Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-12-29
At Bridge
ARA y ANNE AUSTIN <1Hey u rug BLACK PIGEON:

whom Penny was preceding into
her living room. The Ralph Ham
mond OF Saturday had had q
white, drawn face and sick eyes.
But this boy.
Like his older brother, Give,
Ralph Hammond had dark-red,
curling hair. But unlike his bro
Tiers his eyes were a wide, candid
hazel-the green iris thickly fleck-
ed with brown. A little shorter than
Give. a trifle more slender. But
that which held the detectives
eyes was something less tangible
but at once more evident than
superlative masculine good looks.
It was a sort OF shy joyousness
and buoyance. which flushed the
tan OF his cheeks, sang in his
voice. made his eyes almost un-
bearably bright.
Before Penny Grain. very pale
and quiet. could sink into the chair
she was cropping toward. Ralph
Hammond was az her side. one arm
going out TO encircle her shoulders.
Don't look like that, Penny"
Dundee heard him plead. his voice
suddenly humble. You've every
Tl<ht 10 be sore at me. honey. hut
please don't he. ! know I've beer
a., au,f-sf raZ +hnea lauf Forr- u,aoL~
but I'm myself again. I'm cured
now. Penny"
Wait. Ralph Penny protested
family. holding hack as ne would
have Rugged her hard against his
breast. What about-Nita?"
Dundee saw the young mans face
60 darkly red. but heard his boyish
voice answer almost steadily: Il
hoped you'd understand without
making me put it into words. hon.
ey -. I'm cured of-Nita. ] can't
express it any other way except to
say / rs sick. and now I'm cured"
You mean"-Penny faltered. but
with a swift imploring glance to-
ward Dundee-"you don't love Nita
any more? You can't deny YOU were
terribly in love with her. Ralph.
Lois told uS-told me last night that
Mia had told her III strictest con-
fidence that she had promised to
marry you. Just Thursday night"
The boys face was very pale as
he dropped his hands from Penny'S
shoulders. but Dundee. from behind
the portieres, was not troubling TO
spy for the moment. He was too in
dignant at Penny for having with
held from him the vital fact Of
Nita's engagement to Ralph Ham
mOnd.
That's true. Penny" Ralph was
saying duly. You have a right to
know. because I'm asking you to
marry me, now ... I did propose
10 Nita again Thursday night. and
she did accept me I confess now /
was wild with happiness
Why did she refuse YOU before?'
Penny cut in. and Dundee silently
thanked her for asking the ques-
ton he would have liked to ask
himself. Was il because she wasn't
sure she IA in love with you?"
You're making II awfully hard
for me, honey" the boy protested.
then admitted humbly. of course
you want to know and you should
know .... No. she said all along
almost from the first. that she low
ed me more than I could love her,
but that there were-reasons. ....
Two reasons. she always said. and
once I asked her j~ealously II they
we're both men. but she looked SO
startled and then laughed so queer
" that I didn't ask again 80. Then
1 thought it might be because I was
younger than she was. though I
can't believe she is more than g or
SO. and I'm IS. you know. And once
I got cold sick because I thought
she might still be married. but she
said her husband was married again.