered ringing ringing- the bell for the elevator Tomorrow Tomorrow Waterbury echoed I I sh shall ll see you tomorrow Ma looked baked deep Into his eyes and held out her hand Yes she said softly Good night Upstairs in In her room loom she stood before her mirror searching her face In the glass The eyes were brilliant and there was vivid unaccustomed unaccustomed unaccustomed un un- un- un accustomed color In in- her her cheeks Her lIeI lips Ups smiled May addressed the radiant image In the glass aloud Old girl she said upon my soul I believe weve we've fallen In love with this Waterbury man man It was the first time she had ever admitted such a thing to herself In all seven years of her life She lay down and was asleep al almost almost almost al- al most the second her head touched the the pillow Like nine women out of ten the first thing May My f y Se Seymour mour did upon awakening each morning waa was to look at herself herselt In the glass This morning as she he leaned across the littered top of her dressing dressing dressing dress dress- ing table and studied her reflection she frowned All the glow and color color cotor col cot or that had been In her face the night before were gone There were violet shadows beneath he her he eyes May Ia tried to rub them out with wit cold eold cream Neither the cold cream m I Inor nor m a cold shower that made her tingle all over erased them I Stayed up too late she scolded herself herselt I need Is a face massage That'll fix me up A A. half hour later she she- lay In a along along along long chair in the little beauty salon of the hotel While she waited for the operator to bring hot water and a Jar of oi cleansing cream May Idly wa watched ched t I 14 the woman In the curtained alcove next to hers her's t There was was was' something familiar abo about t the woman's womans face tace Where here h haVe veI I seen her before May ask asked d herself herselt Suddenly she r remembered The woman woman- was the hostess from Adoree's supper club the woman woman wo wo- woman wo- wo man whom Dan Sprague had called Francie She had haa evidently just had her her- hair washed and It t hung in dark dank strings around her neck and shoulders And her eyes looked small and sleepy above wrinkled pockets of flesh She caught Mays May's frank gaze Inthe In Inthe inthe the mirror before her and flashed her a emile that illumined her whole face I She has a certain queer queer- harm at that May rray thought an hour later lateras as she walked down the board walk i hunting for a place to br breakfast Hello there therel called a gay voice behind her May lay turned and waited waited waited wait wait- ed for Carlotta Frolking to catch up with her Where have you been so early In ln Inthe Inthe the morning Carlotta asked pantIng pantIng panting pant- pant Ing a little Early May asked consulting her her wrist dst watch Its eleven Ive I've teen been been having a facial massage and a shampoo and marcel marcell Well ell for crying out loud Carlotta Carlotta Carlotta Car Car- lotta exclaimed All that Arent Aren't you ou the early bird Where are you going now To breal breakfast rast May lay answered Oh look took h here rel Do you suppose these hese are real diamonds They paused sed before the window of ofa ofa ofa a smart little shop that faced the Hie sea Within was a collection of dIamond diamond diamond dia dIa- mond rings sparkling on a bed of white velvet v Of course there they're real They dont don't sell Imitations at La Galliers Gallier's let et me tell you you youl Carlotta answered Do you see that that- black pearl there therein theren in n the center the one set In diamonds l I May y gasped as she followed Carlotta's Carlotta's Carotta's Car- Car lotta's otta's eves The black pearl was wast t he i. i pr precise c se size and color of f the Imitation ones she was wearing ar around und her neck at that very moment mo mo- ment It would would acId add the last t touch uch of of expensive luxury to her mourning mourn mourn- ing Oh wouldn't I love to have It UI she cried It would Just match my necklace i Lets go goin In and price lotta otta urged and they went Into the little shop j Five later they emerged Six hundred of Mays May's eight thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand dollars were were gone But the rI ring g gleamed on her hand coldly like winter inter twilight It is lovely Isn't 1 it Z s she e said to Carlotta The plump little wom woman n looked at her with envy eny in her he round blue blueeyes eyes es Ill tell the street its it's lovely lovely lovey love- love ly y she said But B t what's lovelier than that Is having the money to dash lash It off hand and buy things like Ike I wish I 1 had iad ad your our money sweetie She She- sighed Well VeIl she said Id like ike t to to togo go to have breakfast with you but Ive I've a date with the beauty specialist myself Oh dearie deane If it only only- I had your youth There was a sort of comical tragedy trag trag- edy her face as she spoke And under the brilliant sun May saw th that hat t her skin was puckered Into fine lines What a dreadful thing it must be to be middle aged and footloose like I To be In love with a man of f the Dan Dm Sprague type who flirted flirt flirt- flirted ed d with check room girls dance club hostesses or anybody else so long as it was a woman After all the only safe and comfortable com com- life Ufe was the married woman's womans womans woman's womans woman's wo wo- wo- wo mans man's existence Even if she hadn't much of ot an anything thing else she still had the he law on her side May figured She Site left Carlotta and walked along long hunting for a little restaurant nt called ailed the fhe Blue Rose Bose She had noticed no- no Iced Its cleanliness and Its fresh white curtains the night before when she had passed It with Water Water- bury ury There was no one in jn It but a woman woman woman wo wo- wo- wo man who sat drinking orange Juice at t a table by the tha window when May f V f entered ThiS This' woman looked up and May saw that it was Francie Lee May I sit here with you Miss Lee she asked No one Introduced introduced introduced Intro intro- us last night Perhaps you don't dont remember me I was with Herbert Waterbury's party at Adoree's I Im I'm n Mrs Seymour I remember you perfectly Mrs Seymour Seymo r. r Lee answered In Ina ina ina a cool low voice And Id I'd like you i to have your breakfast here I hate I to eat alone A A. A A little waitress in pink linen I took Mays May's order of dry dy toast and coffee cortee When she was gone l Ia May I leaned across the table Miss Lee she began In her friendliest manner I think your Job job- of or being hostess In a supper club must be awfully interesting ing Wont Won't you tell me about It I should think it would be something something something some some- thing lite lile being ah actress or a movie queen or a sub-deb sub even Lees Lee's face hardened in a slow mysterious You do do you she asked In her well-bred well voice Well VeIl let me tell j you ou something th then n. n Its It's the most terrible life In the world for a woman woman Do you really n want nt to know about it May nodded To be continued |