Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-05-02
CHAPTER 50

CHAPTER so
Elanda's first impulse was to rush
out to the kitchen and - she didn't
know what she wanted to do. she
had never had murder in her heart
but what she felt was akin TO IL.
Dixie! Pretending to be her friend
and going out with her fiance. Leav-
ing her husband and baby. And Dix
lie had planned to 60 away with his
crowd for the weekend and lie TO
them all.
Then Elanda knew she could not
face Dixie then. She got up
stealthily and wiped her eyes and
powdered her nose and tiptoed weak
ly across the living room floor. She
opened the door softly-holding her
breath in fear that Dixie would hear
her.
A cool breeze was blowing. She
wore no hat and II felt ~deliciously
refreshing against her hot head and
burning cheeks. Think j. :. think.
She must think.
She walked to Washington Square
Park AMI sat down heavily on a
bench. 1t was about the only bench
empty in the park. All around her
we're foreign men and women from
the village and the East Side, sitting
watching their dirty children play IN
the cool evening breeze.
IL Seemed strange to see them
there. Dotting the Square were tall
apartments that rented for fortunes.
A queer mixture of squalor and
wealth-Greenwich Village.
1t was Thursday. And Friday
night-tOmorrow night-she would
have to 60 to the studio and sing.
1t seemed impossible. It was the
following dsy that Dixie planned to
90 away for the weekend with
Greg.
How could she go on and be her
self-and smile and try 10 act as
though nothing had occurred? Her
world had fallen around her in little
pieces. It wasn't SO much the loss
Of Greg. That strangely she thought,
was rather a relief.
Ii was humiliating to know she
would have to suffer through the
questions that might be asked her
and 10 endure the lifting OF eye
brows and the whispered comment
OF a curious world.
But she told herself truthfully, she
never had loved Greg. She never
had trusted him. She was not sur
prised TO find that his evenings were
passed with other women Certain
", all those evenings he had ne
elected to v call he had not been
sitting at home playing solitary. Not
Greg Du Pont.
WHY had lie asked her to marry
him? She reasoned that out, too.
She kneW-she could tell from his
violent love making, that she was a
physical attraction. Her GOODNESS
had disappointed him. That was
why he had been staying away from
her. She was not someone TO be
kind TO and cherish as his future
wife. He was not pleased that she
was a good woman. IL had bored
him. AS Zinnie Confrey had bored
him with her sheer decency.
But Dlxiel Her best friend-and
a wife and mother. The girl she
had known all her life. Light-heart-
ed ard sometimes empty-headed.
But. with sound hard common sense
that had overtOpped 1t all even III
her most n~Onsensical moments.
She had seemed 70 love her baby
SO. But it must be that her life on
stage had hxen SO exciting and
full OF good times and rich men that
size had desired \ all SO badly again
she had broken down all her ira
ditions. Bang hadn't enough mon
ey to hold her.
Elanda remembered all the good
times they had had. The thousand
and one little -tendernesses Dixie had
shown her-and found il almost inn
possible to believe she were not
dreaming. Suddenly the tears be-
gan ~ rain down her cheeks.
She was remembering all the
kind things-the sweet memories OF
her girlhood chum. and forgetting
that she had chartered it all with
her telephone call TO Greg Du Pont.
What would she say II she knew
Elarda had heard II? Elanda mar
yelled that she had been able 70
keen from screaming out at her.
That she had managed TO get out
Without her hearing her.
A small man with an artistic hair
( cut and a flowing tie came up and
sat down beside Elanda. She OBJ
served him suddenly-and that he
was getting ready TO speak TO her.
She got up, therefore and walked
on.
She walked around the park and