Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-03-22
CHAPTER 8

ana quite udIh do ivy
lack Metcalf's cynical face, when
he had finished explaining that
Riu Jameson, the man with Kutn
Merryweather at a table at the
Versailles, was the one whom
Ruth had loved.
II thought you told me this
morning that it would be better II
I did not know the mans name, SO
/ would not recognize him., she
said slowly, then.
But you guessed it 1t was IN
your eyes"
"You misread them. Bill Jane
son married girl from home
few weeks ago. met Garry
Page at the wedding" Then her
face frightened. There, that's
his wife, Marie Rinehart, joining
them now"
Marie, who had been dancing
with a blonde young man, had re-
turned to the tablo. and Bill
leaned towards her devotedly.
Only Barbara saw the quick
glance and the clouded pain In
Ruth Merryweather's eyes
sensed it rather than saw it.
Jack Metcalf talked on. "Ruth's
a good sport. She's spending
some of the breakfast food money
showing the small town girl whom
her lost-love married, how gay we
are along the Main Stem. It's all
poppvcock. She Owed the guy
and lost him so why doesn't she
drop the subject? There are
plenty of men willing to play her
kind of ring-around-the-rosie.'
Ruth was standing up. She was
slipping into a white jacket that
was part of a white party frock.
She picked up rhinestone bag
and her gloves. Marie, in a chiffon
that had been part of the trous-
seau that Barbara had described
in the Martinsville Post, slipped
into a cape. The party was leav-
ing.
Barbara averted her eyes. Ruth
would not recognize her tonight.
That one brief glimpse at the sail
ing party hardly had been worth
preserving. However, she did
know Jack and Ray Upton. 1t
would be embarrassing to be in
troduced all over again. AS for
Marie-Barbara's lips frightened
slightly as she remembered the
manner in which her cousin Julia
had confded in everyone that she,
Barbara, had deliberately set out
to vamp Garry Page. Maybe
Marie would laugh lightly about
that story on their way home to-
night, and Ruth would be amused.
But it was to Barbara that Ruth
Merryweather spoke. "Hello!" she
held out her hand. "You let your
self be kidnapped from the dock
this morning before had chance
to follow Garry's instructions.
Garry's mstructions-just the
mention of Garry's name was
sweet and comforting. 1t gave
reality to the moment. But Ruth
was uOL IIIIOOS1. <AIC yOu 1ICS
for lunch some day next week ?
Will you meet me? That's love-
ly. I'll give you ring about IL,
perhaps Wednesday,"
She scrubbed Barbara's .tele-
phone number on a corner of a
menu and stuffed it in the shining
bag. Behind her, Marie stretched
her hand towards Barbara.
"Babbs Kingsley, what are you
doing here?"
The queen might have asked the
scullery maid how she got into the
royal ballroom in the same tone of
voice.
Working" Barbara answered.
How was Europe?"
3: lawfully hot. Where are you
living 2"
;.ss{"I'm hunting an apartment"
= An idea that had been growing
stronger and stronger in Bar
bara's mind suddenly sprang full
grown. She would sacrifice in
clothes, entertainment, food. But
she would have q living room
where her friends could come. She
would build a refuge against the
gutter and the roar. Already she
had learned that it could be wear
ing.
But if she had an open wood
hre, ner own books on the shelves.
Few deep chairs and lamps that
iald lambert pools of light across
the floor She shut the door of
yer mind firmly. She was seeing