Evening star., 1935-01-22

we were going together-somewhere.
What would they have thought If I'd
refused?"
who cares?"
"I do. I'm a marked woman, dar-
lin"
Your"
"You haven't forgotten the story
about me that terrible Dixie Decatur
had in the newspapers?"
1T was a lie"
who knows that but you? Even
the boys in the Navy think I let John
David Coates down by doin' what I
did. You're the only one who has the
truth and you wouldn't have known it
if you hadn't happened to come along
on that narrow road out from Bowie
just at the moment when Dick Van
Ruyter was pounding John David to a
Jelly. Poor John David!"
II wouldn't waste pity on that young
man. He got you into the mess didn't
he?"
He didn't mean to. Truly. He was
standin' on the walk when I came
fitting down Duke Of Gloucester street
from the ferry, and waved to him,
and he waved back, and I stopped and
asked him where he was goin' and
he said he was goin' to take the train
to Key West. He'd been flynn there
since he left the academy. And I
told him I'd drive him over, and then
we got out on the pike from Annapo-
lis, and every one on the road was
goin' to the races at Bowie, and
said to him, John David, we'll just
run over to the track and bet on the
Adams horses. They're comm over
from the Eastern Shore, just the way
I am, and I've a feeln' we'll all be
lucky today He said he couldn't bet
while he was in uniform, and I told
him I'd go to the windows for him.
I was doin' just that when Dick Van
Ruyter came along-and what he
said!"
What right had he to say any
thing?"
"Oh, darlin', he didn't have any
right, I suppose. but Dicks known me
ever since was an infant in arms,
and he just didn't like the idea of
seein' me shown up to the pari-
mutuel windows, and so he took it out
on John David"
You're all so young" Kim sighed
"Young?" Holly protested. "Oh,
darlin'. John David'S an ensign, at
least he was, and no Van Ruyter's
ever young. They cut their wisdom
teeth before they come into the
world"
He didn't show much wisdom that
day"
THAT was because he was in such
rage. Then John David passed out
and you came along and picked him
up and took me, and we brought John
David into the hospital here. was
afraid he was goin' to die. Weren't
you?"
"If I'd known what was going to
happen to him out of it I shouldn't
have left him at the Naval Hospital.
He might not have picked up as quick
ly somewhere else, but he wouldn't
have lost his rank If we hadn't taken
him there"
Poor John David"
"He isn't out of the service alto
gether and he'll get fair trial. What
did Dick say to you about the way you
ran of with me that day?"
"Oh, he sulked for a while and went
back to Philadelphia" She laughed
in memory of something she wouldn't
share. Hes back. though. If we
drive down to the point we can see
his yacht"
How much do you care for him,
Holly?"
"For Dick?" She blew rings of
smoke from her cigarette and stared
into the deeper darkness into which
Kim had guided the car. "I don't
know" she sighed. "I've known ever
since I began to think about marryin'
any one that Dick loved me. He does,
really"
Are you going to marry himp" The
man tried to hold his voice steady, but,
in spite Of his will, it trembled a little.
81 suppose so.'
do you love him?"
Whats love?" She flung away her
cigarette. but she kept her gaze on
the dark water of the Potomac. I've
liked a lot Of boys, most Of 'em In the
Navy because I'm part Navy myself"
'Why didn't you marry one Of
them?"
II just didn't fancy bein' an An
napolis wife. Or goin' to Pango Pango.
Besides, there were so many of them
and they'd come and they'd 60, but
Dick was always right there when they
were on their way to Coco Solo and
Shanghai. Saiiin' orders always
seemed so important to 'em. Maybe
that's what I like about Dick. He's
always on call somehow. Even to-