Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1935-11-08
CHAPTER VII

da was to reassure herself over and
over that Carriers need Of her would
become so strong that, willy-nilly, he
would simply have to propose to her.
The thing to do now was to keep
her head. Lead him on, yet keep him
at arms length. GAS though that
were POSSIBILITY
He was a demanding lover. He
wanted every minute of her spare
time. He was even jealous of How
ard Scott, and of anyone who looked
at her. =
"That's all to the good. Get ev-
erything you can. Don't be a prude"
advised Bubbles.
But Lucinda was wrapped in her
dream. She walked on rosy clouds.
Her every thought was Carter. Moth
ing else mattered.
It was on a Saturday afternoon
two weeks after they had first met
that as Lucinda was waiting for
Carter in the little apartment on
West 98th Street, a big square card
board box arrived for her. Printed
on the lid was the name of the most
expensive and ultra couturiere in
New York City.
Her fingers shaking with excite
ment, she undid the wrappings. She
drew out a gorgeous satin evening
gown, of powder blue, and below that
was wrap in the same shade, of me-
tallic brocade, with a silver thread
running through it, and an enormous
white fox collar.
"Why, Lucinda, there isn't thing
lovelier than this in all of Bergman
Jay's!" Bubbles exclaimed enviously.
She bounced on card. She read
aloud: "This afternoon we'll buy the
glass slippers!"
"My, isn't he romantic! Aren't
you in luck? Delman's are showing
silver ones studded with French bril-
liants-you must go there" breathed
Bubbles, ever practical.
"He promised to take me to the
Mayfair Club tonight. We're dining
at the Park Avenue, and then going
to the opening of Unsteady Virtue
One night-it was in the beginning
of the second week in July-Carter
failed to appear. They had dined
quietly the previous evening, in the
little Swedish restaurant over on 3rd
Avenue in the Fifties, and thereafter
gone to the movies.
Lucinda had wondered if anything
were the matter with Carter, for
somehow he seemed distract, and un-
like his usual cheerful self.
But on timidly questioning him, he
had put her off with remark about
business being bad, and the old man
after him to be more on the job, and
get new accounts. Carter worked in
his fathers brokerage house on Wall
Street. But it had never struck her
that the only son of this rich man
took his work seriously.
On bidding her goodnight, he had
told her that he would phone her on
the morrow. Of course she had been
all over the store in connection with
the big layout on bathing suits and
beach wear that was to appear in a
leading afternoon paper of the city
next day.
Therefore, it was possible that Car
ter had 'phoned and she had missed
it, being out of her department! But
when she left the store at half past
five, his car wasn't in the usual place,
although she hopefully hung about for
fifteen minutes.
Bubbles was dining out that night.
Lucinda ate in the little apartment
alone. She turned on the radio for com
pany. And then she switched it off,
for fear that the telephone might ring
and she not hear it. But the tele-
phone was silent.
She was asleep when Bubbles came
home from her outing.
Bubbles was sound asleep next
morning when Lucinda left the apart
ment.
Terribly upset about Carter, tho
to proud to telephone him at his Of
flee, Lucinda did her work badly that
day. She received a sharp call-down
from Miss Perkins, the middel-aged
supervisor. "Really, Miss Stanford,
in these hard times when there are
plenty of willing people waiting to
step into other peoples shoes, one
would think you had more respect for
your good job than to bungle it sol"
Nor was Carter waiting for her