The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-06-26
-yNHsn11E Nv,eefhe0xfa fa By Mabel McElIiott
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SYNnpsIS

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 KATHARINE STRYKHURST, 20 and beautiful, allows her emo. tions to rule when she marrics MICHAEL HEATHEROE, young riding instructor who comes into a title and fortune. Katharine's father is rich and her stepmother is snobbish.
 The night following his mar. riage Michael is injured in Q traffic accident and when he re. gains consciousness his memory is impaired. He forgets the mar. riage. Katharine, heart-broken, believes he has deserted her. She goes to New Mexico with friend, starting secret annulment proceedings meantime.
 SALLY MOON, who has snared Michael into sort of en. ragement, unaware of his mar- riage to Katharine, makes plans for 6 wedding. During rchear- sal of the ceremony MichaePs memory returns. He tries to ex. plain to Sally and her father what has happened. Both are furious and threaten trouble.
 CHAPTER XXXIX
 The headlights of Stanley Mer- ser's car, cutting through the mist, picked out 8 figure of man against the stone wall. Violet put her hand over her mouth to stifle an exclamation of terror, purely involuntary. This was a lonely place. They had been told so, early and often, by many of their friends but they had never before seen loitcrers about.
 Stanley pulled into the driveway and opened the door at his left. The man came toward them brisk ly. Violet saw 1t was Michael.
 She introduced the two men briefly.
 May I talk to you for mo- ment?" Michael asked. He added that he knew 1t was late, but the matter was urgent.
 "Of course" Violet led the way into the chintz-hung sitting room, switching on lights as she went. Stanley, with muttered excuse, left them together.
 Ou h1OW WHtIe fNuNllai lllt ID Michael made 1t more of a state ment than n question. Violet glanced at him uneasily. Really, she thought, this was a difficult spot to be in. She knew the girl had left Innicock to forget him. Only this afternoon she had heard that he was to be married to Sally Moon very shortly. What was she to do?"
 q called her house. Her step mother hung up on me-" Michael explained gravely. Violet, as al- ways, felt q little thrill of anger toward Bertine. So much of this mischief could be laid at her door. That thoroughly snug, good
 "Katharine asked mo not to give out her address," Violet said. fenc- ing for time. If Stan would only come back into the room; sho bad. ly needed his moral support at the moment She had liked this boy at first. There was something ap- pealing about his lean ilneness. the way his eyes were set deeply in his sunbrowned face and the hand that held the cigaret was 8 good one, strong and well-muscled, the fingers slender and nervous. But you couldn't tell much about a per- son by looking at his face and hands. It was nonesense to say you could.
 "Good Lord." blurted Michael, in the silence. "She's my wife didn't you know that? thought perhaps she'd told you"
 Violet stared, stung into speech by the direct attack. "She did. But you didn't acknowledge it. She thought you had played a ghastly trick on her."
 "That's why she left?"
 Mainly" Violet said rather an- grily. The man was either q con- summate, actor or else he was sim cere. But when she had told Stanley and Adrianson her theory of his possible loss of memory, q week or two before, they had laughed at her. Adrianson was pre- pairing the annulment papers at the moment.
 "she must think me thorough rotter," Michael groaned.
 I'm afraid she does" Men, Vio- let reflected, ought to pay n little for their treatment of women.
 He looked at her. q didn't re. member thing" he told her simply. "You knew-and didn't she hear it?-that was hurt in Q taxi accident?"
 we did. But it didn't sound serious. She called the hospital and was told you were getting on all right. Then you came home, and neither telephoned nor tried to see her. One day you passed her on the street without speaking"
 "I did?"
 You did." Violet said, steeling herself against the impulse to com- fort the boy. He put his head Into his hands and groaned. Stanley came back into the room.
 we were going through q re- hearsal tonight" Michael went on, glancing from one to the other. T was to marry Sally Moon. Some- one said tho words of the ceremony more as a joke than anything. felt as though I'd been struck by lightning. The whole thing came back to me-"
 Violet looked accusingly at her husband. "I told you sol"
 Lucky 1t happened in time," Stanley drawled. You'd have been in Q prety fix"
 Do you think don't realize it?" Michael wanted to know. "I meant that night I went to New York to have the whole matter of the inheritance strengthened out and to announce our marriage at once. My engagement to Sally had been a crazy affair; she didn't really want 1t. It was just an im-