New Britain herald., 1927-02-28
CHAPTER Tx

body!
You see, If go up to this
Schultz cat with an engagement
ring on my finger. and tell her I'm
going to marry Ted. she won't
have leg to stand on" she said,
turning her flashy roadster into the
hedged driveway that led up to
the pink stucco house.
Shed look pretty sick, bringing
suit against me because I'd vamped
her husband. when I'm going to
marry another gink,' she added,
with a toss Of her small defiant
head.
But you aren't going to marry
Ted, SO you say" Bobbie re-
minded her quietly.
Yes, but she doesn't know that"
Monica giggled. AS the car came
TO stop she honked its three
noted horn loudly.
1t was a bold blast But Mon
ica's own boldness suddenly left
her as she stood on the porch of
the house and rang the doorbell.
Bobbie could almost see her trem-
Bile, and she looked white and
strained.
Il feel about as cheerful as If
l were going to the electric chair"
she giggled nervously. For two
pins, I'd beat it,
The door opened, and Lottie her
self stood there.
| Without a word, she looked first
from Monica to Bobbie as if she
wondered how on earth they hap
pened to be standing there side by
side.
"How-do-you do?" she faltered
at last.
And then, after another little
pause, she said: Wont you
come in?"
1t was perfectly plain that that
was what they had come for, and
there really was nothing for her
to do but to ask them in.
They followed her into the cool
dimness of the house. The blinds
were down to keep out the blazing
sunlight of the late afternoon, and
all of the rooms were filled with
artificial twilight. ..
| Bobbie saw Monica look curious
ly about her at the plain soft rugs
the light colored walls, the silk
draperies, and the great crystal
bowls of roses that were every
where in the rooms.
| This was anything but Monica's
notion OF what house should be.
Her own taste ran to gilt-framed
pictures on the walls, bright-col-
ored rugs on the floors, taffeta sofa
cushions loaded with gold lace. in
cense burners and velvet chairs.
| She sat down on the very edge of
n straight backed chair in the cool
dim library. where every inch OF
wall space was covered with book
shelves.
I Boobie sank down on a stool near
her, and Lottie faced them both on
the wide blue sofa across the room.
She looked as if she had been
crying, and her face was almost
! the color of the cream colored linen
/ dress she wore. She folded her
long slender hands on her knees
and looked expectantly at Monica.
Yes she asked quietly. You
wanted TO speak to me?"
Monica gulped and nodded. Then
all at once she was herself again.
Her bold brassy self.
She flung up her head. opened
her painted mouth and began:
/ yes, did want to speak to you
about that husband of yours!
J hear you've got fool idea in your
/ head that I've stolen him away
from you. Well l haven't. I don't
want him and l never did want
him. AS far as I can see, he was
just sick of his home and his
family and wanted little cheerful
ness and wild time. So he hung
himself on mel"
She stopped and waited as If she
expected Lottie to fight back, or at
| least to say something.
But Lottie sat perfectly silent.
| her dark eyes wide and shadowy
in the shadowy room.
III I hadn't taken pity on him,
some other girl would have." Mon
| lea rushed on after minute or SO.
"A man can't run around Holly
wood looking for excitement with
out finding some! You'd better be
glad that he didn't take up with
some drug store blond who'd have
hung on to him like a leech-one
of these brass chickens that run
around Hollywood!
las soon as l found out that
you were worried about him and
me. l told him to go hang himself
out on limb" she added
Bobbie knew that this was
brazen lie. Monica never had
told Roy Schultz or any other man
to go hang himself out on limb"
| Her system was to hang on to them
until she had got everything from
them that she thought she could
! get from them - money. jewelry,
flowers, parts In a motion picture.
She was a highway robber. and
she cleaned them out
Besides" she said coyly, rails
ing baby-blue eyes to Lottie's stony
face, I'm engaged to marry an
other man. See
She held up her small hand, and
Ted Piper's great diamond hlinked
out into the dimness like a tigers
eye.
I've sent notice of my engage
ment to Mr.. Theodore Piper to all
the papers" she. announced in her
soft coarse voice, "and by the time
you get ready to sue your husband
for divorce, III be on my way to
Europe on my honeymoon"
Bobbie gasped at the boldness OF
the lie she was telling. Going to
Europe on her honeymoon with Ted
Piper! Why, 1t was absurd. She
wasn't even going TO marry Ted
Piper; had no intention OF marry
ing Ted Piper.