The Washington times., 1932-12-19

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CHAPTER VIII
At $3.50 Mr.. Nesbit left the
building to go to a bank direc-
tors meeting. He did not get
back to the affice until 6 o'clock.
I'm sorry to keep you like
this" he said, putting his head
in at the door of Mary Faiths
small room. "Do you mind stay
ing a little late? I'd like to get
my desk cleared tonight"
"I'll be glad to stay, said
Mary Faith, and she meant it.
His words were like a reprieve
to her. All day she had been
dreading the evening meal in
the River Street house with
the Brock girls watching her
with their X-ray eyes. A board
ing house was so public. You
couldn't keep even your sorrow
and your humiliation to your
self If you happened to live in
one.
It was 7::30 by the time she
had finished the last Of Mr..
Nesbit'S letters and had locked
her desk for the night. She was
getting into her raincoat when
he opened the door of her room
once more.
.>"It's raining" he said. I'm
going to drive you home"
"I don't mind the rain, Mr..
Nesbit. often take walks
when it's raining. I like to slosh
through puddles."
I'm going to drive you
home"
When she went downstairs a
few minutes later he was stand
ing in the front doorway, wait
ing for her. Outside the gray
closed car that he drove stood
at the curbstone.
In the Car
They got into it. Mary Faith
leaned back against the cuSh-
ions, her eyes on the wet gilt
ter of the streets as they rolled
along. The pavements were
black and gold, and the lighted
shop windows were like giant
size magic lanterns throwing
their colorS out into the dark
ness.
A few days before she had
fingered before them on her
way home from work, en-
chanted by the lovely things
that were on display in them.
Enchanted by the SnoW-White
electric ice boxes, by the carved
and polished furniture, by the
Oriental rugs and the bowls
and boxes of Chinese brass.
Now she turned her eyes
away from them. The very
sight Of them had a certain
power to make her heart
ache. She was back at the
typewriter and the filing cabi-
net for good.
tits almost 8 o'clock and you
haven't had any dinner" Mr..
Nesbit suddenly remembered
when they were halfway to
River Street. "Well go some
where and get some"
Marv Faith shook her head
quickly. mo, thanks" she an
swered. Mrs. Puckett always
has Agnes put some dinner
away for me when I'm late.
And I'm tired. I'd rather go
straight home if you don't
mind"
The dining-room windows
were dark when they drove up
before Mrs. Puckett's. Mary
Faith let herself quietly into
the house, hoping that she
would meet no one on her way
upstairs. But as she closed the
front door Mrs. Puckett called
out to her from the parlor.
Mary Faith!-Didn't I just
see you drive up in a gray
closed carp"
Mary Faith knew that she
had seen her. Whenever an
automobile stopped before the
house Mrs. Puckett hurried to
the front windows. She had
the ears of a fox and eyes in
the back Of her head.
NeSbit's Motor
eyes" Mary Faith came
down the hall and stood be-
tween~the ruby velvet curtains
that hung in the doorway Of
the parlor. THAT was Mr..
Nesbit's car. He brought me
home tonight. Mrs. Puckett."
He never had driven her
home before, and Mrs. Puckett
knew it. Her eyebrows shot
up under the fringe Of her
pompadour.
"oh-ho!" she said. $50
that's it! So that's why we
aren't getting married in two
weeks! So that's why we've
changed our plans! We have
new beau!"
Miss Allie Brock raised her
eyes from the game of solitaire
she was playing on the marble
topped table,
"It looks to me like a case
of off with the old love and
on with the new" she re-
marked archly. That's the
way things look to me, Mrs.
Puckett."
If that was the way things
looked to them it was a bless
ing said Mary Faith to herself.
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