The Washington times., 1938-03-14

Rodney grinned at them, pulling
Gloria to her feet as he rose. And
then they we're standing with
group OF young people and Rodney
was saying: This is Gloria Lee
everybody-the future Mrs. Rod.
hey Callman, Gloria, be careful Of
that man with the wax mustache.
He's been married three times and
he pays alimony that looks like
q tip you'd give q hat-check grill
He's Howard Adams. And, from
left to right, there's Jennie Van
SAINT, Muriel Moulton, Carnelia
Fitch ="
There were others, but Gloria
couldn't remember their names
This is no gag, folks" Rodney
went on. You'll be reading about
it in the papers one day soon when
a formal announcement is made!''
Not until that moment: not
until she heard the little flutter
Of feminine excitement and mas
culine hands clapping down on
Rodney's back could she really be-
lieve that this was happening to
her.
There was only one thing to
mar her happiness. Through the
wide archway of the door she
could see Isabel at the little table
in the cocktail room with Henry
Drake. Isabel had heard. She
was putting down a half-empty
glass; crushing out a half-smoked
cigarette. Her black eyes were
Sullen and resentful.
Something caught and turned
in Gloria's heart and she thought
in a swift surge of tenderness
I'll do things for Isabel. All my
life I'll try to make it up to her
because this is happening to me
instead Of to her. # only Isabel
had fallen in love with Rodney
and I with Peter!"
And she failed utterly to see
that Henry Drake, who had heard,
too, was pushing back from the
table, edging his way through the
lounge to the bar.
LENA AGAIN
Lena wasn't, after all, as Rod
ney had said, "a man Of iron"
The little kitten had seemed well
enough for the last two weeks.
She had partaken Of nourishment,
had chased q ball Of yarn with
enthusiasm.
But this morning, as Gloria was
dressing hurriedly for work, she
heard her mothers feet rushing
back and forth in the kitchen in
a way that was foreign to her
usual quiet manner. And then
Mrs. Lee was calling Gloria. She
was saying: GLORIA! Gloria! Come
here. Lena's having a fit. I don't
know what to dol"
Gloria, upon beholdinig the
Squirming and miserable kitten,
didn't know what to do, either.
Isabel. who had followed Gloria
into the kitchen, said, nastily:
why Lena has to indulge in
plural fits instead of the modest
one required by convention, and
why she had to get me out of bed
at this hour :"
She didn't finish, for at that
moment Gloria saw Peter coming
out Of his back door, his little
black bag swinging along by his
side. He was hurrying toward the
garage. In flash Gloria was out
Of her own back door and flying
up the Sloping hill. She was out
Of breath when she reached him,
but she managed to say somehow:
Peter, do you know anything
about cat diseases? Oh, Peter
look at Lena!"
Peter said: Good heavens, she's
having a fit! We'd better get her
to a veterinarian" He helped
Gloria into the roadster and
climbed in under the wheel. Then
he asked, swinging out into Elm
Street and stepping down on the
gas:
"What on earth happened? It's
a conclusion, probably. Did she
get a fall?"
Gloria told him about the we'd
ding. "You saw the picture Of her
riding on Marcella brakes wedding
veil the day she married Baron Won
DreyfusS. Remember, showed 1t
to you? Remember how scared I
was that I might lose my conces-
sion on account of it?"
Peter said: "Yes, but the papers
didn't say anything about Lena
getting kicked. Nor did you. Who
kicked her?"
Gloria told him and for mo-
ment Peter drove on in silence, the
muscles of his jaw working tenSely.
He said, simply: Baron Hans Won
'DreyfuSs." Gloria had no way to
knew that a distant Burmese scene
had struck across Peters conscious.
ness. For Peter was remembering
an afternoon in Burma.
He had been a little boy, then,
hardly more than 10, making an
around-the-world cruise with his
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