The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-09-25
SYNOPSIS

SLNOESlS
 BOOTS RAEBURN, IS and pretty, elppes with RUSS LUND.
 handsome swimming instructor. Russ goes to Miami, promising tO send for her later, and Boots
 gets a job in q New York dee
 partment store.
 Russ does not write. Months pass and then word comes that
 he has been killed In motor.
 boat accident.
 Too proud to ask her parents
 for help. Boots struggles on
 alone. She meets DENIS FEN
 WAY, young author, who intrO-
 tiuces her to EDWARD VAN
 SCIvER and beautiful KAY
 CHILI.INGFORD.
 Denis helps Boots get a job
 in book shop. She goes to live
 with FRANCES GAWTRYE. i'm
 charge of the shop. Boots mo-
 ther comes to sec her and tells
 her her father has had q stroke.
 Denis calls one night and asks
 Boots if she Is going to marry
 Edward. He takes her in his arms, then apologies and rush. es away.
 CHAPTER XXXVIII
 For Boots the world had become a beautiful place. Colors, sounds, scents all charmed her. She had walked to a sense of lightness and happiness. That night at the the ater with Edward she had been so sweet, So infinitely gentle and womanly and interested that the big fellow had been enchanted with her. She seemed to burn with an inner light.
 You've grown up since l met you,' he marveled. You were just a kid last spring :"
 "Tm 20 now" she reminded him. i've earned my living for more than year. I've had serious ill., ness. You're noticing the scars"
 '"Oh, that!" They were in his big, shining car now, homeward bound. He took her hand. You ve been putting me off for some time now. How about marrying me in December?"
 But she could not answer Ed ward just then. True, Denis had walked out of her life last night with Kay's name on his lips. He had said, in effect, that he, be- longed to Kay and Kay to him. But Boots ignored this. She had the memory of that moment in Denis arms. That. she argued, had "meant something" No, she was not really so grown up, as Denis and Edward suspected. She had been singularly untouched by her brief experience with marriage. The very fact that Denis had crushed her to him she believed indicated some bond existed be- tween them.
 She went about in sort of dream in which objects, people. places and time were only half real. The only reality was tall young man with a mocking smile on his lips. Ore of these days. she told herself, he would walk into her life to stay. Everything would be strengthened out. Any moment now she might pass him on the street; that man stepping out of taxi might be he. That tall per- son with his back turned to her in the restaurant might face sud- denly about, revealing Denis heart breakingly beautiful eyes.
 Meantime it was pleasant to have Edward about, to listen to his conversation, to lean on his arm, to smile at him. It was pleas ant to be admired, to be wanted: but presently she would have to explain to Edward Just how things were with her. He wouldn't mind. he would be sure to understand.
 le was in this mood that she lis. tended to his questions about an early marriage. December? No. she didn't think so. She smiled at him mfstily and the square shoul- dered man smiled back at her pro- tectively. Poor little kid, he thought. She mustn't he rushed into this. He must be patient
 One blowy November weekend Boots went up to the house in Larchneck to see her parents. Her mother had written to say that her father was anxious to see her. al- though he wouldn't admit it for the world. Rather nervous about her reception, she had walked down to the big, shabby, shingled house. The forsythia whips droop- ed bare and consulate below the porch. There were a few scarlet barberries on the hedge lining the walk. How strange it was to return and find everything just the same when one had been away so long!
 She was a smart little figure in her brown tweed suit, small brown felt set crisply on her fair head so that the curls on one side were fully exposed. She looked nothing at all like the proverbial