The Washington times., 1935-10-22

~0PHSASG w SS "SeSA AAS o. l
Oh, what ever made her deny
It? Now he WOULD think it
was funny! What in the world
would she be doing with a
great, big diamond. if it wasn't
an engagement ring? Espe-
cially now, after that awful
party. He'd think =.
Not that it mattered what
he thought, of course. But
still.
Her face famed hotter and
hotter. It made her so MAD!
Just about the time she decided
she was acquiring some real
poise at last, and learning to
take care of any situation,
something like this happened.
Wouldn't she ever learn? Why
did she have to go on doing
and saying things she didn't
want to do and say at all?
Well, she'd say something
about it when she took the
letters in to be signed a little
later.
Sort of apologize.
But when the time came he
made it hard for her by not
even looking up.
She cleared her throat.
''Mr. Bennett, I'm sorry I
acted so peculiarly about the
ring, a while ago."
"Oh, it was I who was at
fault. Did you call the whar-
fingers office about the M. S.
Captain Keeler?"
Eyes, they said they'd call
back later. What I meant was
that I'm not formally engaged.
I'm just"
"I see. You'd better get that
Portland letter out on the air.
mail"
Tears stung her eyebolls.
She turned on her heels. If
that was the way he felt about
it
"Oh, Miss Shannon. IT
rather think I owe you an ex-
PLANTATION as well as an apology
for my bad joke about your
ring. BY the merest chance in
the world I happened to know
about it, and when I saw it on
your finger I had no better
sense than to mention it. So
please forgive me and then
we"
"But you couldn't have
known! I haven't told anyone,
not even my own mother! And
I'm sure that-that my friend
that he"
'eNow I AM sorry! Of course,
he didn't say anything. It was
just that I Oh, darn! You
remember that afternoon you
told me about Sid Breen's
party, and how worried you
were that"
eyes, of course, I do"
Her cheeks famed again.
Why had she started this?
Why hadn't she let well enough
alone? Now he was going to
drag in the party, remind her
Of what a fool she'd made of
herself, crying, and telling him
all about it.
IT know Sid well, as 7 told
you at the time. He was on
his way over to see his attor-
neys, in the Phelan building"
Phelan building. Where Milt's
offices were..
She made a tremendous ef-
fort, looked as if the Phelan
building was just nothing in
her life.
His voice went right on. $50
I went along, partly because I
wanted to see my insurance
broker, in the same building"
Don't break down, you silly
thing! You aren't ashamed Of
Milt, are you? He's the one
ought to be ashamed of YOU,
the way you're acting! Why
shouldn't Bennett know him?
What do you care what he
thinks? Besides, Milt is won
derful-any girl ought to be
PROUD to be engaged to a Won
derful man like him.
But she couldn't pull herself
together. She couldn't make
herself look proud and happy
the way she wanted to. She
Just got redder and redder, and
more and m6re choked up.
though she did get her head up
and hold it there.
And it was such a struggle to
do ito keep from breaking
down altog ct h er-that she
missed part of what he was say.
ing. She just understood d,
brokenly, that Milt had had the
rings on his desk looking at
them when Bennett came in to
ask about his miserable insur'
ance policies, and when Bennett
congratulated him Che seemed
to dote on cougratulating peo'