Evening star., 1935-08-22
CHAPTER XIX.

CHAPTER XIX.
II IAN you ever forgive me,
Marshall, for not trusting
you2" Betsy said. ITO
~ love is to trust, and
I failed you. won't again. Not ever"
"Sshh-h-h, angel. Forget it. It's q
closed chapter in banned book"
She smiled and leaned back against
the seat, closing her eyes. Her lashes
were long, incredibly long and black,
and they caressed her cheeks.
Tired, sweets?" he asked solicit
ously.
"No, just happy"
She ran her fingers through her
loosened hair 1t fell around her face
in soft blondness. With her head on
his shoulder she seemed very young
and very helpless.
Her loveliness went to Marshall's
head like strong wine. He caught her
to him with sudden roughness and
crushed her in his arms, kissing her
wildly-her mouth, her cheeks, the
shadowy hollow at the base Of her
throat. She murmured beneath his
lips, "Oh, Marshall. Please! Please
don't! Some one will see us :. they'll
see" But the words were lost be-
meath the fierceness of his emotion.
burned out with The consuming flame
of his passion. And then Betsy was
sdoing the very thing she had said that
she would never do: She was being
kissed on a public thoroughfare for
the whole world to see. And she didn't
care. It was heaven! Marshall was
hers again and nothing else mattered.
Nothing!
They had dinner at a tea house on
the Potomac, in the very shadow of
Mount Vernon. Marshall was gay, too
gay. she thought. As If he were read
ing the lines Of play that tomorrow
would be forgotten. And then she re-
membered her vivid imagination and
laughed at herself for silly little fool.
She looked up at him and her eyes
brimmed with love. Her heart gathered
slowly into an immense pride. Marshall
had come from the most fashionable
houses of Washington to hold her hand
beneath this table, to love her with his
eyes over the Pickering candle in the
old Chianti bottle.
Fourteenth street was a blaze of
lights, enormous crowds f1ocking across
the intersections. a jagged line of
people threading from the box office of
8 motion picture house down F street,
DO Gtnnn'c ~
brilliantly above the doors. Her per-
sonality was drawing thousands to
this midnight performance.
swell picture. Saw it this after
noon" Marshall said. Barbara Stone
has what 1t takes! They showed
newsreel of Raoul's funeral in Del
Guardia, too Those South Americans
certainly packed that two-fiisted
drinker away with all the trimmings
Flags flying, women moping through
the streets in gruesome black and
veils-"
Marshall! Please don't -"
"Why?" He flung the word at her.
"You sound 500 heartless, that's
all" She had a sudden feeling that
John Storm would never make a re-
mark like that about anything so
sacred. Though she didn't realize it.
this was the first truly disloyal thought
about Marshall that Betsy had ever
had. She had been jealous, she had
been wildly angry with him, but
through it all she had loved him. had
never secretly criticized him. And for
the first time since John Storm had
flown away to Boston she found her
self missing him. found herself real
iZing that she had missed him since
the very hour Terry told her he had
left.
Does Raoul mean so much to you?"
Marshall snapped. dryly. seemingly
forgetting Raoul was dead.
Betsy was afraid of his anger then
.. that cold steel anger, dry-ice.
burning hot in his eyes. She said
breathlessly, as If she hadn't heard
him:
Did you like Anthony Kane, Bar
bara's new leading man."
Marshall sneered. Take two pieces
OF bread and Anthony Kane and you'll
have q swell ham sandwich. That's
what think Of him. And they say
she's going to marry that bird. too"
"Is she?" Betsy said, her heart CIV
ing little Jump. II didn't know. I
haven't heard from Babs in about
three weeks. Oh, Marshall, I'm so
glad I'll be married before she is!
When we were kids we used to quarrel