New Britain herald., 1925-12-18


 plments and attention sometimes, you know"
 Bob laid down his pipc and rose to answer a telephone. Barbara be- gan her answer 10 the letter from | Niolctta,
 Congratulations my d,1r"
 &h" wrote, "Tou seem 10 be on
 the road to happiness, But re-
 member that winning man
 isn't holding him. Try 10 make
 your hom" so happy that he'll
 want 10 stay in if, think l'H
 choose som" other color than
 red for wedding dress"
 "Spea'ing Of angrls.' said Bob, returning from the tclephonc, "th"ro's cal for you from Jerome hmsclf.'
 Barbara ros" with alacri-y.
 "llowdy. daTodil," h. said when she took up tn" receiver "Whcro have you bcon?"
 Right h"re in this workadav office all the time" answered Bar bara. "Now don't tell me you have De'n trying to reach me and couldn't"
 1 "Nopc, no use lying to you, Bat, oara. But the only reason l didn't try to get you was that l knew VOL We're so popular you'd have no tilny. for me"
 Barbara spoke with a note Of au- ger in her voice. Stop your non sense Jerome, and tell me what'., up. I've q desk full of mail wait, ing for mo"
 My, but we're pcppcry," replieI Jerome What's up is that l want to come by and drive you home little later. May r." Yes, if you can wait till five ithirty"
 Sure thing. See you later"
 Barbara went back to her desk. What do you suppose Jerome wants to talk to me about? It's rather odd' for him to make such a point of driving me home"
 Watch out for him. Babs." Bob smoked his pipe thoughtfully. Hes a gay deceiver."
 Barbara tossed her head.
 IL vas still raining in santing SleetS when she came back to the Telegraph building a little later from lecture at the Women's Civic Progress League rooms,
 She fought her way through mass Of umbrellas and stood on the curbing in front of the building looking at little tea shop on the opposite side. Its little lamps glowing on tables for two and its trim waitreSses hurrying to and fro invited her to refuge from the dreary weather.
 Barbara made a plunge for inc other side of the street. and landed on me curb just in time to be plen- utuily splaShed by a taxicab that tore past.
 l She cast rueful glance at her tan silk stockings, streaked with | mud. Her umbrella was nourinc, n : Jet of water from every rib. She l scrambled through another stream } or passerby and made a dive for 'he door of the tea shop.
 Inside, waitress showed her to A corner table beside a window and r brought her cup of steaming , chocolate, and looked about her, l The shop was full of women mostly } lh groups of two or three, chatting { over the tea cups.
 Ihey were pretty, well -groomed { women having good time in a l lazy, feminine way. Barbara caught s herself staring enviously at their IuFs and their fresh faces. The mud was soaking through her stock { lnss and her hat was dripping rain l down her neck.
 One by one the women rose ap5 left many of them stepping from the curb into cars driven by smiling l men. The rush hour of the tea = shop was past. S Barbara sat alone by her window gazing out at the wet street. dread [ Ing the plunge into the dcluge. The Q clock over the cashiers desk slinned { around to f1ve-ffteen. She rose and Q paid her check. n The crowds on the sidewalks were n still greater than when she had en. y tered. As Barbara started for inc Q curh' a taN man with an umbrella |. lostled against her She stepned ,. pack He had girl on his arm, 5. Barbara gared after the two. rubbing the elbow that the man had ' bumped. Thoy turned so that bn,b 0 their faces Were visible. The man Il was Bruce, and Re girl WAS sln. y down-cyed creatHro whc WI. ani' }. up a, him childlshlv. d Barbara had never s,.rr b,., .. before.
 - tTO Be CsntinuedD