Evening star., 1935-03-31

hundred and fifty, 1t burned you up! You
couldn't take it =" Dinahs voice broke on
hot, scornful note. Tears rose IN her eyes,
and spilled down her cheeks.
She thought. This is horrible - to let him
see that he can still upset me after all this
time"
I'm sorry, darling You're right, of COURSE
l couldn't take it. So l got out. And in
tended to stay out. Instead of which come
back and make you cry. It's exactly the
stupid, absurd sort of thing -"
1T doesn't matter in the least. And I'm not
really crying" Dinah took the handkerchief
he offered her and blew her small nose and
dried her eyes. Then she said. I'm going to
wash my face and powder my nose. and then
well have breakfast and talk things over
sensibly.'
Then I'm still invited to breakfast"
"Why not9" Dinah smiled at him levelly.
4 seem to remember that you used to be
quite amusing at breakfast" She was pleased
with that. 1t was casual and off hand. and it
disposed of everything, even her tears, with
nice indifference.
$50 we are going to be the modern young
couple - it's smart to be noncbalant' and all
that sort of thing. All right. Run along and
powder your nose"
She slid out of the wing chair and went into
the bathroom. She closed the door and buried
her head in large pink bath towel and wept.
Because she wasn't feeling nonchalant at all.
She was feeling awful. Peter hadn't shown by
any word, look or gesture that he cared at all.
And there was something terribly sad about
his being here this morning in this apartment,
where they had shared so much fierce young
rapture, and not caring at all.
<hc La
chenette. Il seem to have forgotten where you
keep the egg beater."
In the top right-hand drawer" she told
him, her voice muffled by the bath towel.
When her nose was properly powdered
and her mouth was scarlet and casual again,
she joined Peter in the kitchenette. He looked
up from the eggs he was beating and con-
sidered her critically.
lovely-looking. You're nicely put together and
you have an allning mouth. You're probably
the loveiest- looking wife that man ever
Dinah1"
"Isuppose, !" she told him. sliding thin slices
of bread into the toaster, that it would be
called that"
: That is" Peter frowned thoughtfully,
IL pON0Sy Sy-ooNASA AC"SPoPCaAAoAA Will
lousy seventy-five dollars week could desert
an aff1uent wife who was making twice that"
Don't be juvenile, Pete." Dinah told him
sweetly. She leaned back against the ice box
and considered him quite as critically as he
had considered her. IF you don't mind my
saying so, darling" she told him gravely,
''yow taste in clothes has improved tremen-
dously - that suit. for instance"
Peter poured the eggs into a saucepan.
II thought you'd like it. It's almost as good
suit as the ones you tried to buy for me-"
For moment the kitchenette with its gay
orange curtains was painfully still. They were
both remembering.
Then she said, Don't you think you have
scrambled those eggs long enougha"
A little later, over their chilled orange
juice, Peter said to her:
You're still with Benson, suppose2"
"Yes. Only now have an Office of my own
and stenographer."
Swell" murmured Peter. grinning at her
brightly. Still crazy about your job, aren't
your"
Still terribly interested in it,
That's fne," said Peter gravely, that's
Just dandy. It's good job, Dinah, darn
good Job. 1t must be. darling, or you wouldn't
have passed up handsome young husband
IN favor of it."
Must we, Peter"
why not, Dinah1" Suddenly he was
scowling at her darkly. why did you ask
me here this morning, anyway When you
knew didn't want to conner And now that
A-nN II