The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-09-07
9 1910 NEA Ssr'ss ~


, do you say we talk about some
!. thing pleasant? And do you mind
!. if l smoke a very reprehensible
pipe?"
Eyes to the first question and
no to the second" laughed Judith.
What had threatened to be an
unpleasant evening turned out to
be. thoroughly delightful one.
Released from his arduous duties,
| Eden Harris relaxed entirely in
Judith's company. When the Bents
dropped in, an hour later, they
found the two in the kitchen MAX
ing candy.
''I'm speechless," Virginia ex-
claimed. 81 never again expected
to see a male and female in the
kitchen making candy. thought
that had been replaced by the
| quaint custom of male and female
making whoopee."
| Eden Harris grinned. Judith
and l are very old-fashioned for
our age"
And when Harris had gone, Vir-
GINA whispered to Judith, Oar
| ling. like that man"
$50 do l." Judith admitted Slow
ly. II like him, too"
With the realization that she'd
found a staunch friend in Eden
Harris, Judith's dark philosophy
changed as the days went by. Vir-
ginia Bent noticed it almost at
once; and she told Bob, "Judy's
, coming out of it now. l was
afraid for a while that she would
not. But she isp
"You mean that doctor?" asked
Bob innocently. -.
81 don't mean anything-yet,"
said his wife.
She would never have been so
optimistic if she had known that
on this very day Steve telephoned
Judith, asked her to meet him for
luncheon, and that she had &C
cepted.
And it was indeed a different
Steve who met Judith Howard in
the little restaurant around the
corner from the building where
she worked. He wore a new suit
"a better suit than he had owned
for a long time. He seemed ut
terly sure of himself now, and
much more like the Steve Fowler
who had, so long ago, offered to
see that her ice skates were
sharpened properly.
'It's been a long time," he said,
looking at her across the table.
eyes," Judith said, avoiding his
direct gaze. 81 know it has,
Steve"
"Why did you let me see you
today when all the other times
you refused?"
She looked up at him. Because
it'd been such a long time.
thought we could talk now-so-
berly and sensibly."
"Do you know why 1 wanted to
zee you?"
The question startled her. What
reason would there be, except
that-well, that he wanted to see
her?
"I've heard about you and this
fellow Jarvis" Steve was saying
coldly. "And I understand there's
some doctor you've been running
around with, too"
For a full half minute judith
was so astonished that she could
mt answer. Then she said, "Steve,
| that's too absurd even to COM
ment upon" She paused. 1--WE
seen Jarvis twice. And DR.. Hair
ris three or four times. You know
! how l got acquainted with them?"
Steve nodded. owe heard.
But that isn't what is important.
What's important is that when a
girl has been going with a man
for a long time and they break
up, she" He stopped, uncertain
ayes, Steve? What happens
them"
We'll, sometimes the girl goes
off the deep end. =,
! Judith smiled slowly. 81 haven't
done that, Steve"
"Of course you'd say that"
| The remark was like a whip
lash. ''I'm not asking you to be-
lieve it, Stephen. Because what
l do now is none of your affair"
Her swift anger seemed to
soften him. "But Judith / .
doesn't the fact that l still care
what you do-doesn't that mean
anything to you? Doesn't it mean
that l still feel the way l always
did2?"
II don't know what it means,
Steve. All l know is that we came
to the end of things for the two
of u.s."
"But that isn't true" he said
quickly. judith, 1--we had some
luck. 1t looks no was if I'll be
) able to do what / wanted all
along. Marry you on an income
that will let you quit your job"
Judith's intake of breath was
sharp and clear, as though some
one had frightened a belt at her
waist. There it was! Suddenly,
unaccountably, here was the
: thing they had both wanted. But
what frightened her, what sent
the blood from Judith Towards
= face, was not the sudden realiza-
ton that Stephen Fowler was Of
fering her marrige that meant
whole new life relieved from
office routine. What frightened
! her was the knowledge that his
proposal struck no ecstacy into
her being. She liked Steve, yes.
Perhaps she still loved him. But
som of hing was gone now Some