The Washington times., 1938-04-13

Y. Lies, all OF Tnem. her near
tant only because he roomed with
Rusty.
"And Rusty?" she said at last
Hes simply dropped off thu
EARTH" Betty said. 1--WE haven't
seen him for almost a year. HI
stopped coming around"
"You were the only attraction,
Cal said.
Karen flushed. "He concealed il
we'll"
Priscilla might know, SHE
thought. Priscilla had been in
love with Pliny, and had refused
rightly to marry him until he went
on the wagon.
Priscilla had the same studio
but prosperity showed in the gay
new hangings and furniture. She
had sold three covers to Jester"
she said, and orders were coming
in. Her face went white and
strained when Karen mentioned
Pliny.
Il don't see him nowadays" she
said. Il had to ask him not to
come here any more. Oh, Karen,
I know I'll get over it. People do
But I hate to see him go to pieces,
He's drinking constantly now"
Karen said over a sob: Oar.
ling, I'm so sorry"
Rusty and he gave up their
place last fall" Priscilla said.
Where did Rusty move?"
IT don't know. I haven't seen
him for ages. Pliny can tell you.
You'll find him at Sans Tavern
Priscilla said bitterly.
"JEZEBEL"
Pliny released his hold on the
bar and almost fell when he saw
Karen. He pointed a bony finger
at her and reared:
"Jezebel. You ruined my best
friends life"
"Tell me about It," she said.
"Why am Jezebel?"
But it was a long time before
she got anything out of Pliny. He
insisted on talking first about
Priscilla. "Just a career woman.
Too selfish to endanger her pre-
cious work by marrying"
Where is Rusty?" Karen said,
trying to compel him to answer
soberly.
"Rusty's gone to hell" said
Pliny. That's what you did to
him. That's where you sent him.
Might have been the greatest art
photographer in the world, and he
throws it all over because Of q
woman"
Karen thought dryly: "Rusty
had 10 years to be a great art
photographer. Ten, starving years,
before ever he met me-"
You're nice girl, Karen, but
you have no soul. You're like all
domestic women. You want to
trap a man"
Never mind me! Get back to
Rusty" Karen begged.
you trapped Rusty. You got
him good. Night after you left
town he started raving. 'Pliny,' he
said, I see myself for what am.
A no good, lazy rat. Trying to
kid people I'm an artist because
I'm too shiftless to go to work.
Pliny, if I had had a job 7 could
have asked her to stay and marry
me- Then he went away"
GONE TO JERSEY
Pliny laid his head on the table
and sobbed. Karen shook his
shoulder.
Where did he go?" she de-
manded.
II told you. Gone to hell. Gone
to New jersey. Same thing. He
even likes it there. Sent me a
card gushing about the fresh air
and water. He got a job picture
snatching for some paper near
Trenton. What an end for him!"
Pliny mourned.
Karen fingered to be sure of the
name of the paper, fingered on a
moment longer, because her heart
was singing and she wanted to
share her happiness with Pliny.
On the way to the station and
the next train back to Trenton
she thought of the many cheap
quaint cottages she had seen on
drives. She must find one large
enough for Rusty to have a dark
room to develop pictures. She
would economic so that he could
buy materials. Oh, he would be
a great photographer one day.
Lucky she was to get an ex-
press train. There was no time to
lose. Rusty and she had wasted
months, living and working within
few miles of each other. They
must make up for that.
! THE END