The Washington times., 1938-04-23

that made me reckless" Elva told
Gloria and Isabel. II kept look
ing at my little bank book. 1 kept
staring at those figures, thinking
that I was nearly 10 and that 1
had never had friend, and that
with $4,000 1 could have some fun
II suppose that was natural in
a girl Of 10 when she's an overly
imaginative sort and when she
had spent her life reading TO-
mances."
OFF TO FLORIDA
Elva never knew quite how it
happened.
But somehow she had drawn
her money out of the bank, had
spent a whole week in feverish,
delirious shopping. And on the
first Monday in January she had
found herself in Palm Beach.
And then, as had dreamed, I
met omeone-someone special"
Ella said, softly. Wen call him
Jimmy"
That was the beginning. That
was the beginning of whole
month of Jimmy. Dips in the surf
in the morning, luncheon at the
hotel, dancing, splashing in the
surf in the moonlight and long,
cool evening drives.
She loved him, of course. Blindly,
hopelesSly, completely. And she
had lied to him. She had built
up a background for herself; a
background from one of the novels
she had read.
But then suddenly she had
known that the pretenSe could not
go on. She and Jimmy were
driving through the night, slip
ping under moon that was old
and new as love.
And when Jimmy pulled the
roadster up before that ageless
sea and took her hand in his, the
moon had possessed her. She had
reached her hands out for him,
found his hair, eased their hot,
aching desire to touch him.
When he had kissed her he
said: why, you sweet! You
precious, funny little kid"
The rest of that evening was
never very clear to her. They
drove back to Palm Beach to the
Casino. Jimmy had some more
to drink. At midnight they were
dancing on the hotel balcony; at
l o'clock they were in Timmy'S
roadster again and Jimmy was
daring her to marry him.
WHAT LIQUOR DID
She did not know that Jimmy
had had far too much to drink.
She just sat there thinking that
this wasn't the sort of marriage
she had dreamed of at all, but if
Jimmy wanted it this way, it was
what she wanted, too. And so
they were married.
Next morning she got up long
before him and had sat there on
the bed looking down upon him,
loving him terribly, still unable
to believe that never as long as
she lived would she be lonely
again.
When Jimmy finally opened his
eyes it was with a groan. And
then he saw her and Sprang up
right, dismay etched across his
face. He said:
What are you doing here, Elva!
You shouldn't have come to my
rooms. Is anything wrong? What
brought you out so early in the
morning."
For one long moment she had
sat there looking at him, at the
little hollow in the mattress that
her body, lying close to his, had
made. The pain in her heart was
like a hot knife. She thought: HE
doesn't even remember he married
me. He doesn't even remember the
confession made about myself"
And she thought, too: "Ill never
tell him about last night"
Elva paused a moment in her
story and bit her lower lip. II
came back here Immediately, of
course. Broke, and then, when I
knew Jock was on the way, still
couldn't bring myself to tell
Jimmy.
II worked at the store as long
as I could and then I went to
see DR.. Kent. I thought I might
die when Jock was born and so
I told him who Jocks father was.
I told him everything except one
thing: That I was still married
to Jimmy"
ALL SHE HAS
Then she turned to Isabel and
said, calmly: And this is what
I wanted to tell you. If you had
not had me fired from Marti-
'neau'S I would never have told any
one but Peter Kent my story. But
you did have me fired and I
haven't been able to find other
work since. And II can't lose
Jock forever-I can't miss all of
his babyhood, his childhood :"
Isabel smiled through haze OF
smoke. Then you should be
thankful I had you fired" she
said, "for the man certainly
should assume the responsibility
Of taking care Of his own child.
1t wasn't as if the whole thing was
a drunken brawl of one nights
standing. He went with you a
month, made love to you. told you