Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-03-01
CHAPTER SO

RUSSELL BEDE watched tn
dancers and tried to keep his leve
glance from following the graceful
figure of the girl in the tawny col
ored dress.
He was aware Of her face lifted
to the handsome face of her hus
band. Aware of the possessivt
arm curved about her small waist
He didn't cut in at once but
when Janet had changed partners
he made his way slowly and de-
terminedly across the floor anc
touched her new partner on the
shoulder.
They danced a few steps and
Janet said, This is an odd place
for sea dragon to turn up"
1--WE been looking for you for
the last hour" he answered and led
her through some intricate steps.
Il missed you," she said.
They danced the length Of the
crowded floor silently.
I'm glad" he said.
When they had gotten back to
their starting point, Janet said, IT
mean that as guest of honor, you
are little evident"
WAS that all you meant? I am
disappointed. thought you meant
that you missed my company"
Quickly she said, II would have
if I'd been in the pool. You're
quite the incest dragon I've ever
met. And very competent one,
too"
"Tm not a dragon any more" he
said. Then the music stopped and
they clapped their hands for more
and looked away from each other.
what are you?" she asked
when the music started again.
"A disappointed man."
Janet strove for lightness. BE
cause I haven't got long eye
flashes ?"
ut isn't because Of what you
haven't got. It's that you ="
Larry Kelton touched Russell
lBede's shoulder. Sorry. old man."
he said, "but Janet is the best
rhumba dancer here and you can't
keep her all night"
Bede relinquished with a sad
smile. Janet wanted, to tell him
that she wasn't going to disappear
into thin air but she was afraid to
say anything so personal to him.
While she was dancing with
Kelton, she looked around a little
wildly for Joel. She felt that she
needed him to hang onto for moral
support.
Joel was dancing with a willowy
girl with slumberous eyes and who
wore clinging black satin dress.
Her eyes were slumberous but her
red mouth close to Joels ear was
whispering to him and Janet saw
"a rapt expression on JoeTs face
that she had learned to dread be-
cause it made her feel as though
her next step would be into a deep,
dark pit.
She was trifie resentful that at
that moment when she needed Joel
ito look across the room and find
her eyes and smile at her, his at
tention was for someone else.
Would it be if he knew that for
the first time in their joint lives,
she was feeling something that
was so pleasant it disturbed her?
She thought: When Joel needs
me ! am always there. Even when
it is an emotional disturbance that
doesn't have anything to do with
me, he needs me. I need him right |
now. IF Joel were to come over
here and take my hand as he used
TO do and just ask me to walk over
- the punch bowl with him, every
thing would be the way it used to
be. I wouldn't feel bad because
another man looks at me with a
hurt expression in his eye. 1
wouldn't care about him.
Powdering her nose in the dress
ing room, she was surprised to see
that her face was radiant. 1 look
happy, she thought. I look like a
girl at a high school dance who
has met nice boy.
She touched q lipstick to her
mouth and wet her fingertip to |