The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-12-26

head instead of talking to her
reasonably, making her listen to
him, he had quarreled with her
again bitterly, irrevocably,
this time and she had walked
out on him.
That she could do a thing like
that, deliberately leave him and
go to Sherman, meant Just one
thing to Kipp. She had finished
with him. Through for all time.
She probably thought of him as q
failure, a liar, ana a philanderer
-. and considered herself wen-rid
of him.
At this point Kipp was apt to
grow suddenly, Sullenly angry. He
would pace up and down the liv-
ing room, his brow knotted grim
ly. He would think: what of it?
I've only known her ten months
and IS days. I lived 26 years
without her; I can still live with.
out her. :"
After all, he would ask him
self cruelty, mockingly, what was
so special, so utterly irreplaceable
about Ann? She was just another
small, nicely put together girl
with wide smoke-gray eyes and a
drifting dark bang; just another
girl with a sweet husky voice and
a clear, rushing little laugh; just
another girl who fitted nicely into
your arms and left you lonely for
while when she went out Of
And then he would stop asking
himself any Of these questions
and sit down on Judy Sleepers
blue sofa and bury his face in his
hands. Because it wasn't any
good. It was like whistling in the
dark. Better to face it squarely.
Take it on the chin. Ann, who
was like no one else in the world,
who had loved him and married
him and lived with him, had de-
cided she hadn't any use for him
and had sent him packing ...
And now Francine was back in
New York and. was smiling at
him from the other side of a
small, sparkling fire.
When he had received her
brief note, asking him to drop
in this afternoon at five, his first
impulse had been to tear it up
and forget about it. He told
himself that if he never saw
F'rancine again it would be too
soon because, whether she
had meant to be or not, she was
really to blame for everything
that had happened to him. Then
he dismissed this as being I'M
fair and patiently untrue. After
all, he asked himself, what had
she ever done but get him some
money when he needed it badly
and sail on the same boat with
him, and SAX him to dinner,
once, in London?
It was Ann, not Francine, who
had made a mess Of things. It
was Ann who had refused to be-
lieve him or even listen to him
it was Ann who had in
sisted upon giving the whole sit
uation q ludicrously false and
rotten Interpretation it was
Ann with her silly little pride
and her absurd unreasonable
jealousy, that had finished them
not Francine at all.
He told her something Of this
now. He said: Il very nearly
didn't come here this afternoon
I very nearly read your note
and said the devil with it.
Without being at all to blame
for it, Francine, you've broken
up one perfectly good Manhat-
tan marriage :"
Francine's long, smooth-lidded
eyes regarded him with a cool,
amused detachment. She said:
Il know, darling"
Kipp ScoWled at her. What
do you know" he demanded, his
voice slightly resentful.
Francine lifted slender honey
colored eyebrows. II know that
you've been back in New York
five weeks and that you're living
alone on Twelfth Street and Ann
is being seen everywhere with
Lewis Sherman. I don't need to
know much more, do ~"
mo" said Kipp. Then he
said, changing the subject
abrupt. Let's talk about some
thing Else. Something pleasant.
My book, for instance. You
know, of course, that Mason and
Howard are publishing it in
january"
Ito be ConkinHedA