New Britain herald., 1926-03-10

Imiacrably. "yes, l did care" He waved his hand. But i's all over now"
 "Jim, was 1t the girl I saw you with that night?' i His silence told her that it was
 'I saw her on the street yesterday. She stopped when she saw me and looked as if she was about to speak to me-"
 An eager light leapod into his eyes. at sight of which she clenched her hands till the nails left deep red marks in her flesh.
 "She did" ?" he asked ! "Yes. but apparently she changed ! her mind"
 ! A new hope charged him, and he grasped 1t as a starving man clutches at 9 piece of bread. He thought, "If she was going 10 speak, iit was 10 find out--to get the ex~ planation I nc%r gave her" ! But as swiftly as tho thought had come 10 him he dismissed 1t. "shes engaged" he reasoned, "and 10 a man that's not good enough to be shot. There's nothing I could do.' He felt as helpless as B, swimmer carried along Oil q, relentless tide 1 He rose. Come" he said to Olga. 'I'll take you where you're going" He managed a laugh. Thanks for the lunch. It's been 8 new experi. ence,"
 "Im going home" she told him. 1 Then I'll walk home with you" ! He would have left her at her door, but she urged him to come into | her apartment.
 "You've never seen it Jim. You can tell me what you think of It."
 He went in with her and looked around him and admired it.
 "You've got uncomnlonly fine taste" he told her, and failed to mo- tce that she was trembling and bit. ing her under lip, as if to keep her. self under control.
 He stuck out his hand. Well, I'll toddle along"
 Cant you stay q while? You're 1 in no hurry arc you?"
 ~ havo an appointment with Barry Colyin." he lied--for the ap- lpointment was for dinner. { Olga had moved very close to him, and she laid her hands on his arms, llet them creep upward to his shoul- ders. The scent of her hair was in his noStrils, like a sweet. vagrant breath of flowers on an April night.
 He closed his eyes, throwing back his head. and he clenched his hands tightly. conscious that no matter what he did he was bound to hurt her.
 Hes made life pretty bitter for both Of us, hasn't he, Jim:" she half whispered. and raised her face to his.
 And as he bent down to her kiss his arms pressing her closely to him. he saw himself again as some cruel hinnderer smashing the toy of lit- tie child.
 ! bttpIt hdTN Lo"Gll tS cS lHS keys of her typewriter. manipulated by her nimble fingers, clicked off the sentences as she translated them from her shorthand notes.
 And yet as she stopped occasion ally to read them over. two words, born Of a troubled mind, kept danc- ing before her vision. They were JIM RAND.
 And In her fancy she could still see his erect, road-shouldered fig ure. his smooth brown hair and level eyes, his ciose-cropped mustache; and beside him, always, was a slen- der, beautiful girl--a girl with light gold hair and violet eyes that were cool. A girl with long black lashes and black, high-arched eyebrows and delicately fashioned nose. =.
 Her every waking thought was of those two, and her dreams. most of them, of him.
 The thought rose to taunt her that but for her unconquerable pride, he would have been hers. |. |. Happiness had been within her grasp. and she had let if go. and that was the greatest tragedy that life contained.
 l She fashioned bitter thought into