The Washington times., 1931-03-24

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was convinced Of; but even that
didn't matter. Nothing mat
tered but Lorrimer and his hap
pinesS and the ultimate reach.
ing of the truth, the eventual,
absolute honesty which must
prevail between all of them
in this situation, were anything
good to come out of chaos.
Two days later Mary Lou
went to New York-alone.
II 4 II
Not Her Affair?
On the train out Of Westmill
Mary Lou sat looking blindly
out of the window, her heart
a small, human battlefield. At
each stop she was inclined to
get out and wait for a train
which would take her back.
She had been mad to come!
Mrs. Lorrimer would never for
give her. It was not, after all,
her affair. But it was her af-
fair. She was as much in
volved as anyone else and, low
ing Lorrimer as she did, his
happiness was so important to
her that she must risk Mar.
garet's displeasure and see this
thing through.
When Larry had told her
about meeting Delight Har-
ford he had happened to men.
ton the address at which she
lived, or rather, the name Of
the hotel. At Grand Central,
Mary Lou went into a tele-
phone booth and looked up the
hotel. She called the number,
asked for Miss Hartford, was
greeted by blank ignorance on
the part of the hotel telephone
girl, and then, remembering,
asked for Miss Hackett-Diana
Hackett.
She stood there in the stuffy
booth with the distant noises Of
trains pulling out and in, in
her ears, with people hurrying
by, with the clatter Of the sub
way turnstiles not for off, and
waited for Diana to answer.
The palms Of her hands were
wet and cold. She was trembl-
ing q little.
Lorrimer had left early that
morning for the flying field.
Mrs. Lorrimer had estate mat
ters to attend to before noon
and for the afternoon had been
persuaded to go to o bridge
party at the WynneS'. Jenny
was in town, visiting a cousin,
staying for week or so, in or
der to buy clothes, having left
for New York that morning.
While Jenny was in Manhattan,
Larry would be well occupied.
So at breakfast with Margaret,
Lorrimer having breakfasted
early and alone. Mary Lou had
said that she must go to town
and out to see Billy. She hadn't
seen him in several weeks, and
a letter had just come from
India which, when she an
swered, she wished to answer
from firSt-hand knowledge.
Mary Lou Explains
But she was not planning to
go straight to Oakdale. She
had an errand in town first,
upon the subject Of which she
was mute.
"Well?" asked Diana Hackett,
in the receiver.
Mary Louis nerves steadied.
She spoke her own name, told
the rather indifferent listener
on the other end Of the wire
that she was a friend Of Larry
Mitchell's and wished to see
her as soon as possible on a
matter of great importance.
Could she come to the hotel
now? Yes, she was nearby
at Grand Central, in fact. 1T
really Is important" she said,
ito you, Miss Hackett."
Come along then" answered
Diana.
''Will we be alone?"
more or less" the other wo-
man answered.
Mary Lou went out Of the
booth presently and took a
taxi to the hotel. A few min
utes later the door of an apart
ment was opened to her.
The other girls are asleep"
said Delight Hartford, I'VE can
sit here in the living roonn."
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