The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-11-02
LIVl Most

know, Maisie who knew 50 much al.
ready. "Thank goodness. that's
over!"
But Maisie didn't entirely put
him out of her mind.
She loved Joan. And she believed
in ghosts.
Bill was gone, and nobody knew
where he was.
Ruth consoled herself with q
young man from the Dutch East
Indies, a young man who wore fiat
Derby hats, and fawn-colored spats,
He spoke with q thick, syrupy &C.
cent.
HE helps to pass the time.
Ruth said. cts a cinch ! won't
marry Rollo until the old man comes
through with some cash."
"You would if you loved him.
Joan said in the serious, good-little-
girl voice that always made Ruth
laugh.
such thing!" She flung the expen-
sive hat she had been trying on
back into its box, and slammed the
cover shut.
"She's thinking about Bill" Joan
thought, and a queer, Jagged pain
shot through her.
Ruth kept her from forgetting
Bill. When she wasn't talking about
him she was thinking about him
Joan knew she was. Looking out Of
the window with q pensive look in
her bright dark eyes. Looking al
Joan, long and speculatively, won.
dering about her and Bill, wonder.
ing how much he had loved her, how
much she had loved him. =.
"He failed us both Ruth, toe
;. we're in the same boat, she and
I. -"
He was in Joan's thoughts con.
stantly now. It wasn't that she
wanted him back. She would have
covered from him had he come. But
the memory of that love that had
once seemed so clean and beautiful
and proud ranked. 1t had been
dragged in the mud. She had loved
him. He had smiled at her with his
beautiful, clear blue eyes that
seemed SO loyal and true and
slipped out Of her life like q shaft
Of sunlight. Bright and warm for &
minute, gone so soon . nothing
left to touch, nothing to call to
just gone. -.
Christmas came. A lonely day in
spite of the mound Of tissue paper
packages Maisie piled-on the libra.
ry table under the imitation Christ.
mas tree with its fat green and red
and yellow balls, and the star Of
Bethlehem on the top. Curtis gift
came in q big wicker basket. Silver
Princess, q pedigreed Persian cat
the most beautiful Joan had ever
seen, but too much the feline arts.
tocrat to be q real comfort.
The New Years Eve party ut the
Barstow's was another disappoint.
ment. Getting ready for it, slipping
into the honey -colored robe de style
thai Francine had given her al
Christmas time, standing perfectly
still while Maisie crawled around
on her knees, making sure the long
full skirt hung just right, and let.
ting cool damp whiffs of jasmine
spray into her hair from Maisie's
cut glass atomizer, was the besl
part.
There were too many people d
the party. Too many inimical
laughing girls. Too many amorous
bored looking young men who were
tired Of dancing and wanted to take
her down town for "some real stuff
come on-wc'll never be
missed!"
"Curtis is the only one I cared
anything about and ! hardly saw
him." she confided to Maisie after.
wards. "Of course, he was the host
but Mrs. Barstow never let him
come within mile of me"
$50 that's it. Well I'll fix you
you old cr6w!" Maisie said to her.
self. pretending to rush Joan
askin' Aer to all those social func.
tions, and then treating her like
that!"
She decided on a little dinner
party Of her own. eyes, and there
won't be anyone there but him and
Johnnie"
She planned the menu first, every
bit Of it, from the tomato soup with
whipped cream to the cafe noir ant
after-dinner minis, before she in
vited Curtis by telephone.
us this Mr.. Barstow? was JUS
wondering this is Mis- Kimmer
Maisie Kimmer, Joan calls me Mai
sic, everybody does I was JUS
wondering If some night you want
ed to come out to my place for din
ner? Oh, that'll be fine no, no
tonight, that is l wasn't thinking
Of tonight could you come mex
Thursday"