The Daily Alaska empire., 1929-10-31

in the show? Maybe, Ray, we'll both find ourselves famous"
 T know Recognition, fortune Perhaps Barbara "
 Barbara?
 My wife" he nodded.
 IT didn't know you were mar ried. Ray"
 T guess I don't talk about it much"
 Her face cleared. So it was like that. There was always another woman somewhere in mans life.
 You don't care for each other?'
 we do-that's the worst of it," he exclaimed, suddenly. Moneys the trouble with her-too much of it. Care to hear about it, Rita?"
 She nodded listlessly, "Sure-so ahead"
 Presently he began talking softly, telling of how Barbara and he had loved in the heyday of his wealthy boyhood-then of his fathers sui eide and his own disappearance. Later of meeting Barbara on the Vendena and of the events that had eliminated in their marriage. Fin ally he told of the mental agony that had caused him to break defl- nitely with his wife.
 But I intended it to be only a temporary measure" he concluded. q love Barbara. I've still hopes that we'll eventually patch it up again. If I can put this score across. 1t may be soon-gloriously soonl"
 The girl forced smile. She felt suddenly all dead inside her, but Ray, carried away by his own sur prising good fortune, didn't notice the change that had come over her.
 You'll help me, won't you?"
 "Yes, I'll help you, Ray"
 She was trying to be a good little sport. She couldn't blame Ray for being in love with his wife. or course, he might have told her sooner, but he had never suggested by his manner that they were any thing more than friends,
 Presently, standing by the open door, she watched Ray disappear down the stairs, two at a time, and heard his happy, excited whistle growing fainter in the distance, She shut the door with a little snap.
 Life was queer tangle. Con- tinually you awoke to find your self in love with some one who did not reciprocate.
 She strengthened herself with a jerk. She didn't have to cure her self of the emotional madness Of past weeks But-she would have to help Ray work on that score. She couldn't be so rotten a sport as to let him down now!
 And she was good as her word In the weeks that followed, she rendered invaluable assistance tc Ray, encouraging. criticizing and taking down notes as he played them. Gradually they drifted into the habit of returning to her apart ment after the club had closed down and of working on, sometimes into the dawn.
 Those first days Rita tried te make herself believe that her chie1 interest in Ray lay in their mutual work, but she was too basically honest to fool herse If for long Hours when they were not together seemed interminably long, and there came time when she frankly ad- mitted that she could not volun- tarily have given up Ray, even hao she wished to.
 She forced herself to live entire. lily in the present. With a philo' sophical shrug she concluded tha many things might happen. Hi wife might grow tired of waitins and find consolation elsewhere. Ra. himself, might grow to prefer her 2, In the meantime life was yer. tgood, well worth while. The da, the producer approved their mi
 tial efforts they were like two de mented creatures, intoxicated witt joy. What dreams they sharc'
 that night over the dinner table With renewed vigor they returnet