Evening star., 1935-02-10
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.

IT love you" it repeated the words
whose echoes must still be held
within the rough walls. II trust you"
her tremulous smile signaled, but as
the door exiled him with Cynthia into
the darkness outside she turned to
Shannon. I'm sure you'll make an
excellent witness for the injured wife"
she told him bitterly. "Or are you
merely her lawyer?"
I'm her old friend-and Kim's."
He came around the table so that he
could face her. II wish you'd let me
be yours, too, Miss Holly Barlow"
"Why?"
because I think understand you
better than either Of them"
I'm not hard to understand"
Harder, fancy, than most girls OF
90 Looking for high excitement and
wild thrills"
why not?"
"Why not? You'll probably be lik-
ing them quite as much when you're
so, bul you'll know by that time that
they're not to be had for the wishing. ')
Il want what want-now."
1--WE all do. I'm wondering. though,
what it is you most desire. Kim Cor
nlSh or MS happiness!
I'm his happiness" If this man
thought he could fool her while he
played Cynthia's game, she'd show him
how games could be played. But if he
expected to marry Cynthia, wouldn't
he be working for Kim's freedom as
we'll as his wifes? What did he mean?
Whatever it was. she'd have to stand
firm against him. kim wants to
marry me as soon as he's free. That's
simple enough, isn't it?"
Nothing is as simple as that" In
the freight he looked older than he
had seemed at Ell Encanto. Perhaps,
If he were Is and there were no Gym
thia, then the two of you might run
up to the county seat at daybreak
and find a justice of the peace, and
face forward with as good a chance
of happiness as any one else in this
troubled world"
why shouldn't we have it?" What
was his wife saying to Kim out there
in the dark? she wondered. Had she
been lying when she'd said she'd give
him his freedom? Was it. all a plan
to hold him in the trap of his mar
riage? Shed have to watch her step
WlCn SHANNON. we We tllc
chance any one else would have"
mo" His eyes were kind, but she
wouldn't trust him. Suave and smooth
and smart. Even if you weren't
quite as fine as you are. you wouldn't
have the chance of success in mar
yiage with Kim that Cynthia's had"
why not?"
"You couldn't get from it what she
might have-the surety of his sue
cess"
II won't do what she's done. Kim
can make his own choice"
What does he want?"
"He wants me-"
"And what else? No man is ever
content with the possession of a
woman. no matter how much he loves
her. The more he loves her, the more
he'll try to show her what he can do"
"And, If she loves him, she helps
him to have that pride in his work"
That's what I'm trying to tell you.
It's his work you'll be taking away
from him if you marry him"
I'D take his work from him? Oh.
that's ridiculous! He'll do more for
me, with me in one year that he'd do
WIN ner III n ll1eCllIlt.
HE would If he could. I'm sure.
He'll have nothing to say about it.
though. nothing to do about it if you
marry him."
why not?"
Because he's in a service that's
bound by very definite rules. Diplo-
macy's not like any other branch of
politics Men can come into the Sem
ate after they've been divorced by one
wife and married to another, even to
the woman who has been the cause of
the divorce. They might even 60 into
the White House. They can't 60,
though, as ministers and ambassadors
to those foreign courts that bar them
or their wives for that particular
reason. They can't go to those Cath
olic countries that put up the barrier,
and they can't 90 to Buckingham Pal
ace"
Alexander Cameron went"
HE was divorced, but he'd never
married again."
Redmond Potter went to Rome
after he'd been divorced and remar-
ried-to another woman"
yes, but that was before the
Quirinal and the Vatican clasped
hands
Pelham Grannis got a ministry"
And came home again-as soon as
they found out he'd first wife liv-
ing"
Bob Merritts in London-with a
second living wife"
An under secretary, isn't he?"
But it's absurd" This was what
she had to fight. They'd cooked it up
on the way out there, Shannon and
Cynthia. He'd try to show her that
she'd be wrecking Kim If she married
him. But she wouldn't. Look at
Albaniz! He's an Ambassador to
Washington and his wife's third hus-
band"
I'VE make no distinction whom we
receive. Albaniz won't go much higher
up the ladder. either, although he's
one Of the best diplomats his country
sver sent north. He won't 60 to Rome,
or Brussels, or Warsaw, or London"
There are other countries where
Kim can CO."
What are they? Only a few first
class places. Even Bonayentura's
likely to raise tempest if you marry
him while he's there. They know
Cynthia down in that country"
He needn't take Bonaventura."
"Of course, he needn't-and we're
back again at the beginning If he's
to get anywhere at all Bonaventura's
his way toward it. But if he's to
marry you he might as well quit the
game here and now, for that'll be
about as far as he'll ever 60 in it.
How'll you like the knowledge in the
years ahead that you've kept him from
the one career he's wanted?"
There are other careers" There
were. There must be. With Yucca
Oil. With Van Ruyter Rails. Kind
make good in them. She wasn't
afraid of that. But what had he said
such Q little while ago? That they'd
70 to Rome? To Paris? To London?
To the capitals Of the world? Did he
want them so much? More than he