The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-06-12

My Contessa? I don't know what
you're talking about
"Oh, don't your Didn't you fight
duel for her last year, didn't she
break your hearth? There, she
didn't care how she hurt him. She
wanted to He deserved it,
In an instant Charles strong
fingers we're gripping her arms. He
was looking down at her with an
expression of amusement and i'm
patience.
You little fool" he said in a ca
ressing voice which took the sting
from the words. "You-darling-
little fool"
Suddenly Monnie was limp IN his
arms, was sobbing against his
shoulder. Tenderly, Charles lifted
her streaming face.
I'm sorry. You know I didn't
mean that" He was no longer AFRO
CANT. but strangely humble. You
know how 1 feel about you, Monica
ODare"
COMEHOW, MOnnie never knew
- exactly how, although later she
tried hard to remember they were
sitting side by side on the shabbily
carpeted stairs Charles big hand
kerchief. smelling of tobacco and a
faint whif of cologne, was in her
hands
My Contessa, as you call her"
the young man was saying very
gently, was a beautiful and very
heartless young woman who led me
a pace for a time. I didn't crack
up over her.
was wreck to begin with, and
finding out what a shell she was
just put the browning touch on me. "
You were in love with her then, >"
Monnie accused, feeling weak as
water at the thought.
Il was-well, fascinated" ex-
planned Charles, patiently. Il was
ill-not quite bright in the head l
imagine. When I found out what
she was really like-uSing me as y
stalking horse for her own purposes
I went little gaga. came back
home, hating life, hating everybody.
Then"
She prompted him. Yes, then?"
Il met you" Charles told her.
"You know this-you must know it,
Monnie. I've been in love with you
from the start"
Il knew where I stood with you"
Charles went on. II knew how you
felt about-him."
Monnie shivered. Had she, indeed,
forgotten Dan already? No, this
was something quite different from
what she had felt for Dan Cardigan.
All that old love and longing had
been mixed up, somehow, with her
thWarted and poverty girl
hood Hadn't there been, in all Of
it. some desire to show" Belvedere?
Had she wanted Dan for what he
stood for?
No-no-she told herself pas
sionately. 1t wasn't that. She had
really loved him with a girls love.
She had set her heart on him. They
hadn't been in the least suited to
each other.
Their marriage would have been a
disaster. But opposition had made
their infatuation only stronger. With
her new, sharply matred viewpoint
she saw all this.
Something of all this she tried to
tell her lover, haltingly.
It's not that I've forgotten Oar"
she said Loyalty. Il never shall. He
belongs to my youth"
~HARLES, wanting to laugh at
~ her solemnity in this, took
her two small hands in his own and
said gravely:
Il never dared before to ask you
# l had a chance, because of Dan.
When he was alive, I felt you were
wholly his. And after he died, well,
then l was afraid you had dedicated
yourself to his memory.
You were almost like nun, re-
mote, spiritual 1t was only after
l discovered this Mackenzie chap
was in the running again that I de-
Cided 1 might have chance. But
YOU we're so stiff-so unapproach-
able"
She drew herself up at this, pre-
tending to be angry.
1t was you who were stiff. And
all that talk of the girls you went
about with, the parties"
Charles laughed in delight "Jeal-
Gus little cat!"
I'm mott"
Afther an interval of murmuring,
Monnie Strengthened, saying in a
scandalized tone: do you realize
what time it must be? Mother will
think we're quite mad"
He helped her to her feet and she
swayed against him.
What am I going to say to
Arthur when he calls?" she walled,
perplexed. "Oh, Charles, was go
ing to be so cool, so wise! 1 was
going to do wonderful things for the
family with Arthur's money. Why
can't l be like that? My heart al
ways runs away with my head"
Don't worry about that" His
tone was so odd that she twisted
about to stare at him.
What do you mean?"
MY dear" demanded Charles,
striking an attitude. Don't you
realize you're marrying a blooming
capitalist"
You're joking" She really
thought he was. He was a young
man of taste and elegance, of course,
but no money. Not much, that is.
OR so she had always thought.
Wait and see" he told her mys-
teriously. Perhaps I'm not the
heggar boy you thought"
And then they forgot all about
such mundane matters, For the
moment, at least.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
ID ISSY BRIGGS mother stopped
IN by at VernonS drug store to
buy some bicarbonate of soda. She
had eaten too much chicken salad
at the wedding reception. and be-
sides she wanted to talk over the eX-
element with somebody. and she
had lust seen Miss Anstice COREY