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Show w Little Coward By VIRGINIA WOOn.U.L McClure Newspaper Syndicate. WNU Service. MARGARET'S scalp prickled as she stood in the middle of the living room staring uneasily at the ! drawn shades. Was there someone standing in the alley way peeping through a crack in the shade, watching watch-ing her, waiting for an opportunity ' to enter? A dry sob rose in her throat as : she forced herself into a chair. She i couldn't help being afraid but she could control her fear. With a new I determination she picked up a mag-! mag-! azine. I From the kitchen came a sharp. crackling noise! Her heart jumped, beat thuddingly against her bursting burst-ing lungs. The kitchen window had she locked it? But there were instruments in-struments for forcing locked windows. win-dows. She sat listening listening to the still deeper quiet. Better to face her fear squarely than to sit cowering cower-ing there, and with only a few steps she could look through the door into the kitchen. Slowly she stood up and took the iteps. The kitchen was as she had left it after her lonely supper. Quarter to eleven. It was time to go to bed. With an eflort at confidence she went into the bathroom bath-room and took down the jar of cold cream. Bill's razor and shaving soap were still there in the medicine cabinet. He'd forgotten them that morning when he hastily packed a bag and took his departure for good. She massaged the cream vigorously vigor-ously into her smooth skin and wiped it oft with a tissue. Large blue eyes under long, arched brows looked solemnly back at her from the mirror. Blond hair, soft and wavy, hung almost to the shoulders of her dressing gown. Eill had so loved to touch her hair, to run his fingers through it. Two little lit-tle white teeth appeared to take charge of her rebellious lower lip. ' "If I wanted to I could get married mar-ried again," she told herself. "Bill's not the only man in the world. He's Just one among millions, and I'm only twenty-four and if I wanted, I could get married again!" With her eyes fixed on the windows win-dows she groped her way to bed and slipped under the covers. She found she could see quite plainly the wall of the building next door. Her lids were just beginning to feel unbearably heavy when suddenly sudden-ly they lifted wide. A man's shadow was creeping along the wall! It approached ap-proached nearer and nearer and began to shorten. He was slipping up to her windows! Breaking the nightmare paralysis which bound her she rolled from the bed and stumbled into the hallway. hall-way. Her hand struck the telephone almost sweeping It from the table. "Operator! Operator!" She jiggled I the hook frantically. "Operator! Please oh! give me the police quick!" Twenty seconds later a voice a man's calm, reassuring voice answered. an-swered. "There's someone trying to get I Into my flat. He's at my windows I'm all alone . . ." "A squad car'll be Uiere in two or three minutes." She sat clutching the telephone. Behind her was the door leading outside. out-side. If she heard the window being raised she could run out and scream. The moments crept by. She thought she heard voices In the ullcy way but she wasn't sure. The doorbell door-bell made her Jump. A big, uniformed policeman stood Just outside her door. "Wi got the mun, all right, lady. He says here! Come along you! Let the lady got a look." Another policeman shoved a slender, slen-der, slightly disheveled young man forward. Margery gasped. The first policeman frowned. "He ays he's your husbnnd, lady." "Oh Billl Oh, Bill!" Margery flung her arms around his neck and he gathered her close. "Say, what Is this anyhow?" growled the pollcemun. "What were you doin' prowling around your wife's windows huh?" BUI, holding his wife tight, turned a sheepish young face toward his captor. "I uh we quarreled and I left home this morning. Tonight I got to thinking about how scared Margaret'd be alone and I Just thought I'd stand around outside In 1 case well, she got too scared!" Margaret's smile was a daz.ling confirmation. "Oh, yes! You see we quarreled because I was iifrald 1 to etay alone while he went to Hie I bowling club nnd und " "She's an awful coward," Bill Interrupted. In-terrupted. Margaret frowned. "I'm not either! ei-ther! I'm Just nervous ..." I "Aw stow It!" tho policeman suld and turned on his heel. As (lie I front door closed behind him he heard her saying, "Have you had your dinner yet, darling?" I |