Nogales international., 1933-04-12
First Installlnent

sly dfieeN tSiElSS-' y Ci tRA~ ANAN'A-S>-~1 -
ever, she was still too dfowsy 10
make any eHor. to move. A duh ache
throbbed i'll her head. Her whole
body felt feavy, weighed down by an
insistcnt lassitudc,
Then other sensations asserted
themselves Her fingers, royin2
ianguidiy, sent to her tlroWsy brali,
the message OF some sort OF cool
silkcn material under their sensitive
tips.
Size kept her eyes Shut while she
tried 10 think tinings out. She re-ncr-
bered perfectly now. =. She was "a
r taxi going to the Hotel Blackstone
in Chicago. II was sleeting. and II
the traffic another machine ssiddcd
suddenly and crashed into them.
And then they had brought her
where?
Il didn't smell in the least Ike
hospital. Ard the bed was softer than
any cot she had ever felt.
Suddendly she was afraid to open
her eyes. Completely awake now,
she lay tingling with curiosity, filled
at the same time with a foreboding
oi some strange, frightening revela-
ton to come.
Where could she be?
Al last she could stand the uncer-
tanty no longer. Without moving
she opened her eyes and stared
straight ahead of her. Her first look
showed 4 cluster Of large oranges
hanging like golden balls in the sun
shine against background Of cloud
less blue sky.
Orangesl She had never seen
oranges actually growing. Still with
! out moving she rolled her eyes from
one side to the other. They travelled
| up the bed to her hands, lying inert
OH the satin cover. Suddenly she
became aware Of three separate facts
SO startling in their signihance THAT
| they set her heart to pumping and
! paralyzed her muscles.
! She could never tell which shock
/ was the first to register; the circle
! OF tiny diamonds Oh the third finger
of her left lasn1; the rutnpled condi-
! ton of the other side Of the bed; OF
the cheerful masculine whistle COM
ing from somewhere in the house
close behind heri
A hot wave flooded her face and
neck. But gradually her heart quieted
down She relaxed a trihe, breatl.ed
deeply. and tried to bring her wiiirl
ing brain back TO normal.
It's the most incredible thing I
ever ever heard!' she thought,
desperately. fighting against feel
ing Of faintness. 1t must be dream.
!. l land in Chicago in November on
a dark. cold, snowy afternoon; get
in taxi and <. something bumps
| into the taxi and :. I wake UP the
! next morning and find that it's
summertime, and that. I'm HIN
/ married. How could it have hap
| pcned? How"
! The whistle seemed to come a
I little nearer. Joyce clutched at the
| bedclothcs in suddenly renewed
/ panic of terror. Ii it were not a
| dream now, this instant, then what
had happened while she was uncon-
sricus?
Suddenly telephone bell rang
The whistling stopped abruptly, She
heard the click Of the receiver being
| lifted then ."Yes?" in deep,
. pleasant voice She listened tensely.
"Oh, Lauriae? Hello! ;. She's
! still asleep. think. No. Doc says it's
! nothing serious. but it sure was
lucky It wasn't verse. :. Y cs, you're
I absolutely right-Wilat? =. Well. ]
/ ask l,er last month not to ride that
/ brute. but you know how she is. :.
I'm leaving in few minutes. -. Yes,
! Cot to get to Chicago for confer
e+,ee. :. Come over sometime today
ard sac how she is. will youP hate
TO go of ike this hut I'm just going
to have time to make the date. It's
] something I can't sidestep-. -. Yeah ,
i.Weil. tell Paul to be good boy while
I'm away. So long. Laurine. See you
|, ali in bout two-thrcea weeks"
! Click. Steps across the aoor.
| The sound of steps approaching
the bed sent her pulses hana1nering.
Curiosity and fear mingled IN her
! feelings as she looked up. She was
so frightened that it did not occur to
! her to pretend to be asleep.
She saw man Of median height
-. thirtyish :. ruddy blue eyes
4rd blue tie :. tan face and tan suit
/. light brown hair, comted back
smoothly. +. face rather wide across
the jaw :. short nose mouth
cut in clean curves ike girls.
Nothing villainous III the man :
appearance.
! Hello. honey! How do you feel this
morning." He was smiling down at
her with complete kindliness.
/ Joyce swallowed hard, '1uablc tc
answer. Under the sheet she:clench-
edaher hands trying. to ..stiI' the
! trembling of her body. =.
\ worried look dimmed the smile
On the mans face. He sat down or