Show G Q 7 C g 2 I THE ST STORY ORY SO FAR rAY MAY SEY SEYMOUR whoso whose husband I killed hims himself lt because of ol her love affair with another man ret returns to her home town after atter a years year's absence She sells her property and with her whole tiny fortune fortun In cash sets out to find tind and marry a man with mone money At Atlantic City she meets HERBERT HERBERT HERBERT HER HER- BERT W WATERBURY and DAN SPRAGUE through a a. divorcee MRS J. CARLOTTA FROLKING May sets her cap for tor Waterbury whom she beli believes ves to be rich When he proposes she accepts him and turns over to him all her herr money for tor Investment He disappears immediately Immediately immediately Im im- mediately and the money wIt with him Penniless Penniless' May sells her Jewelry to buy a railroad ticket to Ix Los s Altos Altos Al Al- Altos Al- Al tos Cal al wh where re Carlotta lives On the tho way she stops slops of off In her own town to visit her friends DICK and GLORIA GREGORY There she meets a wealthy widower ULYSSES UIA'S ULYS- SES FORGAN He falls In love with M May ty and asks her to be his wife But May refuses explaining explaining explaining explain explain- ing that she likes him too much to i marry him without love Th Then n she goes to Los Los' AI Altos os to visit Carlotta but stays there only a few tew days owing to Carlotta's evident unwillingness to let her live at her house without paying board boar I May drifts to Los Angeles faUsto falls fails to get get work and finally wires Ulysses Ulys Ulys- ses Forgan asking him him to send her enough money money to buy a railroad ticket back home When she ahe ar arrives arrives arrives ar- ar rives she goes to the thoe Gregorys In Intending Intending intending In- In tending to make her home with them for tor a time Gloria GlorIa gives gives' a party for tor her and May Is surprised to find that all her old friends are glad to see ee her Later Gloria Glori plans a Christmas party and Invites Ulysses Forgan for M May Y NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY May awakened l late lat on Christmas morning and lay in bed for a long longtime longtime time lazily listening to the cheerful cheerful cheer cheer- ful fut sounds of life in the Gregorys' Gregorys little house ouse In the baby's room across the hall Dicky Junior was making wild gurgling noises over 1 h bis is ris first tiny Christmas tree Every now and then May could hear Dicks Dick's deep voice telling hint him that this Is a rattle rattle rattle rat rat- tle And se see the horse horsey From the kitchen downstairs came the faint taint hum of an eggbeater In inaction action That May knew was Gloria Gloria Gloria Glo Glo- ria hard at work making cake for forthe forthe forthe the party this afternoon I suppose she thought yawning yawnIng yawning yawn- yawn Ing I 1 ought to go godown down and help her B But t It w was was s' s soan oan an an hour later before she made her appearance In Glorias Gloria's rIas kitchen By that time there ther were four layer laer cakes c cooling on the table and Gloria had begun to make thin thins thin's s sandwiches She stopped her work o to o get Mays May's breakfast breakfast- and had ad a cup of coffee with her standing at atthe the kitch kitchen n sink i I Just love love to get ready for a party she said h happily her eyes shining and her cheeks pink with heat and excitement It used to cost us so much to give one that we were dead broke all the time But now now that Ive I've learned how to cook its it's awfully inexpensive May shook her head I dont don't see v holy you yon manage it all the housework and the cooking and the baby with wilb no one to help you but that little nursemaid she de de- And you you used to to be so laz lazy that you wouldn't hang up your own clothes I I 1 knew anyone anyone anyone any any- one to change the way you h have ve Glory 1 I changes she said hats ats at's what life Is for to bang us us and bump Us us into something something something some some- some some- thing better th than n we were It It certainly has banged and bumped me enough 1 May cried with a bitter little smile smile- hidden somewhere in h her r eyes And it hasn't changed me a bit I Iam Iam Iam am Just the same old May that I 1 always was Oh no you arent aren't Gloria con con- con Youve changed a lo lof the tho last year or two May Youre You're more serious and you pay more attention to what people say than you once did In the old days you ou did exactly what you pleased and if It people didn't like Ilke It they co could ld go to the dickens for all Y you U cared That's true May answered shortly shortly short ly watching Gloria stuff the tho ChrIstmas Christmas Christmas Christ ChrIst- mas turkey with sage dressing But the real ch change In me is one that you'd never guess Remember how I 1 used to hate the thought fo being married and settled down Well now my Ide Idea of earthly paradise is 18 a little house like bike this and a husband and a family fam tam ily Now what do you think of ot ottha that tha U Gloria smiled a bit wistfully I think its it's the most natural thing in the world for fOT you to w want nt she said And I 1 wish with all my heart my-heart b heart rt that you had what you want May Isn't there any man anywhere for whom you care at all May considered this for several minutes before she answered I Then she said thoughtfully Yes there Is one man In the world I 1 Icare Icare care for But not in the chills and fever lever way that a woman ought to care for the man she marries This man is just my good friend and I 1 love him as my good friend friend not as my lover Do you see Gloria laughed Yes I see perfectly perfectly per per- she answered That was the way I loved DI Dick k as my good friend And that's real love you silly goose The chills and fever stuff Is Just Infatuation She waited for a moment to let this sink Into Mays May's mind and then went on Girls are given the wrong dope about love anyway The movies the plays and the novels all tell us that unless less love shakes us to pieces like like ah h earthquake It isn't love at all As a matter ot of I fact real love is as peaceful and quiet as twilight May went upstairs wondering if her feeling tor for Ulysses Forgan was wasas wasas wasas as peaceful and quiet as as twilight She didn't know o o 0 But the thought of seeing him that afternoon brought a deep sense of satisfaction to her She dressed herself carefully so as as' as to seem as beautiful to him as' as possible water Vatel waving her hair polishing her nails nalls delicately ly making up h her r race face And after atter dinner while Gloria was I washing the dishes she lay down for an hours hour's sleep so that she would be fresh and sparkling for tor him He came at 5 o'clock tho little lit Ut- lit little tle house was avas packed people who had dropped in to wish Dick and Gloria Merry l Christmas With him was his daughter Sally and her bel latest admirer a collow youth who blushed when ho he was spoken to and whom Sally Introduced in introduced introduced In- In as Mister Tomp- Tomp kins I 1 dont don't know where she picked him up Ulysses confided to May She and his tone was worried gathers around herself herselt the queerest birds Ive I've ev ever r seen And t then en threatens to leave home when I question her about them 1 Gadz 1 I dont don't know what todo to todo do with her I 1 swear I dont don't They were Vere sitting in a quiet corner corner corner cor cor- ner of ot the dining room out of earshot earshot earshot ear ear- shot of tho gay crowd across the h hall 11 And suddenly Ulysses turned and took Mays May's hands In his Look here he said when he had nervously cleared his throat Have pou you changed your mind And will you marry me May drew her hands away Then suddenly sho laid them In Ulysses palms again I want you only as a friend she said I never dreamed of having a good friend like you But But that's all He made a queer gruff sound In his throat and May went on o Through all these last jast ast terrible months I 1 give you my word they've been peen terrible for me youve you've been a wonderful friend to to tome me even though we barely knew each other And oh Ive I've been so unhappy unhappy un un- un- un happy She shook her head cally and amI told him the whole whole story of her life Ute since Dr Johns John's death Do you know why youve you've been unhappy Ulysses asked peering at her over the top of ot his eye eye- glasses May shook her head Because youve you've lived a a. thoroughly selfish I life he surprised her by replying She sat up very stiff stift and straight questioning him with her eyes mean she she- Why what do you mean asked at last Just what I say say Ulysses answered answered answered an an- calmly Not only for the thelast thelast last two years but always He cleared his throat again a and d I went on with the air of ot a man his chest and has something on intends to get it ottI off ott I wouldn't talk talle lik like this to you May If It you ou hadn't said you were unhappy I r say eay you youre you're re u unhappy happy be because be- be cause c use youre you're selfish You live for forno forno forno no one but yourself You take yourself too seriously second startled startled star star- tar tar- He broke off for a s tied at the blaze of ot anger that flamed Into Mays May's eyes A flush mantled her cheeks like Ilka a of j danger signal aI But Ulysses went on with willi he had long Ions wanted to sa say o Seymour MJ For Instance you make makeup mind that what you most moat war wara war wara a millionaire husband who can ir you all the playthings Y yo r Youre You're like a a. spoiled child You dont don't think of what you give gire to the man you rou ma b what he ho can give you am amMay May held a warning h han hano n You stop right there Ull Forgan she cried In a voice shook with fury How d dp you youl Oi 1 to talk to me like this I 1 do is none of your business business' member that V Ulysses surprised both botho o t by laughing suddenly Sure my business he s said id b gau U love you I 1 hate to see y u happy and so I Im I'm m telling you to be happy e. e You'll neve nave contented so 50 long as you go life Ute asking people to give yo asking them to to take car you To be con continued tinned iMI |