Evening star., 1932-02-01

ings Of the ShabDy TooHl-coin
ing back to rest on the scared
white face of the girl. His eyes-llke
black crawling things-going down the
slender throat-doWn her breast .
His soft Notwithstanding well,
Won see-I come back. l give you an
other chance
Hot hysteria swelling in Judy'S throat,
so that it took all her reason TO keep
from sCreaming-frOm claWlng that
SNUG, dark face.
You get OUT Get away You
low-yOu low sWine!' A voice she DID
not recognize. hoarse, rough with anger
fearing from her throat Something
outraged-primitive- burning through
her If the man had laid a finger
on her she felt that her lOathing would
have given her strength enough to tear
him to pieces.
There was an edge Of real amaze
ment on Pete COnStantine's gaze SO
thoroughly had he interpreted Judy, to
his own imagination, that the posi-
bility of mistake had not occurred to
him. Say, looka here his tone
was almost aggrieved, You don't got
to make a fuss like this. Calm names.
I like you. I think you're pretty.
I was goin' ter be a swell friend. But
I guess you still think you can make
up with that guy who gave you the
coat, eh?
Judy by surprise.
A knowing leer in the mans beady
eyes. You amt putin nothn over,
Baby. WOrkin girls amt Wearm' tnat
sort of fur coat for no reason. An
I give you a break"
"Listenl" JudyS voice was like
whip-crack though she kept it low.
you get out Of this house! II l ever
see YOU around I'll tell the police. Get
out. Get out or III scream! Ill bring
the whole house
She was sIamming and locking the
door: frantically turning the key IN
the old-fashioned lock. ParadoXlcally
enough. the man took on added menace
when she had shut him out OF sight.
He was a dreadful, unseen danger,
lingering out there in the dim-lit hall.
She leaned against the door, breathing
hard as though she expected MIN 10
throw his weight against 1t.
A breathless, horrible few moments
of uncertainty, when she seemed TAX
ing part in a bad dream. The man
was there-sepaTata from her by only
a few inches of wood. She felt alone
in this three-StOry house. perhaps She
was alone Perhaps her fearful screams
would wake only echoes in the high
Then a creak. out there in the hall.
Another-fainter. The man was gong
down stairs.
Still she stood there frantically bar
ring the way, long after he had lett
the place. so overwrOught that she
could not let down. The reaction came
in a rush Of hySteriCal laughter. After
alI-funny- The cOat-her fur coat.
No real danger after all The man
u-O1lldn't dare One scream
some one would have heard
She found that she was lying face
down on the lumpy couch crying into
the faded pillow.
Later she lay in bed, staring with
wide eyes at the red dusk made by the
diving fire A sort Of weary calm had
come to her-a heavy lCthargy which
kept away sleep. Shed lost her job
somehow that didn't seem so dreadful
now as it did when she was down in
the restaurant only dreading lest she
lose il. Il was the uglineSS Of It all
that depressed her she feIt un-
clean ..
Usually she was too tired to think
when she got into bed. During the
dav. in the strange surroundings OF the
restaurant, staring out over the crowd
ed tables. the thought Of Lockwood
of Stan-of Eunice and Amy and Nick,
seemed unreal. Like a dream which
fingers family in the memory after
waking.
She lay here now and thought about
them: watching the room grow dark,
budding for warmth under the worn
blankets.
Was it possible that only a short
time ago she had been living in Lock
wood. The comfortable LOuSe-the
luxury Of servants Waking with no
fear of the morrow. Even her jeal-
ousy Of Eunice seemed a far away and
unimportant thing.
Eunfce and Stan-and herself What
did their absurd little differences mat
ter now that she was going to have
child
She tried to plan, lying there in the
darkening room. The price Of the coat
that would see her through the criti-
cal time. She must get Work-and she
must learn to typeWrlte and take short
hand Then she could get better
position Lots of mothers kept them
selves and their babies on what they
made. There were day homes which
took care Of little ones-sanitary sur
roundmgS- scientific care . Oh, she
could manage! She whipped up her
pride little wearily.
1t was easier to get work, now that
the holiday buying season had COM
menced. She was put on in the toy
department of a big downtown depart
ment store. OF course, it was unlikely
that she would be kept after Christ
mas but Judy had crushed back that
thought She was learning not to cross
her streams until she came to them.
She had hesitated a little at the
thought of seeing some one from Lock-