Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1938-11-11
CHAPTER Y

were SIIlI AIOWCfOA'
"Why shouldn't woman flirt if she
has a mind to? D'you think it's the
sole prerogative of the lords of crea-
tion?'
There was a pause. He regarded
her steadily. "Often it can do good
deal of harm"
"Such as? she ventured, very cur
ious now as to what was really in his
mind.
"What about young Gordon Gavin p
So that was it. "He's nothing in
the world to me but an old friend
I've known and danced with, since my
nursery days."
Her tone carried conviction. Still
he doubted her sincerity.
"What about that charming role of
Juliet you've been playing tonight ?"
Juliet. What do you mean?"
Haven't you read Shakespeare :?
The balcony act ?"
She flushed hotly, incriminatingly.
"Is there anything wrong at dance
about going out for moment to have
a breath of air?"
"Not if it rested at that. You
know, sometimes one has to be cruel
in order to be kind, and flirtations
can have far-reaching results. 1t
strikes me that the boys work is suf
fering, because he's suffering. That's
why I called you La Belle Dame
Sans Merci.'"
She said soberly: "That's very un-
just. If you only knew it, this even
ing I've been urging Gordon Gavin
towards another girl. 1 don't accept
his invitations, but I want him to
make good in his work, because he
has ability, and now that he's lost
everything father, home, money-he
needs his job as badly as 1 need mine."
"Then you don't believe in falling
in love, ANN" gently he asked.
"Do you?"
Sometimes one can't help it even
if one fights against it. Love makes
fools of us all, big and little"
"Why the word 'fooP? Were you
to fall in love, would you consider
yourself a weak idiot ?"
She had to risk putting these ques-
tions to him. She simply had to find
out!
He stared straight ahead of him.
The music of the next dance started,
a rollicking tune.
eff love meant peace, if one could
safely rest in it," he said slowly, "lt
would be the most wonderful thing
in the world, surely. But there's al
ways living, and living is conflict.
Add love to it and there is even great
er conflict. Business and love, Ann
it's too much-they simply don't go
together!"
In the drugstore across the street
from Barclay & Weiss sat four femi-
nine executives at their light noon
time snack.
Light for Renita Parrish, that's to
say (she had an appalling hangover
after the party) light for Brenda
Selz because she was dieting (and also
full of venom) light for Gerty
Shellfish (she must keep her girlish
figure for Max Furchheimer) :. and
light for that usually hearty eater,
Cora Schwartz, buyer of Costume Jew
elry, because something that Brenda
had just told her about her beau, the
Art Director, had taken away her ap-
petite.
"But he danced six times with Cora.
Didn't he, Cora ?" said Miss Shellfish,
the peacemaker.
"Twelve, with the encores." In
Cora's china-blue eyes, slightly pro-
tuberant, was the pathetic look of a
dog that has been hurt.
"But," trumphed Brenda, "he took
Ann Delafield home at midnight and
he was gone split hour"
He was the Art Director, who for
the past year had squirrel plump Cora
to many functions.
"He told me he ran over to the hos
pital to Sc his mother, who's sick in
bed"
"Tell that to the marines!" sneered.
Brenda
HE was tight as a tick when he came
back and spent the rest of the even
ing in the bar of the hotel. You should
know that! You're nobody's fool!"
"Ann had no one to see her home.
The hospitals ON the East Side close
to where she lives. He just dropped
her off on his way-out of Kindness -
Miss Shellfish explained.
Kindness my eye!" snorted Bren-
do ono, III ,oa.r zz-o-Ic 4l.aL IL -