The Washington times., 1936-05-26


writer, her heart sick and hel
mind in confusion. 10 was dis
tracted. 10 talked wildly. There
was no real truth in her judg
ments. Why shouldn't men have
strength and fidelity as well as
q girl? OF course they had! Con
slider all the shallow, greedy
wives who fed on the very life
blood of q man and then tossed
him away for q second mate.
She tried to concentrate on he1
work. She made mistakes. Tears
edged to her lashes. In her blur
she saw Ricky's face. But there
was no light in it: his eyes were
not seeking hers with humility
and worship. They were cold,
bored, weary eyes.
Could this sick, tragic thing
happen to them? Was it true a
man took marriage as lightly as
he took an affair?
Nell didn't believe it. Mar
Hiage was a sacred, beautiful rela-
tionship. A rich growing together
down years Of valiant striving:
years of pain and want, perhaps,
but touched always with the
beauty of q great love.
A long time, ever since the
unique exalted hour when Ricky
first kissed her; when he mur-
INJURED. inaudihly: II love you.
Nell," she had dreamed Of their
life together. The gay little
home with roses at a gate and
children laughing. Their children.
They talked Of this very Shyly
at first. Then joyously, even
giving them names and counting
their numbers. Happy evenings
wandering through a moonlit gar
den or standing at a crib to look
with rapture at a little sleeping
face. This was her dream. She
would take no substitutes.
She didn't judge the girls Of
her generation who made their
own rules. She only knew burn
ingly that this incomplete and
shabby makeshift was not for
her. Even in these last weeks
when she had been desperate
with the fear of losing Ricky, en-
tirely, she never considered going
in for one of these clandestine,
devastating affairs. 1t was not
what she wanted from Life. It
had no shining goal such as she
and Ricky pictured.
Was a secret marriage with the
inevitable Sneaking lies, any bet
ter? Might it also end in disaster;
the bright young dream stained
and lost?
BY the time her mothers mes
sage arrived. Nell was weak with
suspense. The moment she heard
Mons voice she knew.
"Nell, dear, Aunt Esther is CIV
ing Henry the car. Isn't it wonder
full? We're driving out to the cot.
tage she's bought in Forest Lakes.
She wants Henry to put in some
windows. We're staying till Mon
day"
Nell c1ung to the phone, almost
fainting.
She met Ricky at noon. He came
swinging toward her, hat off, hair
slicked back. He stopped down
with a grin: "All set, Mavis?"
This brought quick tears to her
eyes. So often they had listened to
this song. He now hummed a
snatch from it:
'"The little white church in the
valley is decked with the bios
SONS Of May,
And true is the heart of your lover
who waits for your coming to-
day!"
She said trembling: "Ricky, I'm
so frightened"
$50 am 7, dear!"
II almost couldn't marry you,
I'm not sure"
"Over my dead body they'll
travel who'd stop us now"
Ito be COntinued)
CHAPTER XIII
They went to a cafeteria for
q sandwich and coffee.
She told him about 10 and Jock
and the poisoned terror that they,
too. might come to such a disillu-
sion.
He broke the sandwich with a
little savage twist. He held it in
his hands, staring at it absently.
then he took a deep breath and
looked at Nell with a boyiSh, dis
arming smile.
"It doesn't apply to us, Nell!
A marriage isn't the same as an
affair. You start out with a diff
ferent attitude. A man feels pro-
tective and in honor bound to
a girl he marries. He has-well,
reverence for a thing he wants
and waits for and knows will
never be given lightly. He ex.
poets to shoulder responsibility.
The whole thing is on a differ,
ent plane. An affair starts out
to be temporary. Marriage you
hope and want to last.