Evening star., 1934-06-25
BY ANNE FORESTER
Author Of Spite Wife"

as though Harvey Therrold, in pass
ing through her life, had taken with
him all the sunlight and color she
had ever known.
Little bits of the pattern Of the new
life stood out sharply from the rest.
Barbara Therrold, driving past her on
the highway all Summer in her car; =;
an insolent half-smilt on her arrogant
mouth the trail of her friends deri-
Sive laughter floating backward on the
air. Ursula, stopping abruptly
when she met Rose on the sidewalk,
walking with ostentatiouS deliberation
to the opposite edge Of the curb. .
Jeffrey-Jetfrey's impatient Scorn OF
her warning about Deering . def
initely showing her that in criticizing
one Of the Therrolds she. an out
slider. had oversteppd! This had been
the bittereSt memory of all, Rose
thought How was she to know that
it was the very shock of her disclo-
sure about Barbara which had prompt
ed Jeff's reaction: of the amazed in
credulity which had swept him, the
fear that perhaps, in spite Of his
SSOAAilS dCIldA' lliCAC NC - NsAA
in what she had said? ..
Rose had not seen him since that
evening at Miss Abby's. He was, Lot
tie had informed her, on visit to
the capital-something about trouble
at the mill. Riding bumpily through
the drifts in the back seat OF the
little car, Rose felt again the old
sick sense of defeat, the fierce. un-
tanned desire to hurt this man as ne
seemed forever bent on hurting her.
1t infuriated her so-this trick he had
of seeming to offer flag OF truce,
seeming to want to be friends, even
though it was a disturbing sort OF
friendship and then. without
warning, retiring again behind the
guarded. superior manner which so
depressed and enraged her 1t was so
unfair, SO bewildering, thought the
girl. peering miserably from the win
dows of the little car.
1t was showing again, as it had
showed steadily most of the morn
ing. Picket fences bounding the lit
tie village gardens leaning crazlly un-
der the weight of the piled-up drifts.
Flakes, drifting relentlessly down over
strange white world of unfamiliar
contours, through which people
walked with mirth- provoking uncer-
tainty. Slipping and falling. squeal-
ing and helping one another to their
feet Clothing frosted and shoes
made cumbersome by the loose snow
which resisted and clung.
They were slowing down before the
bleared and streaming windows of
Welch'S store Lottie turned about to
face Rose with smile.
Don't bother-I'll pop in without
any trouble" Swiftly Rose opened
the door of the car, and plunged
breathlessly across the slippery walk.
The flivver polite to the last ditch.
remained pantingly waiting by the
curb until she was inside the store
From the closed interior, as Rose
opened the door, came a sitting sense
Of warmth and oppressiveness-
pounded Of the smell of wet rubber
the thick. acrid odor Of damp woolen
goods and the entire absence of fresh
air.
Gasping, she threw Of her rain
coat, throwing up the windows Lottie
never remembered to leave open,
gratefully breathing the sweet, wet
air before turning to unlatch the
front door and light the lamps.
With her hand on the easement,
Rose stopped as one arrested in flight
all of her focused on d scene being
enacted before her eyes.
Mr.. Mertz, hourishes nicely to the
fore, had successfully negotiated the
turn in front of the store. and was
heading back to town in the flivver.
On the instant there came from the
direction of the opposite curb limou-
sine which the watching girl in the
window recognized at a glance as be-
longing to Barbara Therrold. A linn
CUISINE, empty of occupants, but hav-
ing for a driver no less being than
Austin Deering himself. Austin Deer
ing, driving the heavy car, with a
reckless and deliberate burst of speed.
The fiivver swerved sharply to one
side, the fender on the right side
coming in sharp and Splinterlng con-
tact with q hydrant near the fence.
Rose had a Mortified glimpse Of Lot
ties round blue eyes, of Mr. Mertz's
contorted face as he nimbly hoped
to the curb. But before he could run
back the big car had backed swiftly
of, turned the corner i'll the SWlrllng
snow and was gone.
SONY the fender-" Rose could
hear Lottie's soothing voice. Hear
Mr.. Mertz's heart-broken wall, as he
climbed stitf.y back into the car and
continued on to town.
But Austin Deering. had he but
known it, had made an enemy. One
who was to defeat, in the very mo-
ment of its conSummation, the most
daring of the myriad headed schemes
of his career.
And half an hour later. Rose Their
rold, standing in the shadows of Lot
ties tiny back room, looked up to see
Austin Deering himself bowling to her
from the doorway of the store!
(Tomorrow-The Blow Falls)