Evening star., 1932-02-25
CHAPTER LX.

now. his head was lowered until
MS eyes were two inky pools. His
~ lips stretched in hard smile
over his even, white teeth
"Oh!" A strange ring to his voice
"So-you want divorce"
Judy found that she had unaccount-
ablv risen. as though to defend herself
against that hard. white smile; our re
net SURPRISED i"She accused. "AfVer the
Wv we've been living, you can't be sur
pri-ed. we fpvent been happ togetner.
Yru--.u never csrei for ne, really
TIE way you did for Eunice wilson,
black devil leaped out of Stan
ewes D you. leave her out of it,
"I'n be CAD to" Juo! said, quickly.
And didn't mean that spitefully.
Please believe that. Only to show you
-that-that-it wasn't built true to
begin with. Our marriage was all wrong
from the beginning"
You didn't think so once"
Judy moved her arms helpleSSly. On,
II Stan were to get argumentative
'No I thought . everything would
work out for the best. tried, Stan. You
know 1 tried But I guess it wasn't to
be But now-now that we see it's
wrong and won't work out, Why-Wny,
let's try and start anew and-and call
it dsy?"
so you're through. And you've
thoroughly made up your mind that
you'd like to have me hand you a
divorce" An ugly edge on Stan
voice
Angry despair in Judy'S heart. Stan
was going to be mean. She had hoped
to win him. At the most, she had ex-
pected cold and Sulky, hurt pride. Never
this active antagonism.
She tried to be very calm. She put
out her hand pleadingly, her voice rlea-
sonable. But, Stan. isn't it the best
way? Our marriage had ceased to be
q marriage-youl admit that.
THAT can be successfully overcome
tonight-my darling" Then he
laughed. and the laugh was net pleas
ant No mistaking the repulsion with
which Judy moved away from his
snatching arms. "Oh!" There was a
ieer in his voice "O-ho, that's it I'm
not to touch you! Keeping yourself
immaculate for him, aren't you?
case of no other lips and no other arms
but yours isn't it?"
Judy's eyes, blue fire in her white. face.
"Oh, cut the acting!" Stan said.
roughly. You know d well what
I mean! You weren't so keen about
any divorce until lately"
"One goes along-sort of-sliding
past-like a knot in a strtng-slipping
it along. hoping it will smooth out in
the long run And then it's in hope
less tangle and you have to stop to
unite it"
Getting pretty eloquent, aren't you?"
Judy'S pale face flushed under the
whip of that Il don't mean to be"
There was a tremble in her voice and
she tried to steady it. I'm trying to
be awfully straightforward about it all
And-and decent about 1t. Bud you
seem to want to parry
Stan turned. Flung off his shirt-his
slim, brown body had the 1.-THE grace OF
a panther The handsome black eyes
were mocking when he finally faced her
again.
"All right. won't parry. I'll be as
direct as you like, my dear III tel
YOU fiatly that I'll agree to no divorce
between us so you can marry Nick Car
ter. Is that direct enough for you?"
,Judy,s face went cold She was still
As a statue; stricken thing, standing
there as though weighed down by the
long. trailing folds of velvet. \.
why do you say that?" Her lips
were stiff. =
Stan's teeth flashed in silent, white
smile "Oh So it's you who wants to
parry now! Nick must have a wonder
full technique! One night alone with
him and you wantsa divorce from mel
The insinuation of that was needle
of ice through her heart. That's
pretty rotten of YOU. you know. You
don't mean that, Stan. That's spite"
"Oh, don't I, though? You just try
and force this thing through and you'll
find out how much mean it,
Fury was shaking Judy like cold
wind, but under 1t was desolation.
you don't mean it! You can't! You
know how things are between you and
me- Our marriage is a farce. You
married me for spite. You admitted 1t
that time ran away to the city. You
admitted you we're IN love with Eunice.
That-that night 1 saw you two-down
here in the library If I told that.
it would get me a divorce"
Yes? You came back to me willingly.
That condoned all that went before.
You lived with me as my wife. You
bore my child You should read up on
your law, my dear!" --
Judy had the maddened fear of some
thing trapped. She made the mistake
of becoming frantic.
You've been cruel-you know you
have! And-and untruei Do you think
I'm blind? Do you think a woman
doesn't feel those things? And I kept
still. -. was I was lenient-
decent about it Because nothing seemed
10 matter I've been like something dead
ever since the baby went and you
didn't care And that night in the
hospital-when I nearly died-and 1