The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1935-05-06
BY CLIFF WALTERS

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The tall dark young man OPEN
ing the door marked Meal Griffith,
Construction Engineer" smiled as
he said to his reluctantly departing
visitors:
SORRY, lads; but therell be no
card game this afternoon. I'll be
busy drawing up plans. And not for
full houses. Good-by, and may
Allah be with your
Blue prints cracked as he spread
them out on the old desk. But only
for moment. Someone was OPEN
ing the door again. Neal was ris-
ing, reaching for his heaviest rule
and waiting for the intruder.
"Come on!" he challenged. PUT
foot in this place and"
He stopped, stared and finally
said: ooh! Hello. Luanne."
Luanne Paxton nodded rather
timidly. "Just happened to be in
this building" she explained.
When I saw your name on the
door we'll She suddenly
averted her face, a very pretty face.
mo, that isn't quite true. I was up
here yesterday. And the day be-
fore. But you had so much COM
pany was afraid to come in"
81 see. And IL you listened close
ly enough perhaps you even heard
the sinister click of poker chips"
eyes, Neal" Her dark blue eyes
were meeting his squarely again.
''Pd hoped you were through with
cards, but"
"Hoped?" he interrupted. "And
here I thought I'd wrecked all your
hopes so rudely last year. Yes, just
a year, wasn't it? But judge not too
hastily, my ex-fiancee. After that
funny looking jury awarded you
my last ten thousand for breach Of
promise had to have something to
use for money. / turned what you
once called my avocation into a
vocation"
But didn't I see you chasing
some prospective poker players out
Of here only minute ago?"
you did," he replied. Further
proof that we're living in the age
of miracles. I rented this hole in
the wall for a poker roost. That
beautifully lettered CONSTRUCTION
Engineer was on the door for a
blind. Then, believe it or not. a
profession which ia considered lost
began picking up. Old Dewey, the
contractor, dropped in on me.
Wants me to do COB of work for
him. Stuff thatn take over a
year"
I'm glad, Neal. Awfully glad!"
He flushed as he looked down
at his own shabby suit. Sorry l
wasn't more presentable for this
suspicious occasion. But poker
revenue, even If you're good at it,
comes in much slower than lump
sums for heart balm"
Luanne was on her feet again.
I'D rather hoped" she said
quickly and with little catch in
her voice, "that you wouldn't jeer
about that. Neal"
'Just what did you expect?" he
countered. II hope you didn't ex-
pect the poor fish to rush up and
embrace the fisherman who shared
him. Memory isn't quite that short.
1 can't forget that you took the
pieces of a broken love affair and
cashed them in like chips in polk
er game, for all the money had!"
"Who was to blame that our love
affair was broken in the first place,
Neal?"
Myself. And a scintillant blonde
by the name of Verla Vinson. But
that's beside the"
"She didn't marry you-after-
ward"
mo. She wasn't in the mood.
Not after my breach of promise
suit had been aired in court"
80 it was notoriety rather than
the fact thta your last ten thousand
was gone that changed her opinion
of you?"
He shrugged. mo; think it was
the feminine instinct. Verla was
trying to figure life out on the stub
of a check book, too"
TOO? Then you still think that
L"
1.-THE only way have of judging
women, Luanne, is by those I've
been unfortunate enough to meet"
Tears glistened in Luanne's eyes
as she fumbled at the bag she
was carrying. Finally she succeed
ed in extracting a green slip Of
paper from it.
This she tossed on the old desk.
Then, face averted, she turned and
hurried out the door. Neal stared
after her, slumped down in his
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