Evening star., 1932-02-10

! demonium. Away from Dart
! Towers maudlin love making.
! Like a fantastic dream-groping her
way through milling couples IN TINS
strange colored light. -.
| The stairs stepping over mdis-
tinct couples parked on the steps.
locked in each others arms. Anger
| and disgust battling in Judy. Why
crazy enas Tos to permit ~a tSe thing to get away
| from her like this! And then Judy
saw Amy-sitting on the landing.
crushed in Richard curtis embrace.
And Stan-down there somewhere in
the crowd with Eunice.
Get away from it! Get to her own
room-stay there until the world be-
came sane again! Nervous tears blur
red her eyes, A man laughed and
snatched at her wrist as Judy ran by
! him. She wre. ched 1t away with an
involuntary scrC an, lost in the roar OF
the crowd. The upper hall-deSerted.
thank heaven! Some one coming up
Sheer unreasoning terror seized
Judy; terror out OF all proportion to
the incident. As the man grasped her
in a drunken embrace she screamed
shrilly-horribly. This was not reality
some terrible dream the mans
strong arms crushing the breath from
her body so that she could not cry out.
Her arms pinned helplessly down to
her sides while his lips crushed down
on her averted face.
And suddenly there was some one
else there. A door had opened. A
man, running up the hall. Wrenching
her free.
You - fool A flash Of fist.
Dart Towers arms falling away as he
went down in heap on the floor.
The scene was snapped In Judy's
,, mind as clearly as a camera lens snaps
a picture.
Dart Towers fumblingly raising him
self on his elbows-his shirtfront q
white blob in the shaded light. And
the man standing over him man
in a flannel dressing robe-a tall man,
Nick!
At the end of the hall, Georgia De
Haas face appeared over the bani-
sters, staring at them;
Nick amazingly appearing here
in the hall, and she hadn't even known
he was in the house! Nick-his hand
iously in her face.
You aren't hurt Judy? That rot
ten egg didn't hurt you, did he?"
For a moment she could only nnger
the front of her dress clumsily. Her
necklace was broken. Her dress half
pulled from her shoulder. Mechanically
she arranged 1t and her hand was
shaking.
mo. No, I'm not. hurt. It was
500 sudden, you know. :"
I'll say it was!" Nick returned
! grinly. He scowled at the other man
who had managed to raise himself to
his feet with the assistance Of the wall,
GO on-get the - out Of here!'
The words came between Nick's clench-
| ed teeth.
60 to - yourself" the other an
swered sourly. You - near broke
my jaw!"
Il ought to break your neck-maul-
ing a girl like that"
He watched grimly IS Dart Towers
limped down the hall, steadying him
self against the wall.
| Nice party!"
"How-how did you come to be here?"
Got here about an hour ago. Told
Eliza I'd try to run in and see her If
I possibly could. I just left her few
minutes ago and then I came down
here to my own room. Just settling
down to read bit when I heard you
scream: Look here, Judy, you're sure
|
Sure. He-just scared me-"
What in the name of common sense
are Amy and Stan thinking Of! Let
| ting that drunken fool run riot like
that! Poor kid. you're shaking. Come
| on-get to your own room. I'll send
Pom for a bromide"
Judy steadied herself by Nick's arm.
"Tll be all right. It's just-he fright
ened me It was silly to scream like
! that, but just for the moment it was
as if-as If I was alone with him
! away from every one. I sound like a
cry-baby. I'm ashamed"
Some one rushing upstairs. Stan
face set, black eyes blazing and angry.
Amys eyes flashing and her green satin
! dress swapping about her ankles as she
ran up to them.
Behind them, at the foot Of the
stairs, a group of the curious. Patty
| Warren craning her thin neck
! Georgias watchful, jealous face and sly
J eyes. =.
Stan was flushed and clustering.
Angry when he saw Nick.
Hey, what's the row? How do you
get like that-smashing Dart on the
! jaw? What's the big idea?"
He frightened me, Stan. He fol-
lowed me up here and-and grabbed
me and tried to kiss me"
We'll, good Lord, that didn't kill
you, did it?" snapped Amy. Suppose
| he did-should we order out the re-
serves and have a public lynching?
You make me sick"
And you make me sick!" Judy
f1ared Maybe you like to be paved
by every Tom, Dick and Harry, but
have a little choice in the matter"
oh! Choice? How do we know
you weren't shaking the party and
coming up here"
Amy, don't be nasty!" Nicks voice
very grim. II heard Judy scream and
J I came out to find that internal drunk
| en- fool mauling her"