The Washington times., 1938-04-13
By Phyllis Moore Gallagher

But before she could move Rod
ney had crushed her to him, hao
kissed her lips, her hair, the
smooth surface of her cheeks
When he let her go his fingers
went down her arms to her hands
and Imprisoned them between his
palms His dark eyes searched
her face. Say you don't love me
GLORIA! Say it if you can!"
Gloria said, and her voice held q
deadly calm for all the tumult Of
her heart:
II don't love you, Rodney.
don't love you" And she thought;
Dear God, don't let me go on
loving him. Let me stop now, this
minute. Let me never think OF
him again. He's Rodney and
thoroughly unstable, and he's
Isabel's husband. And there's
Peter :"
The back door swung open on
its creaking hinge and Katie stood
there with Jock riding her hip
Katie said, her lower lip pouting
out: "Yo' all is wanted on de
phone, Miss Clio. Dey says it's de
Emergency HorSpital."
Gloria went, limp with relief
cts very likely Peter calling" she
said evenly. Probably saying he
won't be home for dinner tonight. d
In which case" said Rodney
his dark eyes violently upon her,
Il shall stay for dinner. Perhaps
then I'll be able to put things
straight in that stubborn little
heat, of yours"
Gloria said: mo, Rodney. I'm
sorry" And then, "Good-by." She
held out slim hand from which
she had stripped a glove. She
felt Rodney's fingers close over
it, saw his handsome dark head
bend swiftly and felt his lips
warm and moist on her palm.
They stayed too long, those lips
much too long. Gloria jerked
her head away and with a little
gasp ran into the house.
Before she picked up the re-
ceiver she leaned against the wall,
her hand over the wild taumping
Of her heart. Don't think about
him." wisdom cried out in her
mind. Don't ever think of him
again." But even as one part of
her mind cautioned her the other
part was seeing certain clear, dis
tinct and cruelty complete little
pictures that kept sliding with a
stubborn persistency before her
eyes =.
RACING THOUGHTS
Marcella's wedding little
Lena riding down the lobby on the
satin and lace train Rodney
across the dark lobby, his eyes on
her
Moonlight nights and the sleek
yellow roadster Rodney's arm
about her shoulder star dust
in their eyes.
The kitchen in the bungalow
the glitter of a perfect dia.
mond upon her slim finger
Tommy saying, Boy, what a head.
light :"
And then Rodney's words of this
afternoon flooded through her
thoughts, confusing everything,
torturing her. If Rodney and Isa-
bel were divorced, what then?
What would Peter want to do?
Would he have some crazy idea
about being fair to me, she won
dered. Would he stay married to
me, wanting Isabel? But Isabel,
she knew, wouldn't want Peter.
Isabel had never wanted Peter.
really. She wanted money and
prestige and a social career The
north section would be gal. in her
mouth, as it always had been.
Suddenly Gloria buried her face
in her hands. Her mind was like
a jigsaw puzzle, with all the parts
scattered, unmatched, completely
mixed up. No matter how she tried
she couldn't piece together the
pattern; she couldn't find a clear
picture.
The harder she tried the more
elusive the pieces became. tumb-
ling apart in her thoughts. some
even disappearing. 1t was absurd
to torture herself like ttis-absurd
and senseless. 1t was the sort Of
thing she'd been fighting against
for weeks.
THE PHONE MESSAGE
Blankly she picked up the re-
ceiver. Her fingers we're still
trembling. She said: This is Mrs.
Kent speaking"
Miss Oakley, the night super.
visor at Emergency, began crisply:
Mrs. Kent, your brother was Just
brought in" She told Of Tommy
Lee having been found on the
Lake Road by a passing motorist.
She said that it was evidently
one Of those hit-and.run acct.
dents; that Tommy must have
been unconscious on that road
| for hours Che Sa}d fIof bis ooYo