Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-16
WEDLOCKED
BY HAZEL DEYO BACHELOR.

for you constantly. You ought to stay
in bed in the morning and build up
your strength. I want to be the
person to look out for you. / wax:
you to marry me-"
He wanted her to marry him!
Nan was still drowsy from the
whisky she had had and the food she
had eaten. He wanted her to marry
him.
What had Helen Sheridan said? He
was famous corporation lawyer The
most famous In the country, end a
director of one Of the railroads. Fancy
being married to a man like that,
Fancy the delicious luxury Of not
thinking where your next penny was
coming from! Fancy being taken care
Of, staying in bed in the morning as
he had said, Sometimes she was so
tired that it was an effort for her to
take her bath.
His eager voice was still pleading.
ANY kind of life that you want to
live will suit me. You see, I fell in
love with you the other night, and !
hope I'm not spelling my chances by
telling you too soon. But tonight you
seem so small and pathetic and alone;
L just wanted you to know that / am
your responsibilities.
Nan was in a kind of daze, She
couldn't actually believe that Martin
was proposing to her. and yet his
words were definite enough. Out of
the muzziness of her thoughts she
CROPPED for reason. She must tell him,
OF course, that she wasn't in love with
him, but it was such an effort-tonight.
You see," she began, I'm not in
love with YOU" And then she CON
tlnued more passionately, And want
10 loVe-more than anything else in
the world. Money doesn't make any
dlfIerence TO me. / can always get
along. 1 want love. It's something
you can't force, you know. I'd rather
stay on as l am without very MANY
creature comforts than marry some
one didn't love. Oh, hate to talk
to you like this. / do. But I can't
marry you. 1t wouldn't be fair to YOU
or to me-"
He stared at her unbelievinglv. He
couldn't believe that she was shutting
SIM out Of her life. 1t wasn't posi-.
BILE. He could give her everything.
What a mad, impossible child she
was,
And then there came diversion.
the doorbell shrilled, and Martin
went to answer it.
He saw Il tall, slender man with
dark hair and gray eyes. He was very
young PROBABLY not more than rs
or 80.
Those gray eyes of Toms widened
as he met Martins blue ones. Who
was this man who seemed to be so
free and easy here at Mans apart.
ment? AS he entered the room he
noticed first of all Nan in bed and a
tray on a chair beside her. It all
looked very strange.
After his discouraging day. he had
started to think about Mans sore
throat. He had felt that he must go
and see her, just to see If she were
all right, but she seemed more than
that.
Nan, however, was holding out her
hand.
Hello, Tom. How sweet of you to
come and see me!''
Tom stopped to kiss her fingers.
which vaguely thrilled her. She was
feeling almost herself, now that Tom
was here.
She hadn't stopped to think Of the
unconventionality of Martin Lees
presence until he spoke.
oO IOilS DIS sumo one else IS with
you, I'll go on, Miss Hartley. And /
do hope that your cold will be much
better in the morning."
She felt the sudden stiffness In his
voice, and realized that he had been
very kind to her. But what was she
to do? She loved Tom. And Tom
was here. Miraculously enough he
was here. 1t was the first time he ever
had been, but he was now. She
couldn't think beyond that fact.
"Oh, Mr.. Lee, l can never thank
you enough for your Kindness" she
began facetiously, but he silenced her
with a gesture.
please don't think another thing
about it, and was gone before she
or Tom could say anything more.
But as he descended the stairs his
thoughts were rampant. He hadn't
dreamed he could lose her, and she
was the first woman he had really
wanted. f.s
Copyright 1927
Continued in Mondya's Star.)