New Britain herald., 1928-01-12


 eve. with its barrels of cranberries glistening like rubies. its great wooden boxes of holly. its bunch of mistletoe hanging in the windows, and the holly wreaths in the lighted windows casting shadows on the sidewalks without.
 Behind the counter Pats mother, in her black dress and crisp. white apron. was dropping Christmas cookies into bag. She looked up brightly when Lily opened the door, her blue eyes shining in the spar king electric lights just above her. "Well. you just missed Pat" she said, pushing her steel-rimmed spec tacles up on her forehead % that she could see more clearly. She al- ways said she couldn't really see people through those glasses.
 He stopped in with Roy and Sadye Jefferson for . minute" she went on. in her quick way. And 1 sent you a little box of fruit cake"
 Nice of you," Lily answered, ab- sently. Was he going straight homer"
 And then, like flash. she thought of something she had left at home the green watch and Staley Drum mond's card on the living room table! She clapped her hand to he. mouth and a look of real fear came into her eyes.
 "Oh, my soul and body" she gasped aloud, to the amazement of Pats mother, who stared at her with wide-open eyes as she fairly fell backwards out of the store.
 There was barrel of onions just just outside the store. flanked by barrel of potatoes and one of Hub bard squash. But she did not even see them, as she started back over the road that led to the flat. Oh. If only Pat had stopped off at the Jettersons' for minute! Just long enough to let her get home ahead of him and put that green watch and staley Drummond's card out of sight! If only he had
 "Please don't let him sec that card!" Lily found herself actually praying in her heart. as she flew along over the sidewalks. her breath coming thick and fast, ana her feet aching in their thin high heeled slippers that had not been made for speed or comfort.
 She knew then. as she never had knoEn before, really, how much Pat meant to her. Why. how cou.e she ever have dreamed of leaving him. when the mere thought of his finding out about Staley was so ter rifying a thought to her?
 The Jettersone' car was not park cd in front of the apartment when she turned into the street from tho corner, and Lily breathed a sharp sigh of relief.
 Taking them two steps at time, she rushed up the stairs of the building and unlocked the door of her own suite on the second floor.
 And then, in -hata tiny second, as she stood on the threshold. she saw just what had happened
 Pat had been home for some min- utes before he saw the card. For he had had time to take off his coat and hat and hang them up. They were nowhere in sight, and he had even filled his pipe and lighted it. It lay on the table before him as he stood, holding the watch and the card in his hand the card with it's tell-tale message scrawled across the back of it.
 He evidently had just picked 1t up. for when Lily opened ths door he was turning 1t over to see the name that was engraved upon the other side of it.
 With a cry she rushed to him and tore it out of his hands.
 Don't look st 1t! Don't look at it!" she cried out 70 him. Tt doesn': mean a thing to me. It doesn't." She began to tear the thin little piece of pasteboard into bits.
 Pat looked at her, not coldly, but as if he were looking straight into her soul, at all .he deceit and lies of the last two or three months. He smiled for a second.
 Your word, Lily?" he asked. quietly. 'I wonder how much your word means" He looked down at the watch that slittered in the light like a baieful green eye,
 You couldn't lave been very honest with me all these months you've been living with me-" he went on. slowly and deliberately, COT you wouldn't have been seeing so much of Drummond that he's begin