Evening star., 1937-10-11

only had to step out of the house for
few hours. Irene thought bitterly,
and Felice snatched your fiance.
1t was obvious-perfectly obvious
that they had driven up from New
York. Sitting in the back seat to-
gether, necking for 800 miles!
Irene stamped her foot. She'd tell
Waldo what she thought of him all
right! Maybe she did run away from
him! Maybe he had right to be
upset! But he didn't have the simple
courtesy to allow decent interval to
pass before he started running around
In public with other women! The
worm!" Irene exclaimed. "I1l scratch
her eyes out"
BEG pardon, miss said the waiter,
who had come in with her coffee.
Irene felt pretty righteous. She
drank her coffee venomously. After
all. Charlie hadn't so much as held
her hand. But Waldo! Three
hundred miles! You can easily kiss
- girl five or six times mile. Five
times 300 was 1900.
You'd think he'd get sick of it,"
she said to herself.
She made up her mind that there
was just one thing to do Take Waldo
out that afternoon-kiss him 1900
times-and make sure that Miss Felice
Whitcomb (the cheap smarty) knew
Ill about 1t.
There was knock on her door.
~IllSt minute" she ea1ed
"It's Waldo" said Waldo humbly.
She hurried to a dressing table to
q. arrange her appearance. She must
look slick and aloof. But suddenly
ehe had an inspiration.
She thought of way to make
Waldo pay and pay and pay. She
Ynussed up her hair-she smeared her
lipstick-she disarranged her neglige
Just the way she had seen women do
1t in the movies. Just the way Charlie
had told her to do it when she was
playing sangster's moll at Spikes.
Come in"
Waldo came in. He looked. His
eyes popped. Irene was ready. She
was going to scream at him. you
, did this! You let me be swept away
by this fiend incarnate! Now I am
. broken thing And it is your fault"
That, at least, was the line which
she had hastily conceived She fig
ured that it would practically destroy
Waldo. For the rest of his life it
would torment him. And for the rest
e. of his life (she hoped) he would devote
himself to making amends. 1t would
Be q pretty nice thing to have a man
spend his life making amends to you;
for every amend you could give him
light scornful laugh-one that would
cut deep.
But Waldo, after q single incredu-
lous stare (which she mistook for
pity, dumbfounded her by saying, Il
guess you're all right, after ALL"
Irene. in her turn, donned Waldo's
expression. She struggled for words
and finally said weakly, What do you
mean. all right?"
Waldo was just about at the end
Of his rope. He hadn't slept we'll in
the car. Three hundred miles with
Felice was no cinch-and though he
had not kissed her 1900 times. Felice
had kissed him often enough to make
It seem like l,500.
He had been full of high purpose
and noble endeavor. 1t had been
his intent to protect Irene for the
last time from interference by Margit.
Evidently she didn't need protec-
tiae Hs {e1f lika q fo.o1 yJIv bie ,,y, =
comfortable brain demanded, couldn't t
he ever behave like a man OF the
world? Why couldn't he act as Char
lie would under the same circum-
stances? Hail and farewell! So long
and good luck! He decided to take
crack at it If it was the last thing
hs did in his life. He walked over to
table and picked up q cigarette. He
lighted 1t with . flourish.