Evening star., 1935-08-12


Raoul," she said. Her voice rang
hollow in her own ears. 1t was so
hard to look and speak like the same
girl when she wasn't and probably
never would be again; hard even to
try; a little hard to care whether she
succeeded. Lets leave now, Raoul.
Let's 60 places where things can be
done!"
Raoul didn't argue. Betsy had a
feeling that he was as eager to leave
the legation as she. For all his eXte-
rior Of casual calmuess she could
sense his tenseneSs. She wondered
vaguely what intrigue lay behind the
inscrutable darkness of his gaze. She
didn't know what he had taken from
the chancery. But he hadn't denied
that he had taken something. Still it
didn't matter. She was so sunk in
her own unhappiness that she had
no real awareneSs nor interest in his
affairs.
AS they stood under the porte
cochere, the doorman, in bottle green
and braid. shrieking thorugh his meg
aphone the number of Racul's limou-
sine, Betsy saw familiar figure lean
ing against lamp post at the curb,
the red streak of cigarette being
discarded
She said to Raoul: Excuse me for
a moment. There's my brother Terry.
Maybe he's waiting for me-"
Terry jerked of his hat as Betsy
ran up to him.
Were you waiting for me? Is.
something wrong at home?"
The color crept to his clear, burned
brow. He didn't look at her. He
stared down at the cigarette butts
on the ground, his felt hat crushed
in his fingers.
NO" he said so softly that she
ing for you. But am waiting for
some one"
Who. Terry-who on earth, here?"
"MuSsolini-who else?" His tone
was grim. And then, almost fiercely:
I'm waiting for Sonia Karsoff. She's
doing a number in there for your
high-and-mighty new friends And
don't make any wise cracks about her.
She's working for a living just like
you"
"Oh-h," said Betsy. She didn't
speak for a moment. She couldn't.
Finally she said with a calmness
that she Gid not feel: Terry. II
you like her then shall. too. You
know that, don't you. dear? She is
very beautiful. I thought so to-
night before I knew about you and
Sonia -"
Betsy, you're a peach" Terry
broke in, his emotion almost chok-
ing him. II might have known
could count on you"
A few minutes later, when the lin
I CUISINE drew up beside them, Betsy
blindly hurried into it, closed her
eyes and let her head rest against
| the comfort of Raoul's arm. A stag
gering sense of the impermanence of
happiness gripped her. An hour be-
fore she had been deliriously happy,
she had marveled at the ability of a
| small body like her OWL to contain
, so much pure JOY. Then had come
Marshall and Libby and Terry, spoil
ing everything. And RsouI. too, with
his strange actions at the legation.
Yes, and John Storm-WiJh Angelica
| Dodd! Why she should resent An
gelica Dodd being win John, when
he was nothing in her life she couldn't
reason out. But it had been almost
as upsetting to see those two together
as it had been to see Libby with
Marshall. And through ali the confu-
sion of Betty's thoughts Marshall's
| words of that morning echoed family
in her brain like the SOUND of bell:
That was hell of a thing to do!
Asking John Storm to KISS you! And
you grabbing about Libby and mel"
Maybe Marshall was Just looking
for an excuse to break with me-" she
said in her mind
Raoul's voice broke into Betsys
thoughts.
We'll, what places would you sug-
gest where we can do those things
you mentioned?"
Betsy sat still. The very complete
ness OF disaster doom. nebulous,
invisible, gaining potency with every
! second -. beat against her. There
seemed to be nothing left in her
with which to fight; almost nothing
left to fight for. She held her head
serenely, though her nerves were
tensed to her finger tips. She said,
impulsively:
Let's go to your pent house, Raoul,
and get drunk. I've never been to q
mans pent house and I've never been
| drunk. I think should like to get
so tight tonight that would see pink
elephants or something"
(To Be Continued Tomorrow