The Washington times., 1932-08-13

pHOlOS dpu VI Hlo wiz H"N
years.
It was one of these fatuous
remarks. overheard by Freddy.
that caused him to sit in front
of the photo one day and think
the whole thing over.
"A wonderful husband!"
Fred smiled to himself as he
thought it over. 1t was a wry
sort of smile, Spoilt partly by
the irony of what he was smil-
ing at and partly by a hang
over compared with which,
dyspepsia would have seemed a
pleasure.
Ten years ago, Freddy had
married Doris and everybody
who knew them called it an
ideal match. 1t was a case of
playboy marrying playgirl, and
1t was a toSS-up as to which Of
the two knew the hot spots of
this old town best. With no
Winchell to record their pere-
grinations, the public didn't
know so much about them. But
to the regular round-the-town
erS, they were known as the
"Good-Time Twins"
They had money to burn
and, believe me, they made a
bonfire of it. If Freddy pulled
a big party. Doris pulled big
ger one. Between them, they in
vented more ways of raising
Cain than all the more recent
Broadway sports rolled into
one.
AS Freddy sat at his office
desk thinking over those past
years. he recalled the night be-
lore their wedding and the talk
he had with Doris.
ours is going to be a grand
partnership. Doris" Freddy re-
membered saying. Were going
TO build our future on mutual
trust; both Of us going our own
ways. knowing. that in the end,
our ways are bound to meet"
And that's Just what hap
pened. For two years. the mar
rlage panned out as they had
dreamed-a companionate af-
fair with the saving grace of a
marriage license.
Then their child arrived, and
Doris forSook the gay round
and became engroSsed in the
bringing up of a daughter.
Something fiercely maternal
turned her from one extreme
to the other, and the play girl
de luxe became a mother
supreme. Nothing mattered
but her home and her child,
and Freddy felt little de-
serted.
In spite of his real and
very genuine love for their
kid, Freddy just couldn't stop
hankering after the bright
lights. Without the moderat-
ing influence of Doris he be.
came ship without rudder
and Broadway is a devil of
sea to negotiate without some
kind of steering. Within a
few months, he hit the booze
trail with a wallop that broke
a worlds record in the speak
easy olympics.
Eight years of this. Eight
years of hell for Doris who
only stopped at divorce for the
sake of their child Eight years
of soul-rotting drunkenness with
a few lucid intervals during
which Freddy managed to con-
duct his business on something
OF a remarkable basis. :.
Freddy sat, lost in thought
as he gazed at Doris portrait.
1t had projected itself, like
a motion picture. in the frame.
God, what swine I've
been!"
Freddy uttered his thoughts
aloud. And then, with a de.
termination he hadn't known
for nearly eight years. he got
up out of his seat and vowed
the turning over of a new
leaf. He'd make up for the
past. Fight like the devil to
get straight with Doris again.
Try to make his kid proud
of her father
A few minutes later, he
swung out of his office with
the jaunty step of a man sud-
denly freed from Jail and
made his way to one Of Fifth
Avenues most exclusive jew
elry stores. He was going to
buy Doris ring-not as a
peace offering or bribe. but
as a token OF a new start.
AS he walked, ne rehearsed