The Washington times., 1935-11-28

but I'd much rather take
you"
Ann said: "Well, should hope
sol" Then she told him to run
along and have a good time and
she would get home as early as
she could. But that doesn't
mean you have to :"
Kipp assured her that he would
be home early all right. And that's
that" he thought. grinning a little
wryly. Ann hadn't given a damn
any of the time whether he saw
Francine or not. And why hadn't t
she? Because there was no rea-
son in the world why she should.
No reason at all. And she knew
it.
He reached for the telephone
and called Francine.
She was in. She was bored with
two rainy days in succession and
with working steadily for weeks.
She said: "Give me an hour. I
have to have bath and sleep 10
minutes. -"
Kipp grinned and hung up. She
would do Just that. She would
soak for 20 minutes in a hot tub,
then throw herself down on the
couch and, go to sleep instantly,
to wake 10 minutes later COM
| pletely restored and fresh.
He gave her an hour.
His first thought when she
opened the door to him was that
he had not given her long enough.
She was wearing chiffon pajamaS
the color Of frost-bitten autumn
leaves, her bare feet thrust into
silver sandals. He said: I'm
sorry; you're not dressed. ;" Then
he looked over her shoulder and
saw that a table was laid for two
before the fire which had been
lighted against the rain and fog
outside the huge studio window.
She said: do you mind very
much not going out? It's such a
beastly night and I'm too tired to
dress. They'll send dinner up
from downstairs"
Kipp said he didn't mind at all
and that if he remembered cor
rectly the restaurant downstairs
served a very good dinner. And
he thought: "She's lying, Of
course. she isn't tired and the
rain has nothing to do with it.
know her in this mood and she
won't be easy to handle"
He had brought her gardenias,
mostly because it was habit Of
his to buy gardenias for women
he was taking to dinner. She
lifted them lovingly out Of their
cotton wool and laid them against
her face. Then she fastened
them, not to her shoulder but to
the narrow silver ribbon that en-
circled her slim waist.
Kipp thought, watching her,
that her skin was the exact tex
ture of the gardeniaS he had
brought her and that it had the
same dull sheen.
He thought: st don't believe she
has anything on under that
chiffon thing"
He said: "what have you been
doing with yourself since I saw
you laSt?"
"Oh. this and that. Working,
of course, and seeing different peo-
pie and missing you q httls." ="
She was lighting tall ivory can.
dies; now she blew out the match
and tossed it lightly onto the
sparkling fire. "But I take it that
you haven't missed me; you said,
I believe, that when you wanted
to, see me you would hunt me up"
Kipp said: GAS a matter of fact,
I haven't wanted to see you .
you're apt to be a bit disturbing. !"
"You never were so afraid Of
being disturbed but that was
before you went in for being pla-
cid"
Kipp said, Exactly" and grin
ned gently.
Francine lit a cigarette and
picked up crystal cocktail
shaker. you're still completely
married, aren't you, darling?"
Kipp took the shaker away from
her, poured cocktails into two tall
stemmed glasses. I'm still COM
pletely in love-"
Francine's fingers closed lightly
about the stem Of her glass, she
held it high: "Shall we drink to
marriage your one successful
one and my two which weren't?"
Kipp. said: Were there two,
Francike?" -
Ito IA Cov.tSnuaia(