Show CHAPTER I 1 the orchestra at the large now granada dance hall had reached that stage when taj members composing it nere rattier beginning to enjoy their own exertions there was a pause A man with a mega phone mounted the platform hen ier all alone he began de by da telephone 0 deres no one dere but must of these competing tie lare crowd of dancers who had stopped and crowded around the platform to libben to the singer eed him rather cynical ly not apparently in the least touched by the poignant words of the popular cong of the moment one little girl watched the ant sing er as though the words of his song were affecting hei she turned to her male companion a slim youth with glazed hair she put a small cool hand into one of his it would be terrible wouldn t it she asserted rather than asked to be really all alone especially after loved some one I 1 the young roan grinned down at her reassuringly try and get rid of me he said airily and we 11 be married very soon now she went on wistfully talking to make herself not so clearly bear the words of the song inside of six months ills eyes did not meet hers as he replied and he shifted his position slightly the girl glanced down at the diamond aln upon the fourth finger of her left band it sparkled up at her bravely as 1 caught and held a concentrated reflection from the multicolored lights in the immense room good lord bow much longer Is that guy going to sing alie oung man shot out impatiently its near ly one 0 clock only a compla more dances to come there 1 lies finished now said lolita almost before the words were out of her mouth the orchestra had started ind she was whirled instant ly away to become a part of the swirling bopping prancing mass upon the large floor it proved however to be the last dance for the popular strains changed to lie old familiar tune of sweet bome jazzily ery few however stopped finish the dance there was a mad rush tor the cloak rooms lolita bound a place before one of the long mirrors in the I 1 adles bloom and started to adjust her hat tucking her short red curls agelessly are lessly under the brim the glass told her tint she was very pretty especially as compared to the other girls who stood about the room making ready to meet their men bhe was not however quite happy A lit tie fear tugged at her heart and would not be dispelled the song had somehow started it she was twenty two years old and markedly different from most of the other girls in the room she was the only child of an exceedingly expert but exceedingly underpaid cr who worked in one ot the large watch factories in ue had managed to put her through the elan grammar schools and the high school and even a six month s business col lege course lie had wanted somehow to send her on to college but she would not heir of it but had insist cd upon coln to chicago to find a position so that she might be an as beet rather than a liability to him shortly after coming to she had found the position and become engaged she had written glowing accounts of her fiance to her father and he had replied warmly barvey torrence had met lolita at the department store where she worked he was eight years her senior a slightly blase product ol 01 the city making excellent money as a real estate salesman and having no particular intentions of dl lher abely captious cut he hid wanted lolita the moment thit ever he laid eyes upon her and he had somehow managed to sell himself to her although the accepting of him on his own terms had caused lolita many a frightened hour alone with herself in her little hall bedroom her loneliness and desire for sympathetic compin had overcame a very staunch set of scruples and she had yielded to him having yielded she would willingly have laid down her very UK for him had he asked her to do so and she waited with want she could summon for that dav when a remarkably judge should grant him a divorce from a former wife who and lamentably ajl ed to understand him in just about a month now I 1 ought to get my deree he had told her at first six months nn month after month had pissed and no rie aree had been lolita loved him and she was sure that where such a great warm feel ing of love inside of her existed noth ng could be wrong after the first few hours of mcgui clashing when the ideals which tin knothe who had died when cilita war herteen had instilled into her and twi battlers tattlers tatt lers franker of the I 1 ot had met with harvey a mure facile philosophy she and stopped worrying closed part ol 01 her mind and riven alie rest to aar voy to manipulate as he siw alt she turned from the mirror aboul to CT when a girl who had been work by jack woodford W N U service copyright ing at the f at the time she and met and who tart afi shortly after that walked up to her hello lillta I 1 she hows the kid alon down at the emporium es hut 1 m to be married shortly re going to be married the devil are vou going to do that for because I 1 m in love well that s about the surest dav 1 know of to get out of love arnd aate from nine a day at the I 1 ro to twenty tour hour in a flit I 1 thought you had more brains thin thai loella turned to 0 with a concill atoru smile vaguely she stand why a girl who had made other lillta had been listening helplessly arrangements should speak of marriage the other bow ever held her with a question who you to anybody 1 know well 1 think yon had seen him call for me at the attore once or twice oudong ou dont mean harvey torrence tes ohl my G dl the girl let out a raucous laugh which caused others in the room to turn ohl my G dl she repeated and laughed again narvey torrence engaged to halml you make me laugh that 8 all you ever wilt be just engaged to him that s ills regular game I 1 was en to him once myself we are going to be mirrl cd said lillta at effly just as soon as harvey can get his divorce this time the girl did not eliugh she turned sud denly almost fiercely and grasped the other bv both arms listen kid you re not like the rest of us auve got a break you took different anybody would know vou was innocent lou got a bood chance yet don t pay any attention to what I 1 said about that marriage stuff 1 only laugh at it because 1 cant have it ever and 1 know it but you you re 0 K stay that way let me tell you something hot off lip pan harvey torrence has never been married in his life don t let him kid you with stuff or his lie already you she stopped and looked searchingly into the kotlier girl s so hint s how it Is she said after a minute oh well you 11 have 0 o do the best you cin but honestly you don t look it ou look just ns innocent as y u ever did hetter grab off some tiro while you ve pot lie chame and t ft mike lay off of harvey married I 1 11 11 he unless he cop oui with doleh and lots of it huhl she lau lied again shrilly it was a cuppy huppy as her bellef in heiselt herselt had been by the of the others in life lillta had bien listening blie felt ns thoi ili he auld nol open her mouth or mie chintis ahlie 11 the lils about theiu card and understood eclie rould cepl lier fice burn liu ahlie fell us hirouji she could never pus ably leave the anoni horrid us it lud now become with its ot cheap cosmetics its till Is bosoms to be powdered other iris pulling tonii lollies up to arri ine their feir utterly oblivious to lie vulgarity ol 01 girl each oilier anecdotes each oilier of in ended in in ludlon abandon at heretofore she tind not minded it but now suddenly she felt irresistible i part of them to alieni by a inester bond never to be severed ahlie turned and walked froia lie room into lie now deserted dame hall untidy streamers st reimers of confetti ulious the moor tle dimmed laljit II 11 seem like some cavern what alie had cald was not true she told herself as she walked hie door se passed into the air and the rash of upon 11 r ence avenue turned toward the place where hardev had parked his neat road ter when they had arrived sev eral hours before lie was sitting in the drivers scat a cigarette calmly she limbed lu beside him without even looking at her he auto matli ally went through the motions ot starling the car aliey drove tor a time in silence lillta could see that there djs a moon bann ove the like suddenly without any varv definite idea she sald to him fum down one of the cross to the lake 1 want to talk to you for awhile before we go home tie turned and looked at her in protest his lips lie woid i its ale hut something about her manner caused him to ind run a block eat to the waters ede ami stop the moon made a or feild directly to the ar IL ot across the dark alent waters into a blue black oblivion which somehow heartened I 1 allta she had to force hermit to speak calmly lighting down the terrifying pain at her heart pluncy she said la calm level tones you have never been mar aled he swung about to face her angrily but something in her direct gaze cowed him almost visibly ne fortified himself to bluff bilings out 1 I suppose somebody 8 been talking to you about me well what of it I 1 love jou and yon love me what alt ference does the rest make als me and forget about what you ve been hearing lie reached tor her but she moved as far avray from him as pos elble to the farthest corner of the seat 1 I can spend the night with a girl from the store who lives in the gran tham apartments tomorrow 11 II not go to the store I 1 II 11 find another room somewhere will you take me over to the Granthan 4 or shall I 1 get out now and walk bayl what s come over you suppose im not married what of it 1 haven t been stringing you along all this time I 1 ve really loved you I 1 ve always intended to come clean with you only 1 just wanted to wait and be sure ill marry you 1 hanks very much she said bit terly but I 1 don t want the honor now you was keen about it as late as two or three hours bick what a come over you vmay did you keep telling me that lie about betting a divorce by did you lie and lie and lie ohl harvey it makee it all seem so small and cheap and tawdry why id even rather have had you come to roe at first and have told me the truth that it was only passion not alie sort of tiling ou led me to believe it was ahat prompted you to cut listen I 1 in telling you III mar ry you now tomorrow nr tiling in llie morning on the square I 1 m not kidding now at all honest lillta ive always been crazy about you only well 1 maybe we not get along as well as I 1 expected and 1 made up my mind to sort of try things out for awhile aw come on alj try to get me we ve been such good pils dont spoil everything now she was near to the breaking point most maddening most livirt breaking vvs the fact that he could not see could n 1 l at all under stan I 1 what she felt and there was no way to put it into words eveth eless she tried TO BB CONTINUED |