New Britain herald., 1925-06-20
M FILA [P[p[S[R yyy1I[Y[E
, O leas VIA srRvrE plc.
I.NY Beatiice Burton {

Forgan,' she said quietly. and held 1 out her hand,
 He took his dismissal without a word .. just pressed her hand and went away. Gloria watched the red tail-light of his car disappear into the darkness.
 Poor, lonely old bird!" she said to herself, With his sporty clothes and racy car trying to kid himself that he's still young and gay!"
 She almost wished that she had gone for a drive with Ulysses X. It couldn't have dono any one any real harm. could 1t? And he had seemed pathetic in his loneliness. | ...
 But no, she couldn't have any men friends |. married. as she was, Of course. there would al- ways be men who'd,fall in love with her. so long as she was young and kept her looks. But she never would want any of them, ..
 There was only one thing in the world that meant anything to her one thing that she really want ed. And that was Dicks love. But she had found 1t out too late
 She'd lost 1t, and 1t never would come again.
 q wonder where Dick IS tonight, |" Gloria wondered.
 -. Perhaps he was having dinner somewhere with Susan Briggs.
 Gloira thought of the little din- ners she and Dick had had in res l taurants. How he had resented the admiring glances of men who stared at her.
 She giggled, in spite of her heart ache: well, that's ono thing he won't have to worry about when he's with Miss Briggs" she thought. "No one would look at her twice. She's as homely as a mudfence"
 There was undeniable comfort in the thought of Miss Briggs plain ness. ..
 But Dick was not having dinner with Susan Briggs that night
 He was not having dinner with anyone.
 At the very moment when Gloria was wishing Ulysses X. Forgan goodnight and goodby. he was tear ing along green country lanes in the little car he had bought for her.
 1 He came back 10 town against the wind It set the blood racing in his veins, and burned his face. It was good to be challenged by the wind 10 defy 1t with his own speed.
 All day he had been "hlue" , low in his mind. Everything in his life, lately. seemed to have gone stale and fiat.
 It was nine O clock when he got back to town. He drove down the street toward home.
 Home" these days meant his l mothers perfectly ordered house Perfectly cooked meals . always on time.
 His ties were always pressed and folded neatly in his drawers. His socks were always mended. There never was a single button missing from his shirts.
 But. nevertheless, there was something distinctly missing from his life. He didn't know just what it was, either.
 =. As Dick swung his car into the driveway. he saw that another car was parked there. His father and mother evidently had guests
 He backed the car out of the drive. The thought of talking to a roomful of people was intolerable 10 him just then.
 A half hour later he was in tht kitchen of his own house. He had tied a clean dish-towel aro1nd hi' waist for an apron.
 He held can opener in one hanc and a tin of baked beans in thu other. A wedge of Yorkstate cheese loaf of rye bread, and baker' pie were on the kitchen table.
 For this "delfcatessen" meal Dick had foregone chicken pie anc raspberry shortcake at his mother house that night.
 He had come home straight iron the office to get his car. And theI he had driven out into the opei country. Like all people wht are beset with loneliness, he hat wanted to be alone. : But he was cheerful enough now puttering around his own hous ) the house where Gloria had s, lately been. He ate his cold, tndi gostible food with gusto. He whis fled as he rinsed his dishes ant ! piled them up on the drainboard. Then he took his Genera Dawes pipe from his pocket, am went into the living room. H switched on the lights there. ant stopped short. staring. There was a vase of wilted rose cn the table that stood beside hi ' arm chair. They had not been thcr g week ago! His smoking stan' . was in perfect order. And beside it on the floor lay ; square Of crumpled cambric . Glorias handkerchief, She hal . been in the house! She ha, rome back. But why? -. An' when?
 ? And how had she managed t , get in, without a key? Dick trie, the living-room windows. They wer ! all locked. Then he went into tn 5 sun room. He saw al once the window tha l Gloria had pried open. There weT