The Washington times., 1938-03-10

But now Gloria wasn't amused.
/ Terror struck deep in her heart.
For she could see Rodney's i'm.
mediate and masculine reaction
/ to that gaze. She sould see
Peters skin go white and stark
with jealousy. And she was re-
membering, too, that Isabel had
once cried out in the darkness:
Poor men, like Peter and Bar
ney, fall for me, Gloria! Rich
ones would, too. Oh, Gloria,
If 1 could only meet man with
money!"
CHAPTER II
It was Sunday morning and
Gloria was in her garden. It was
a tiny rose garden, not too nicely
ordered, typical Of the section
where she lived. And. being No
vember, it was a dying garden.
Gloria walked slowly, clipping a
dead cosmos blossom here and
pulling up a weed there. It
seemed that she wasn't thinking
of what she was doing at all: was,
in fact, doing it mechanically, be-
cause she must be doing something
with her hands. All morning it
had been like that, and now it was
nearly noon.
Tommy, who was in training
for an amateur boxing bout at the
athletic club, had gone for a hike
in the woods "a strangely
brooding Tommy, who, if Gloria
had not been so immersed in her
own fears, would have noticed the
agony in his gray eyes, the &C.
cents Of rebellion in his voice and
the strange resemblance between
his tormented striding about the
bungalow to that of a Gagged ami
NAL.
Mother had not returned from
church and Isabel and Peter were
out in Peters dilapidated little
roadster making the morning
rounds. Gloria was alone and
frightened. Her hands, she felt
must be kept busy or surely they
would betray her fly to her
throat or cling together desper'
ately or drag piteously at her
lmouth.
Perhaps" she kept telling her.
self carefully, I'm worrying need
lessly. Perhaps Isabel isn't think
ing about Rodney. She loves
Peter or she wouldn't be marrying
him!"
THE INNER VOICE
"But," a still, small voice in heI
head pointed out reasonably
Peter is from one of the Oldest
families in the city. When he
makes money-and he surely will
he can assume his birthright
again.
Isabel knows that and Peter
even without money, is the near
est to the Kenwood crowd she has
ever been. But,"-persiSted that
small voice-"with Rodney, Isabel
wouldn't have to wait for money
or the building Of a medical
career. Isabel loves Peter as much
as she is capabale of loving any
man-but she loves money and
luxury more!"
Gloria's thoughts cut her like
Sharpened knives. All morning
she had rationalized in circles till
the agony of denying fear was
worse than the bleak honesty OF
fear itself. Funny -" she
thought; Jealousy is really a sick
ness"
She tried not to think CT last
night. She tried desperately tc
push out of her mind the burning
dark flush under Rodney's bronzed
skin, his shining black eyes or
Isabel's face. She tried not tc
think of Isabel's smile and the
fluttering gesture Of her graceful
fingers and the sudden softness oi
her voice-all for Rodney.
But there was no stemming the
curious madness in her veins. the
crystal-clear picture of last night
And more clearly than anything
she could see Isabel smiling bril-
liantly at Rodney behind Peter,
stiffly angry back and Rodney's
eyes following her sisters sligh'
figure up the cement walk to thu
bungalow. Rodney had said then
in a voice that was scarcely more
than a whisper: Your sister il
utterly beautiful, Gloria. It's ex
citing just to look at her"
ISABEL'S WARNING
Later, in the bedroom, Isabe