The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1935-08-22
Tete-a-Tete for
Three
By THAYER WALDO
g. Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service.

for her slippers. She was still stand
ing there regarding it, when someone
knocked on the door. She turned slow
ly, drawing the marabou negligee about
her, and said, Gomez"
The butler opened it, and over his
shoulder she could see the dark COM
posed face of Roderic Ashe
"Come in and shut the door," she
said at last. He frowned and nibbled
his under lip asking:
"It's-it's perfectly safer
II thought you'd say that! You al
ways were a scared fool"
He stared at her, lips parted in mute
establishment.
Don't stand there gaping" she
snapped. you're going to hear a lot
more. I've made up my mind to tell
you few things tonight"
Hold on" he began; I'm afraid I
don't understand"
"Of course not! You don't under
stand anything-I don't believe you
ever have. That's why I'm fed up and
sick of you"
She had backed away as he came
forward. Now they stood in the center
of the room, between vanity table and
bed, facing each other at q distance
of three or four feet. Perplexity had
given way in his expression to sheer
bewilderment.
That's a smart look you're wear
ing" Marie told him contemptuously,
"but Pm not surprised. didn't expect
you even now to know what I was
talking about. You poor sap"
She turned away with a toss Of her
sleek brown head, and sauntered across
the room to pluck a cigarette from the
case on the mantel. There was silence
in that interval, for Ashe found no fur
Their words.
Look at you now-all dolled up like
an ambassador! And that's the way
you've been every night I've asked you
here. A tuxedo and polite smile and
talk, talk, talk. Ny Cd, you're dumb
didn't think anyone in Hollywood
could be so dumb about a thing like
that"
He seemed to sag back in the chair,
but his tone was quiet enough.
Have you," he asked, gone abso-
lutely insane, Marie?"
She laughed again, and again it had
a forced staccatO quality.
THAT would be all you could see
in it." she shot back at him; you're so
blind and so stupid almost feel sorry
for you. You know, for little while
right at first / couldn't believe 1t. I
told myself you were pretending not
to understand just because you'd al
ways been Peters best friend And
maybe l was right, but doubt it.
don't think anyone could be so lily
pure.
well, all that counts is that I
played it straight to you and you either
couldn't get the idea or didn't want to,
and now I'm through with you.
Through, you hear me? And if you've
acted this way out of loyalty to that
crippled husband of mine, I hope you
feel properly noble. If 1 ever decide to
tell it on you, you're going to be
laughed right out of pictures.
Nov go away--leave me alonei OF
course I'll have to go on seeing you
every day at the studio, and playing
with you in that silly story of Peters;
but I'm never going to spend another
minute with you off the set if can
help it. You're a boob and a fiat tire
and big pain in the neck. Get out!"
The final words were almost shout
ed. Marie crumpled her cigarette and
flung it into the CRATE. After a mo-
ment ROderic rose, rather deliberately,
and made her a brief bow.
I'm told" he began, that riddles
are very popular this season, So"
"Oh, shut up and go!" she broke
in swiftly, spinning around to face
the wall An instant longer he stood
looking at her back, then STROBE to the
door, opened it, and went out without
another word.
Peter North lay quite motionless in
the bed, look of profound emotional
disturbance on his thin face. A
screened black box stood upon stand
beside him; his secretary sat by the
foot of the bed, pencil and notebook
in hand. Peter North reached over
and snapped a switch on the black
voX, then said:
'Take a letter please, Miss Allan.
To Roderic Ashe, Zenith Studio.
Dear Rod: I've a confession to
make that isn't easily made. Shame
stabs me like knife. 1 hid a dicto-
graph attachment in my wife's room to-
night and listened to everything you
said. How could 1 have been such a
fool as not to know that if anyone
were cheating with me it would be my
ungrateful wife but never you, the
finest friend a man ever hadi Just
the warped creation Of a sick mans
brain, 1 suppose. Forgive me and God
bless you, old Nal.
Peter"
Marie stood by her boudoir windows
gazing out. There in the broad drive
below she could see Roderic's car. He
was entering it. His face showed set
and angry in the light from the ver-
anda.
Marie turned away. Her gray eyes,
her cheeks, were wet with unchecked