Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-08-30


very delicate, have l? But | vas Sc
worried. Today has been too much
for you. Now, now. we won't men,
ton 1t again. | know that young
girls are sensitive about such sub
jects."
Suddenly the meaning Of the often
repeated phrase, AT such a time"
was clear. She looked with startled
eyes at Mrs. Du Val. OF course. She
might have known that was 1t. All
those little worries about her exer-
else, her diet, taking care of her
self, all those sly little looks; she
was supposed TO be an expectant
mother! And of course she was
not going to be a mother. OF that
she was certain. Now the meaning
of Rocky's words unraveled mo
need to worry about Doris" Did
Rocky. too, think she was going to
have a child?
She opened her mouth. I'm not"
but the French woman's little
ringed hand was already over her
lips. The small kindly eyes looked
at her w%arningly.
"You must not say another word.
You are too excited"
Doris eyes. big and full of anxi-
ETY., looked at Mrs. Du Val. What
was the S Of trying to tell any
thing now? She would only be
thought overweight. Sooner or
later she must straighten the thing
out. Tonight there were other things
she wanted to find out.
But about the murder"
mo, no. No more talk"
In silence Doris allowed Mrs. Du
Val to tuck the covers about her
chin. She was thankful when the
light was turned out and she was
left alone.
She tried to think why 1t was that
she had never before thought of this
explanation of Mrs. Du val's so
licitude. But how could she have
supposed such a thing about her
self?
II this we're so, then she was not
Rocky's wife. Rocky's wife was some
other forlorn waif. In her frenzy she
pictured this other woman as a
sort of Biltmore ghost walking. walk
ing through the big lobby looking
for q Mrs. Du Val that never came.
The shapes and shadows IL the room
assuming grotesque outlines,
pointing accusing fingers. "You are
not Mrs. Rockwell Du Val. You are
not Rocky's wife at ALL You belong
to the mar In the cab"
She tossed all night, not quite
knowing whether she slept or
dreamed waking Nightmares. At
dawn she rose with a painfully
contracted heart and knelt down be-
fore the picture Of Rocky.
In his pictured eyes she tried to
read the truth about her relation
ship to him. He had grown so ia
miliar to her that she could not be-
lieve that she had never seen the
real man. Even though her mind
conjured up no recollection of him
that went beyond that silver frame,
she still knew that image so well
that she believed him to be her hus-
band.
"You must be. You must be-" she
whispered. Fate could not be so
cruel as to give you to me only in
make-believe."
She crawled back under the COW
ers and fell asleep.
She awoke to find Mrs. Du Val
standing beside her bed. Mrs. Du
Val looked anxious, and she knew
she had something wrong with her.
Her head felt hot and unnatural.
ut is nothing" said Mrs. Du Val
cheerfully. you have a little touch
of grippe. You must stay In bed. You
will be all right"
For the next few days Doris
lacked the energy to bring up the
subject of her supposedly approach
ing motherhood. Mrs. Du Val, like
many fussy and worrying women,
was at her best when there was ac-
tual illness to combat. She was a
miracle now of optimism, as she
nursed Doris.
Doris lay for hours l~istlessly
watching the shadow of the leaves
make changing patterns In the SUM-
shine that came in through the long
windows.
Once she took a daisy from the
bunch of flowers that had been put
near her bed, and pulling the leaves
went through the familiar ritual Of,
"he loves me, he loves me not" The
message Of the flower was, "he
loves me not" She did not like
1t. Superstitiously she felt that 1t
proved that Rocky was not her hus-
band.
Il suppose / really am slightly
crazy she told herself respondent
ly. She fingered the ring which
curled around her finger with ten
der reinsurance. She had never
taken it off since the day In the Bit
more. Now 1t suddenly occurred to
her to look at the inscription in
side again. She slipped 1t off.
H. L. V. to d. NJ. May 10th, 1882"
d. NJ. That was Doris = She