The Washington times., 1935-12-24

She said in a voice that sounded
far away and toneless: This is
absurd, Lewis. I tell you I want
to go home. -"
Lewis stopped and laughed
down into her eyes. He said:
You're a damn sweet kid, Ann,
but you can't blow hot and cold
with me and get away with it. ="
She couldn't struggle any more.
She lay quite still in his arms
and tried to open her eyes. She
said family: "You may as well
let me go, Lewis, I haven't the
slightest intention Of staying
here"
Lewis was still laughing. But
his voice was a little ugly. He
said: Don't you think you're a
little late deciding what you
want?"
Ann felt the room revolving
slowly about her. Lewis'S face
came close then receded into a
blur. She tried to speak. to
tell him that this was all a
horrible mistake and that he must
let her go, but she couldn't. Then
that queer. thick blackneSS swept
over her again. This time it
didn't go away.
The first thing Ann noticed
when she opened her eyes was a
thin streak of clean, golden sun
light shining across a linen pillow
case. The next thing she noticed
was that she was not in her own
bed.
She sat up abruptly and stared
about her with frightened, sleep
blurred eyes.
Then suddenly, painfully, as
awareness came back to her, she
remembered. This was LeWlS's
room. This was his bed. 1t was
morning and she had spent the
night in it. And she didn't know
what had happened. She didn't
know.
She began to tremble all over
and she flung one hand across
her mouth to keep from scream
ing. Then suddenly she knew
she was going to be terribly Ill
and she got out of bed and started
for the bathroom. It was then
that she noticed that she was
wearing a pair Of dark blue silk
paiamas. They were groteSquely
large for her and someone had
turned back the sleeves. Someone
had also laid her silver frock
carefully over chair and set her
silver slippers together both the
frock and the slippers looked a
little tired in the bright morning
sunlight.
Ann stood quite still in the
middle of LewiS'S bedroom and
pressed her hands against her
eyes and tried to think, to make
order out Of chaos. To stop that
awful shaking and get hold Of
herself and face whatever had to
be faced. She supposed that
somewhere in the apartment
Lewis was waiting for her to
waken. At the thought Of him,
she felt i'll again and her legs
went suddenly cold and fluid.
It couldn't have happened...
not to her. But it had. She re-
membered everything quite clearly
now. Kipp had come back. After
six weeks he had come back and
they had quarreled again. There
had been a lot of talk about such
unmeaning, abstract things as
jealousy and Self-reSpect and con.
stancy and fidelity :.
Ann began to laugh Historically
and quite noiselessly. Her eyes
were dry and bright, her cheeks
beneath last nights rouge were
grotesquely white.
Constancy. Fidelity. Self.re-
spect. Such clean-cut, fine-sound-
ing words. And she had flung
them at him so coolly. She had
been so sure of herself. So above
reproach. And now this had hap
pened to her. To her Ann.
Who had meant to make of her
marriage such a splendid, gay,
shining thing. Who had meant
always to keep herself such a
gay and decent and clean sort
Of person.
S(TO be COntinued)