The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-07-24
SYNOPSIS


10 DARIEN, finishing her first
year I'm college, learns her father
Is out of work. 10 hunts n job
and secures part time work In n
marine supply store. There she
meets wealthy, handsome DOUG
LAS MARSH who offers her the
job of hostess mt his inn mt Crest
Lake. 10 accepts. This causes a
quarrel with BRET PAUL to
whom she is engaged and 10
breaks the engagement.
She goes to Crest Lake. Her
duties are pleasant but Marsh's
eccentric mother takes dislike
to the girl. BABS MONTGOM-
ERY, school acquaintance who
Is jealous of JOS POPULARITY,
comes to the inn. PETER FRA
COMET, film actor, and his wife
are also guests.
Fragonet sees 10 on the SWIM
float one day and calls her a
goddess in sun-tan." He tells
her he is in love with her.
CHAPTER XIV
Fragonet was silent a moment
and then in low voice he said,
I'll hadn't intended to speak of
1t. Not yet, at any rate. But you're
30 damnably beautiful, 10, that 1t
just slipped out somehow" His
eyes found hers pleadingly. Now
that you know how 1 feel I hope
you won't avoid me-"
'I don't see why 1 should avoid
you" 10 replied quietly. She smiled
and stood erect on the float. Shall
we go ashore? The suns getting
low" She poised, a trim, desir-
able figure, on the edge of the
float. Race you ashore!"
Fragonet laughed, trying to
throw off his mood. You're on!"
They struck the water at almost
the same time, and 10 was secretly
delighted to find that she could
easily keep up with Peter Frago-
net. His strokes were powerful
and correct-the products of rigid
swimming instruction-but he was
not a natural swimmer and he
never would be. AS they reached
the shallower sands of the shore,
10 knew that with a final squirt she
could defeat him - but she knew,
too, that no man relishes being de-
feated in physical endeavor by a
girl. So they came to their feet,
wet and laughing, and waded
ashore together.
"Where in the devil did you
learn to swim like that?" Fragonet
wanted to know. II thought you
came from little inland town."
10 laughed. you mustn't forget
the old swimming holen
On the steps of the Inn, Fragonet
said, II wish you'd go sailing with
me sometime"
"I will some time" 10
smiled, and with a wave of her
bathing cap left him.
Once she had left the movie star
she abandoned the light mask
which had been her protection
against his insistence that he loved
her. AS she dropped her beach
robe, began peeling off her wet
bathing suit, she found that she
was trembling in every fiber of her
young body. Fragonet's sudden
confession had taken her complete
1y by surprise. He had been at
tentive, yes; and she should have
expected this, for Douglas Marsh
had limited that Fragonet had
weakness for good-looking young
women.
10 knew now the reason for Edna
Fragonet's GOODNESS toward her.
As his wife she must have sensed,
even sooner than could 10 herself,
what Fragonet felt toward the
hostess of Crest Lake Inn. A wave
Of pity for Edna Fragonet swept
through 80. How often must she
have gone through this. How ter
rible it must be to be married to
q man whose inherent weakness
was women, and who, atop that,
had been catapulated into the spot
light as the idol of millions of
women all over the world. They
would write him letters, and
clamor for autographs, and some
of them would manage to meet him
at dinners, and teas, and dances.
And of course some of them would
attract him to serious degree.
10 Darien shuddered. IT feel
sorry for them BOTH" she thought.
.And as soon as he's gone from
Crest Lake he'll have forgotten he
ever knew me, probably" It was
not a fiattering thought but 10
had a sneaking suspicion that it
was a true one. Indeed, she hoped
1t was. If it were not, her situa-
ton at Crest Lake was likely to
become even omre complicated
than It was now.
For since the arrival of Bobs
Montgomery 1t seemed to 10 that