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Show -JKv,-: 3 Sans And Sensible L . By Richard Hill Wilkinson "AIL WATCHED TOMMY Berk- ley and Rita Young disappear down the moon-flooded path toward to-ward the beach. His arm was about her waist and Rita's red head was very close to Tommy's blond locks. Tears blinded Gail's vision. "That's what you get," she thought bitterly, "for being sane and sensible sen-sible all your life. For being virtuous vir-tuous and loyal." Loyal! The word provoked a laugh. Loyal to what? To Tommy Berkley? That was ridiculous. You couldn't be loyal 1 1 to a man who ar :..- didn't know what O-Minuta you were up ,0. Fiction Or at least it lost I I its effect. Gail turned and started back toward the lodge. Two months ago she had come up here with her folks for the summer. The day after their arrival she had met Tommy Berkley. They had danced and Tommy had looked down at her and said: "You're not pretty or beautiful, you're glorious, which is really a weak word to express what I mean." Gail had known then why all her life she had been sane and sensible. It had been for Tommy. At the point where the path skirted the tennis courts before coming to the lodge steps, Gail saw a figure and stopped, catching her breath. "Hi there, Gail. I saw you walking walk-ing down this way and followed." Even without the help of moonlight moon-light to etch out the features of the man Gail recognized the voice. It was Clark Davis. Davis was tall and good looking and dark. He was considered wild. He had a reputation. rep-utation. Mothers warned then-daughters then-daughters not to go out with him, though they didn't say why. "Clark!" she forced a laugh. "You frightened me at first." "Sorry." He came close. "I guess I've been frightening you ever since you came up here. I wish I didn't." A path of molten gold streamed across the lake. Tentatively, Clark Davis slipped an arm around her waist. And when she offered no objection he stopped and swung her to face him. "Gail!" he cried hoarsely. "Gail!" And he took her into his arms. She yielded, gave him her lips in a long kiss. When it was over she broke away, suddenly, sud-denly, unaccountably, regretful, guilty, ashamed. "Don't! Please! I I think we'd better go back." But Clark Davis didn't understand. under-stand. He couldn't understand. He seized her wrist and jerked her up close to him. "Listen," he said tensely. "I love you! Do you hear! I want you have wanted you since the first day you arrived here. And you want me!" "No. No, Clark! You don't understand. un-derstand. I was a fool to come here with you. Please let me go." QUICK FOOTSTEPS sounded along the pebbles. A figure loomed out of the gloom. Davis fpxkf : .Ml : ; IL A-L. . ,- ,-1ifjf Clark's feet went out from under him. He fell groaning. felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He swung around, saw Tommy Berkley. Angrily he swore and struck out. But Tommy sidestepped the blow and drove home a hard fist, catching Davis behind the ear, following it with a second blow-to blow-to the jaw. Clark's feet went out from undc him. He fell groaning. "You dirty dog!" Tommy said, coldly brutal. "You ought to be hung" Then he turned to Gail, where she had sunk to her knees. He helped her up. They walked along the beach. Tommy's arm supported her. They stopped at the foot of the path. "The dirty dog." Tommy said. "Why can't a man like Davis accept ac-cept the fact that there are some good girls left? Why does he have to think they're all alike?" "Oh, Tommy!"- She smiled, dabbing dab-bing at her eyes. "It it's all right now. I I was foolish to have come here with him. If you hadn't come along " He grinned. "Lucky thing for both of us. Rita and I were sitting on the big rock beyond the point. When we heard you cry out we thought there was trouble and she went back to the lodge by the road. 1 came over to investigate. I'm glad I found you, because now you'll be the first to know of Rita'i and my engagement.'' |