Show neen annes lace by atances keyes 0 frances parkinson keyes service e SYNOPSIS at a dance a visitor in the community neal conrad young lawyer is impressed by anne anas chamberlain pretty daughter of a shiftless farmer fanner prec elvins elving her fine character A few days day later she aha accompanies him biro and oil his hostess mrs mr griffin on a picnic at the end of the day neal declares his love at wahington on an their honeymoon the conrads meet clarence hathaway Hal haway friend of neals young dip diplomat lOaL the young couple start houn housekeeping keep annes health begins to fail neal engrossed in politics does not notice she rea read lires the he Is to he be a mother while neal ts is away anne has a visit from an old friend mr gruenburg GoU olde eburg enburg in neals absence he takes charge of the situation neal is in an agony of 0 remorse over ever his neglect their son is born in the ensuing eight years neals law practice and his hia position in ill politics both mount A daughter has been born to anne but her beauty to is lading fading clarence hathaway now in a diplomatic postin post te paris visits the conrads CHAPTER VII continued 17 1 I was think thinking ng that I 1 done as well politically as id hoped I 1 expected to be governor of this state by now well yes I 1 rather thought that was your plan but after all hathaway tapped the arm of his chair with his fingers gazing nto into the open fire as he did so then he be asked acost a most astonishing question now dow about your wife was she interested in politics too anno anne neals surprise was apparent in his voice why anne would je interested I 1 guess in anything I 1 wanted to do slie she abes devoted to me yes of course I 1 saw that but I 1 mean has she been helping you actively and directly as well as passively and indirectly ashes gone without everything neal answered coming swiftly to annes defense under the impression that she was being attacked good times and pretty clothes and trips and friends I 1 never would hive have been able to go into politics if she once I 1 thought I 1 wa was going to lose her id neglected her terribly and she was going to have a baby which made it all the worse and I 1 nearly went wild when I 1 realized what id done but after had a chance to forget about that bad time you neglected her again 1 I suppose I 1 did do but theres never been another woman good G dl I 1 should say not I 1 what do you want the capitolino venust venus no roared neal angrily what are you driving at anyway my aly dear fellow please dont think im venturing to criticize your conduct condu ct and as for criticizing your wife well I 1 thought ten years ago she was one of the loveliest as well as one of the most remarkable girls id ever met in my life ive remembered her pretty vividly all this time n little unusual for me and I 1 confess that seeing her tonight has been nn an acute disappointment well im not disappointed in her she suits me just wait a minute cant you I 1 still think ashes beautiful and remarkable even more remarkable than id guessed but I 1 think ashes tragic tragic I 1 yes how flow old Is she under thirty I 1 thought so well she looks over forty ashes stagnating mentally as well as physically ashes submerged herself in your personality and your career and your children until ashes nothing but a washed out drudge without a particle of individuality left ashes done it voluntarily because she loved you loves you but she must know even if you dont know that she W was as capable of something a good deal bigger with her looks and her mini mind find and her natural gifts as a hostess neal you utter fool ID even ven if you are my guest and nn an old friend I 1 think youve gone about far enough in discussing my wife then suppose we discuss mine tor for a change yours I 1 I 1 know you were married I 1 im not but I 1 was you mean you lost her clare im darned sorry I 1 heard yes I 1 lost her but she die she found out she cared for some one else more than she did for roe me I 1 found it it out to too oh yes E exactly she was a poor girl when I 1 married her almost as poor as anne and she came from it a home that much better but she was pretty devilishly pretty and ambitious for herself I 1 fell toi for her hard and fast I 1 ought to have known better lord knows ive had emeri ence enough but I 1 married her she began by almost ruining me financially and she ended by almost ruining me ine diplomatically caesars caesara Cae sars wife had nothing on that of a rising young secretary I 1 left that post in rome which I 1 enjoyed so much because I 1 was given an indefinite leave of absence when I 1 went to paris I 1 went without her neal found himself more moved than lie he could have imagined and not only moved enlightened clare had made no comparisons aloud but neal saw those that he had made men tally as clearly as it if they had been engraved in flaming letters saw too how he had injured anne iffie since he could perhaps never be entirely selfless how he had in injuring her injured himself as well before he succeeded in framing nn an answer hathaway spoke again so that and seeing anne you dont mind if I 1 call her anne do you here tonight brought it all back to me because ashes ashes so different and youre so lucky and playing against your luckl luck I 1 what neal managed to ask would you do it you were IT I 1 hathaway balanced the question would anything very dreadful happen he asked at length if you left though I 1 must say you look very nice the way you are those two corking kids with that pretty mald maid shed look after them all right she and took anne on a vacation im sailing next week on the prance why dont you see if yon could get a stateroom on the same boat and and spend the summer in paris and let me help give you both a good time I 1 CHAPTER VIII neal had come down with a heavy cold which kept hept him confined to the hotel but he insisted since ho he was not really sick and since there was so little time left that anne should not stay in with him but should go as they had both planned to do and have tea with clare at the chateau IP de madrid it was very warm for paris and annes beautifully dressed hair shining like burnished gold escaped from its net met about the white nape of her neck and her white brow and curled in little soft moist tendrils her diaphanous negligee pale orchid color had slipped away from one white rounded shoulder and she raised ft slim white hand and pulled it into place 17 1 I shant be disappointed she said if I 1 dont go there are some letters I 1 ought to write and nonsense 11 1 and I 1 shall have to dress since when teased neal has that been a burden to you though I 1 must say you look very nice the way you are she flushed deliciously 1 I meant it Is so very warm I 1 suppose that clare might think it precia alve if we both went back on him she disappeared into the bedroom and a moment later neal heard the sound of running water from the bath ro room om beyond ile he smiled now how happy she had been all summer merl it was nearly four months now since they had stood beside the gang plank watching it lifted waving goodby to dora and junior and nancy to mr find and mrs goldenburg and george and mabel alabel who had all come to sei see them off for it was a great day for these old friends as well as for themselves when neal and anne actually went to europe the very morning after their arrival in paris while they were at breakfast clare who had not left them until nearly midnight reappeared anti am mapped out their program before they did a single thing anne annc must he re clothed lie ile would accompany them to a dressmakers a petite malson not too expensive but very clice and worthy of being entrusted with this task and I 1 expect he said frankly that the job will have to be done from the skin up you yon dont look to me as if you had on the right ta things 11 underneath nobody has waistlines waist lines any more on the contrary every one has legs you dont expect me to go with anne to the dressmakers protested neal fi aghast ghast of course both of us husband and interested friend think she have any male relatives to pay the bills if she went alone arid and clare was right about this as he was about everything else neal found himself welcomed with open arms lie he enjoyed the welcome nt at the first three or four establishments then it began to pall on him and he suggested that clare and anne should go without him while he went around to the american express to see if by any chance anyone from belford had registered there but he paid the hills bills without a murmur in a glow of satisfaction i as he saw anne transformed almost before his eyes presently she looked no more than her age again then she began to look a good deal less than her age TO BE CONTINUED |