Evening star., 1935-09-26
INSTALLMENT XVII.

A mn wasn't doing very good
~ work at the Census Once.
~ The job required little mental
effort, and no one said any
thing unless you were late to work or
failed to check the cards properly, but
her New England conscience chided
her for inattention and general lack
OF interest.
She knew what was behind it, of
course. Until she had come to Wash
ington her life had been unbelievably
simple. But in the little more than
two months here too much had hap
pened. Too many loose ends were
waiting to be picked up, put in place.
She was living in an atmosphere OF
suspense and every new day seemed
to increase the tension.
Mollie went around with an ex-
preston of awed expectancy. Every
time the telephone rang, she told
Ann, she was prepared to hear that
Deane Runbrecker had been arrested.
Mollie's friend at police headquarters
had made no accusations, but she felt
that the police believed they had
enough circumstantial evidence to
send Deane to the chair. But they
wanted more. On the strength
of their discoveries Immediately after
Thurman Wells death they could
have arrived at no other decision than
that the man took his own life. Now
they could not risk the possibility
of another mistake. If they were to
arrest Deane for murder they must
be able to convict :. Ann worried
about this tragic thing that had
come into her life.
Then there was Bill he was
working, regularly, feverishly-but he
had not come back to the apartment.
And Selma Runbrecker, during an un-
expected visit one evening when Ann
was alone, dropped the remark that
she had run into Bill and "a silly
little platinum blond" at the Old
Woman's Shoe.
That visit from Selma troubled Ann
more than she liked to admit She
had sensed from the first the tensity
OF suppressed feeling behind Selma's
loose -jointed chatter. Then, when
Ann least expected it. Selma had burst
into tears 1t was Carl. OF
course. They had been SO incredibly
happy before Rita came. Carl had
promised to give up his job in the
Department of Justice and enter one
OF her fathers branch Offices in the
Middle West. They would have been
married by now
why can't she let him alone? Oh,
why doesn't she let him alone i"
She had gotten to her feet and
almost shouted, She doesn't love him
the way I do :! She doesn't
know what love is She couldn't
know and do what she's doing to
me -!
Torn between sympathy for Selma
and loyalty to Rita, Ann thought
she made very clumsy job of it trying
to keep to neutral middle ground. but
when Selma was seated again and less
agitated, she told her. truthfully:
Rita isn't in love with Carl, Selma.
I've known Rita long time and
I've seen this happen before. It's a
love of conquest, or something OF the
sort. She's beautiful and she's spoiled.
The most desirable man in the world
could grovel in the dirt at her feet
and she would't be interested unless
she knew he would be hard to get"
Selma was not looking at Ann, but
she was listening with apparent eager
ness.
IF I were you" said Ann, I'D let
Carl have a free hand and never
show my feelings to either Carl or
Rita. It's my guess that the day
Rita discovers you're no longer in
terested in Carl-or thinks she does
she'll drop him like a hot coal"
You really think that. Ann?" But
Selma knew without asking that Ann
was being honest with her. She
knew this, and she was grateful, a
fact made clear to Ann a little later
when Selma was getting into her coat.
Ann" she said with genuine feel
ing, I'm awfully sorry had to
tell the police who was in the crowd
at the rejecting pool that night . q.
I didn't want to. Really I didn't.
But I was afraid. They'd been ques-
doning me and Deane so :"
You did exactly right" Ann de-
clared. But she didn't want to en-
courage a review of this increasingly
repugnant story, and on impulse she
said, Il suppose Mollie told you about
her Boston tea party?'"
Mollie hadn't, of course. so Ann. Of
neceSSitv outlined the plan to motor