Evening star., 1936-01-26

Then, of course. you were writing
to your best girl. and feller's got to
use strong language in such a case"
Really MIR. Clifford ="
Fact is, that work | asked you to
do tonight isn't important. wouldn't
have bothered you about it except
for your saying you had nothing else
on your mind. Now you forget about
it and run along and spend the evening
with your girl. I'll bet she's nice one.
had girl once - she's my wife now
- and gosh, how did hate my boss"
With the best of intentions Clifford
had now reduced Neal to such a state
that he felt himself a worm, a monster
of ingratitude. His heart was aglow
with an affection for his boss, but he
did not know how to tell him so. Gift
ford would listen neither to his apolo-
gies nor to his prayers to be per-
mitted to come back and work that
night
Get QUIT" he stormed. You're
fired. till tomorrow morning. And give
my compliments to that " what was
1t angel of your heart. l hope she
isn't in the government service. This
internal old section 2l3 isn't inter-
ferin' with your plans, is it?"
oh. no. sir, not at ALL" Neal pro-
tested. His reckless lies convinced
Clifford that the girl was only some
passing fancy. And that was what
Neal wanted him to think.
In Valerie's Office the absent mind
edness of love had consequences no
less embarrassing. Hexter Floyd had
been miffed by her continued evasions
on the ground of her father PROSTATE
illness, and for time he stopped
asking her to dinner. One day when he
spoke to her casually. she answered:
Yes. darling"
The sound of her voice woke her
with start and she saw in his eyes
the shock of delight and hope the
word had given him. He advanced on
her with startled possessiveness, and
she came within an ace of slapping
him across his mouth. She checked
that fatal gesture; but when he laid
his palm on her arm, she wrenched
herself free of it with violence and
repugnance. He protested:
But you just called me 'darling'w
Il always call my father darling
was thinking of him."
He glared at her with such hurt
wrath that she expected to be dis
charged. and indeed he did resolve to
be rid of her as soon as he could
devise some means of throwing her
out without seeming to be Furnishing
her for rebuf6ng him.
While he waited for little time to
elapse, very pretty young woman
came to his Office to take the place of
homely old married clerk who had
concealed as long as she could the fact
that her husband, a disabled veteran,
was working at a small wage in the
Farm Bureau.
The new girl - Sadie Harmer
hit Floyd hard as novelty And she
had no objections to making capital
out of her charms Before long she
was Haunting fur coat she had
wangled out of her infatuated chief. 1t
gave the Office force spasm of dis
gust, but Valerie was filled with
gratitude. She and Neal rejoiced in
this solving of one of their problems,
and they revelled in laughter over al
most everything that happened. They
laughed that they might not love too
ardently and they rejoiced in the luck
that had kept their secret rendezvous
inviolate. They felt sure that the dis
covery would come at any moment.
but the risk gave the rapture the
thrill of precipice brink.
The first persOn to stumble uDOn