Evening star., 1937-08-13

He's my friend. He's our kind"
The movement Of his hands on her
back was good. She was glad. too,
that for the moment they could not
! talk. She did not know what to say
next. She had vague dread OF
what he might say.
Duke, let me up" she cried sud-
| denly in stifled voice. I'm sufYo-
eating"
| She broke into a harsh paroxysm
OF coughing. Duke was frightened.
He pulled her back abruptly into his
arms. She lay, quivering in them,
racked with her coughs. She was
afraid she would never be able to
stop She wondered If she would
ever be able to draw straight breath
again. 1t panied her intolerably and
yet in the midst OF it all she felt
| thrill OF happiness. Duke was holding
| her in his arms! She was lying against
his heart. He might be doing it only
| because he was kind, because he did
| not like to see any living thing in
| pain. When she was we'll, she might
never feel his arms around her again.
| What the future held for them she
could not know. But this she did
know. For whatever reason once he
| had held her close to him. Always
she would have the memory Of that.
Easy, baby easy!" he said to her
soothlngly. Through his genuine con-
Germ for her shot another note, and
again there was that strange look on
his face. But Carol heard only the
murmur of his voice. And she could
not see his face.
! AT last the paroXySm suhsided.
Carol, exhausted, clung weakly to him.
She felt his strength might flow into
her and she was very weak. He was
gently rocking her back and forth as
II she were a baby He stroked her
| disordered hair sith gentle fingers into
soft smoothness She wished this
| moment could last forever. It couldn't,
OF course. but something must come
| Of 1t. Never again could she and Duke
60 back to the old relationship. That
was impossible. If only he would
speak! If she could know what he
had been thinking, could only be sure
her to him! But he did not speak.
This could not go on-not a mo-
| ment longer. She strained closer to
| him. She felt like crying again that
she loved him; she felt an almost
Irresistible desire to pull his face down
10 hers and kiss him. But she did
not speak: she did not move. II he
did not know how she felt-if he did
not love her-she could do no more.
You nearly scared the heart out
OF me, honey" he said softly.
Her next words came out to her sur
prise as we'll as his.
Don't you think We ought to quit
kidding ourselves, Duke?'
"Kldding?" he asked in bewider-
ment, looking down at her as she
lay against her heart She looked like
small child, pale and lovely and
helpless, he thought. He must help
her. jim Clayton's last words had
been to him, asking him to care for
Carol If ever she needed it.
We're not going to kid" he said |
And you're not going to talk. fair
lady. I knew you were Ill, I thought
you had fever; but you're worse
than 1 thought. Oh. it's nothing
serious. of course. but you need look
ing after and I'm the person who
will see you get it. With Rosetta's
help I intend to have you on your
feet AS good as new when we get back
to Saratoga"
So, he had not understood at all!
He had thought that she had said
what she had because she was fever
lsh, because she was delirious. Again
she wanted to weep. She also wanted
to burst out laughing. She was not the
hysterical type, but at that moment
she knew she must put up fight to
Keep from acting like a neurotic
woman who had lost oil control Of |
herself.
I'm all right" she said. What's
little coughing spell. anyway? Moth
ing to get excited about"
What you don't know about YOUR
self Is plenty" he said. Il say YOU |
are not all right. And I'm the mas
ter here and I'm going right on being
mat. DO l make myself plain?"
In part she said. She was wish |
Ing he would make himself plain on
other things-the important things
as ne mad done in his orders to her.
But he gave no sign that he remem-
oered what she had said; he acted AZ
II MS one interest in her was to cure
her cold.
she knew she should leave we'll
enough alone. Perhaps she would |
regret always that she had not taken
advantage of his attitude to save her
pride. But she was beyond caring
about that. Only one thing in the
world mattered now. She must know
whether he loved her, whether there
was any use hoping he ever would
love her. She would not tell him
again she loved him. 1t would not
be fair to him if he could not saw
to her the same words. Suddenly her
eyes fell on the crumpled papers on
which she had been writing. OF
course, that was the way. She reached
out her hand and picked up the last
sheet on which she had written.
I'll be good" she said softly. But
| want to tell you something. I'm
writing Hartley-breadng our engage.
ment"
What's that'" he cried In astonish-
ment
Il know you think I've been talk
ing wild words. didn't know what I
was saying. But do know what I'm
saying, Duke. This isn't anything
I'm saying because I have fever-if
have any. I've been intending to
do it for days"
"You-mean-"h he gasped.
II mean I'm through with him. It's
all over. Wen never see him again,
I hope"
"He-he won't be In sAratosaf"
mo. He'll get this In New York. !