The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-07-04

caught at the edge of the desk.
The room clerk Signalled a bell
boy to show her to her room. Civ
ing him the number. With an et'
fort she summoned her strength
to get her to the elevator.
Inside the car the gates changed
shut. The car shot UP. 1t stopped
at the fourth floor.
ITO the left miss. Down the
passage" The bellboy stared at
the pale beautiful girl with the
strange look on her face. He de.
cided she had been drinking. That
would account for it.
He unlocked the door with his
pasS-key, throwing it open. She
stepped in quickly, slamming the
door in his face, and forgetting
even a thank you" He could
hear the key rasp in the lock. He
whistled softly. Some party!
Inside the cool, quiet room.
Elizabeth had just strength
enough to get to the bed. She
lay across it helpleSSly. The walls
were leaping up and down, the bed
shaking violently.
She lay there for a few minutes,
everything whirling.
Then sharp nausea assailed her.
Her physical distress was so in
tense that for a while it blOtted
out the mental.
The paroxysm stopped. aShe
lifted her head, saw her face
deathly white in the mirror above
the wash-basin.
She sat down on the edge of
the bath, her head in her two
hands. Gradually it began to
clear a little.
If what the woman said were
true. -?
1t couldn't be! Gerald would
never be such a scoundrel!
A still. small voice inside her
whispered: What do you really
know about him?"
She racked her brains to re-
member all their talk last night
and the previous night. 1t evaded
her. It had been a mad medley
of love-making to the accompani-
ment of music, and loads of cham
payne, and spring glamour, and
moonlight on the ocean. In the
plane whirling over the eerie des-
ert that lay whitley, below them,
Gerald had held her hand, but
she could hardly hear what he
said to her over the roar of the
twin motors.
They had drunk champagne in
the sky. It had made her mad
for him, utterly reckless. Moth
ing in the world had counted but
himself and her, and the electri-
flying knowledge they were to be
married Immediately.
She remembered now, with a
sickening sinking of the heart,
his desire to get away from Yuma,
his dread of publicity. Why, he
wouldn't even let her wait to say
goodbye to the other couple; nor
had he wanted to stop in San
Diego, but get right on over the
border into Mexico.
He had told her to register in
her own name in this hotel.
Wasn't that confirming proof?
Bigamy!
Scarlet flooded her cheeks. She
trembled with shock and horror.
Why didn't Gerald telephone
her?
Because he knew she had heard.
Because he was unable to face
her.
Had he gone away? Ought she
to escape now? But where on
earth to go, with hardly any
money in her pocketbook?
There must be an explanation!
The thing to do was keep ones
head-Wait here for Gerald to call
her.
No one had compelled him to
marry her. He must have cared
for her. Hadn't his actions, from
the moment of their romantic
meeting on the train, clearly
showed what he felt for her?
A devastating thought struck
her. He had realized that she was
not the kind who would ever give
herself outside of marriage, so, for
the joys of a brief honeymoon, he
had flung a sop to convention,
gone through a meaningless cere-
mony!
Her hands clenched. IT hate
him!"
Then she broke down.
The storm of tears spent, she
went over to the basin to get a
glass of ice water.
The mirror gave back a gro
tesque picture of herself, tear
stained and appallingly grimy.
The thing to do was take bath,
She would feel better then, be able
to come to some decision, perhaps.
The warm water relaxed her tired
body. She lay there, almost coma.
tose, her thoughts in suspension.