Evening star., 1932-03-13
CHAPTER LXxvII.

THE Garden of Proserpine she
had reached it, Judy told her
self drearily. The land of dead
L dreams and withered loves &.
the country where nothing
seemed to matter
Nick was going back to China . &.
She would not see him for five years,
II ever . Well, it didn't matter i.
Nothing really mattered She was
tired. She wanted to be left alone. If
she went softly through life nothing
would harm her again. Just keep from
feeling too much .. Love? Once she
had loved Stan and Stan had been
killed. Once she had loved Nick . q.
she had thought she would be happy
forever If she could be with Nick. And
now the path was free-she could go
ahead and no one would stop her. And
her love was dead sea fruit in her
mouth.
Better drift =. Let life go by. Moth
ing would hurt if you didn't care too
much
Judy tried to tell this to Mary when
Mary came up to the city and called at
the apartment.
of course, you know that you just
about broke Nick's heart Mary said
severely. When a man comes over
an ocean for you-on your own prom
Use, so to speak"
Mary please" Judy said wear
Changed g o5e 95t esnt eGgdb be0 nslg it I've
Nick is the finest, squarest most
sincere man I've ever known, my own
loving spouse, of course, excepted" "
Mary went on you've given him a
death-blow to love. Judy"
"Oh-Mary dear-pleaSe =" the
girls eyes filled with tears. Mary be-
came contrite and tender as Judy broke
down and cried.
bully you, but dc adore Nick sol!
And he loves you so much, judy
Il know! I know!" Judy was near
1 ly wringing her hands. "Oh, 1 would
If I could, Mary. But I don't know
. everything's changed. And Nick
will go on back and after a while he'll
meet some one else Oh, know he
doesn't think so now, but he'll meet
some girl. Some girl with all her life
ahead OF her, not lot of bad dreams
like me think I lived my life
| too fast, Mary. It's all lived out All
, I want now is to rest. Just to be quiet
| and rest
! Mary looked around the shaded
/ dpdl ullu llCl eyes IOWSu.
Seems to me, that's what's the matter,
Judy You've had too much rest
too much dull routine. You're like
some one walking in your sleep, Judy
You should have some one wake you
up"
She suddenly checked herself, staring
at the girl with wide eyes.
What's the matter!" Judy was
alarmed
"Oh, nothing" said Mary. She said
nothing further of Nick. She spoke
of Lockwood gossip. The Carter house
was for sale. There was talk that it
| was to be torn down and the site used
for an apartment house. Tony Went
worth was going to be married As
| soon as Eunice had recovered she was
going to move to the East. Judy guess
| ed that Eunice was entering a figura-
| tive prison for life
Mary talked, and it seemed to Judy
| that she spoke of characters in some
half-forgotten book She was secretly
eager to have Mary go to strtch
out on the Chesterfield and lose her.
| self in book. And when that was
done to pick up another book, reading
until she fell asleep through sheer
WEAKNESS. Step softly then life
couldn't hurt you
Day, following day Nick had
never returned to the apartment since
! that first day, and Judy was glad She
had rather expected that he would
come to protest. She was glad to be
saved the strain of argument She
didn't want to hurt Nick but she
wanted to be left alone.
Her heart sank one afternoon as the
front bell sounded. 1t was Martha's
afternoon out Judy was in the apart
ment alone. Nick . If it was Nick
she couldn't stand it! She could not
| put out the strength for argument now
| But it was Mary. Mary. who looked
strangely excited as she followed Judy
into a living room.
Game up to town to shop and
thought I'd run out" Mary explained
as she seated herself and started to
remove her gloves. Then she paused
and regarded her hostess with a hesi-
fancy, odd to behold in downright
Mary.
Judy have you seen the after
noon papers?"
Why. no." Judy replied wondering
Il don't believe it's time for mine to be
delivered yet. Why?"
A strange suppressed excitement
about the other woman communicated
itself to her. She leaned forward,
alarmed without knowing why.
Whats the matter? Mary, what's
happened?"
Mary wet her lips nervously. She
drew long breath as one who plunges
into a pool of icy water and spoke
in rush as though she dreaded speak
ing the words.
Judy E. wanted to get here be-
fore the paper. You see, it was sc
so sudden. There's just the briefest
notice yet But I thought you'c
see the headlines . and 1 wanted tt
be here"
Mary, what do you mean?"
Judy had risen, was holding the bach
of her chair Mary, too, rose, leaning
forward, tense, desperate.
Mick, Judy. Oh, thank God, my
dear, you didn't love him! Nick
cracked up today. His plane .. nose.
dived when it was only so feet off tn,
ground D.. the best of them get it il
the long run, Judy -
Mary's voice-trailing to fal
whistling whisper . turning into 6
thin tense wire reaching her over 6
vast sea of space. The room recedinl
with a noiseless rush-swirling, so tha
Mary's figure seemed to be turning
| I~~~~N~
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