The Washington times., 1938-02-24


Without contact with tempta
ton, virtue is meaningless tt
face and accept temptation may
be to enrich life. -"
What did you say, Father?'
Alicia repeated impatiently. She
was knitting. Her husband, AL
fred, worked nights at the store
he ran so Mr.. Raymond kept
Alicia company a lot. When her
mother had died, Alicia, though
only fifteen, had kept the house
going beautifully. She was born
knowing how to manage things
and people. Lately Mr.. Raymond
had been acutely conscious that
Alicia managed him very well. e.
to we'll. He didn't like it.
Mr.. Raymond looked absently
at his daughter.
Il don't believe 1 said anything,
my dear. 1 think I'll go out for
a little walk"
Mr.. Raymond always said that
about II o'clock every night.
well, don't forget to take
Patsy out for her rum"
Patsy, the wire,haired terrier,
lay on the hearth, one brown eye
carefully studying Mr.. Raymond.
Patsy was almost eight. She still
had a lot of spring and snap to
her.
Like me-" Mr.. Raymon d
thought. He was dapper and
handsome though he was fifty
three. His tailor insisted that he
looked like forty-five.
He recalled the lines that had
disturbed him:
Without contact with tempta-
ton, virtue is worthless :"
Was that true? There had been
one temptation . .. Ellen Mayhem.
He had almost proposed to her
once. no, twice.
There had been something
about Ellen when he had first laid
eyes on her. She had strangely
provocative eyes that were impoS-
Sible to forget. She had been
seventeen and he twenty-four,
idealiStic, waiting in a brand-new
law office for clients that were
slow in coming. Ellen's mother
had brought her to him about the
matter of an annulment. The
crazy, stage-struck child had run
off with an actor.
Ellen had confided to him that
after the annulment she wanted
to go on the stage. Her mother
disapproved. Mr.. Raymond had
been instrumental in persuading
Mrs. Mayhem to let Ellen follow
the path her natural talent for
dancing seemed to point out. Fl
nally Mrs. Mayhem had consented
to Ellen's continuing with her
dancing classes. Ellen had been
SO grateful to him that she had
come to his office. She had on a
little red hat and her cheeks were
glowing, her eyes electric with
gratitude and was it some
thing else?
She had kissed Mr.. Raymond
and for a moment he had held her
tightly, forgetting his tiancee, the
girl he had grown up with, the girl
he was promised to.
IT love you. Ellen" he had stan-
will you. -"
Then some one had raped on
the door. some member OF the
office force and he had released
her and come to his senses.
The second time he had almost
proposed to Ellen was 10 years
ago, three years after his wife
had died, when Alicia was 18. He
had seen the advertisement Of
E1len's school of dancing and,
acting on some strange impulse,
he had gone there and she had
him. Dancing had
kept her young and supple. Mrs.
Mayhew had aged though. The
two were inSeparable.
He brought Ellen and Mrs. May
hew home to dinner so that Alicia
could meet them. Alicia cooked
a fine meal, but Mr.. Raymond
could tell that she did not like
the Mayhews. After they had
gone, Alicia pointed out to her
father that if he brought a
strange woman into the house,
she, who worshipped her dead
mothers memory, would pack up
and leave.
You're all I've got. Father"
she had said.
Mr.. Raymond had never pro
posed to Ellen. He stopped seeing
her. A few months later she and
her mother sailed for Europe.
Thinking of those things. Mr.. Ray
mond began to cross the street.
He saw a car bearing down on him
and Patsy.
The next thing Mr.. Raymond
knew was that he was sitting on
the curb exploring Patsy's trem-
blind body for broken bones. The
car had sped away.
There's a big cut in her leg" "
Mr.. Raymond looked up. He had
been acutely conscious of groups
of curious onlookers. All had
melted away but the person who
had spoken. . a woman in black
fur coat.
do you know of veterinary?"
Mr.. Raymond inquired. I'm al
most a mile from home. Perhaps
Q drug store. -"
81 live IN this apartment house
There is some tape and iodine
on the corner" the woman said
upstairs"