Evening star., 1935-10-01
INsTALLMENT XXI.

lilo, OAHU tdlit no eAASy
swept past the first strest
light, seems to be Rich
5 i mond. Va"
Rita laughed q little. but she was
not really amused. She had felt all
along they were getting too far from
Washington. Once she had suggested
that they ought to be turning back
and Carl had said, Afraid I'll run
OF with you, Rita? Not a bad
idea at that Unfortunately, they
don't hand marriage licenses out in
Virginia on five minutes notice"
To that Rita had said nothing, but
she was a little disturbed by the seri-
ous undertone in Carl's voice. When
they had left the car and were ceated
In the little oblong room with its
countless mirrors and extravagantly
ornate appointments there was an
odd light in Carls small, restless eyes
and the bare hint Of smile that was
almost q fixture on his lips had be-
come a wide. confident grin.
"Well-" said Carl
A little waitress in Colonial costume
came in to take their order. When
she had left Carl bent forward over
folded arms. Its about time We did
something about us, isn't it, Rita?"
IT didn't realize there was some
thing to be done," Rita said. Just
what, exactly?"
Carl's grin held. rs 1t your idea
that two people in love should just
go on indefinitely being in love and
let 1t go at that?"
Sounds quite reasonable to me :"
Rita replied. 1.-TWO people in love
should 60 on being in love as long
as possible, I should say. But yo,l
might simplify matters by saying in
so many words what you mean"
Carl nodded, pleasantly. "All right
e.. I love you, Rita. want you to
marry me >. In the code Of conduct
now outmoded, that Is called a pro-
posal. The book says that the lady
thus addressed should say yes"
The smile on Rita's lips grew to
quiet laughter. Your book must have
a torn page. Mine says that the
lady may also reply in the negative"
The change In Carrs manner was
instantaneous. The grin vanished, his
eyes narrowed.
I'VE can't 60 on like this, Rita. I
love you and I think you love me,
and that is enough. But it isn't all.
Selma Is getting more difficult every
time I see her. The last time I was
there she had a fine case Of hys-
terics. Said if I didn't break with
YOU she'd kill herself. And she's
Just crazy enough to do it." He shook
his head. Sometimes I think the
country would have been better of
II the whole Runbrecker family had
been locked up in a mad house long
ago"
The little waitress unloaded her
tray and was gone. Rita picked up
fork and stared at its shiny prongs.
She must have known that this mo-
ment was bound to come, sooner or
later, but now, that it was here, she
was wholly unprepared for it.
If she could have said, frankly
and bluntly, II do not love you,
Carl" and let him make the most
of it, it would have been a very simple
matter to end the discussion. But
she had not only gone with Carl
regularly for months, but had done
SO with full knowledge Of his obliga-
tions to Selma. He would say, and
not without reason, that she had led
him on.
There was one way out, for the
time being, at least-and she took it.
''You must give me time to think,
Carl. With some girls marriage Is
an incident of no great importance.
With me-
But you've had months to think"
Carl said, impatiently. Surely
you-"
Rita reached across the table and
put finger on his lips. You have
q great deal to learn about women,
Carl. A woman never thinks until
she's given something to think about.
Simply because you seemed to enjoy
taking me out is no reason why I
should have jumped at the con-
clusion that you would want to marry
me Don't talk about it any
more now. Please"
Obviously about to press the point,
Carl suddenly shrugged and the wide
grin spread on his lips again. Come
to think of it," he said, "the book
does provide that the lady shall be