The Washington times., 1935-11-28

AIMS cheeks flared with sud
den color. I'm sorry" she said
q little stiffly. "I hadn't realized
that I was being such outStand
ingly poor company -"
Don't be an idiot! I only
meant that it would be nice if you
could see your way to giving me a
little more of your time and that
shop of yours less"
"I didn't realize" she repeated
looking at him remotely, that ]
had been neglecting you so outra
geouSly. There must be plenty
Of people who could be persuaded
to amuse you. .Francine Sayre
for instance. -"
The instant she had said it she
regretted it. She knew it had
been a childish, unfair thing to
say and that she never would have
said it if she hadn't been worried
and nervous and if Kipp hadn't
spoken that way about the shop
But, having said it, she let il
stand.
Kipp looked at her with sur
priSed and rather Scornful eyes
He said: Doubtless" Then he
said, wanting to strike back al
her because he felt she was being
quite unfairly disagreeable: "She
Is one woman who has managed
to make a lot of money without
letting it get in the way Of every
thing else in her life"
Ann said coldly that she had
noticed that. She said: "She
doesn't let anything get in her
way, does she? She's clever about
things like that"
CHAPTER 10
Kipp got up suddenly and went
around the table and took her in
his arms. He said, kissing her
roughly: What's the matter with
us anyway, Ann? We're behaving
like a couple of children"
Ann buried her head against
his shoulder. Her voice came to
him muffled with tears and
laughter. She said: 1--WE are,
aren't we? Exactly" She said
then that she guessed he was
right. They did need to get away
they mustn't start swapping at
each other like that over nothing
ct all positively nothing!
But they didn't go, of course;
and Ann continued to be busy at
the shop. Then, a few nights
later, when she had to telephone
him for the third time that week
and tell him she wouldn't be home
to dinner, she tried to make it up
to him. She said: I'm broken
hearted, darling, but we're in a
jam here with a rush order that
we've promised for tomorrow.
I'm having a sandwich sent in and
I'll try to be home by midnight" "
Then, because she felt she had
been unduly nasty about Fancine
the other day and because for a
long time now she had stopped be-
ing concerned about her where
Kpp was concerned, she said;
why don't you give Francine a
ring and take her to dinner some
where?" .
For a moment Kipp did not
answer her. He was thinking that
all the afternoon he had been
eager for Ann to get home and
that for weeks he had deliberately
stayed away from Francine
that he had intended to stay away
from her. Definitely. He had
mentioned the fact to Ann that
he had dropped in at her apart
ment that afternoon and he had
thought she hadn't liked it. Not
that she had said so, in so many
words. She hadn't. All she had
said was: ''It must have seemed
like old times. -" But he hadn t
liked the way she had said it.
The way her eyes had looked
when she said it. So he had de-
ternined to keep away from
Francine. Mot" he assured
himself, because it would make
any difference to me, one way
or the other. but because it
might hurt Ann" If she didn't
like the idea of his seeing Fran
cine, he certainly wasn't going
to do it. That he should do any
thing that might even remotely
hurt Ann was unthinkable.
Now, it seemed, he had been all
wrong about that. Ann didn't in
the least care whether he saw
Francine or not. Here she was
herself suggesting that he call her
up and take her to dinner. He
didn't particularly want to, but
If Ann couldn't get home and ap-
parentN she couldn't. =.
He Ssid. GCXVall T1ArhanR mill