Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1939-09-01
CHAPTER 9

There was only one patient left IN
the office when the 5 o'clock flowers
arrived-but that didn't help any
One patient was enough. 1t had to
be the highly irascible Mrs. Wharton
and it had to be just while talking
to Mrs. Wharton that the flowers
came, hurting Linda into confusion.
While Mrs. Wharton sat across the
desk from Linda, the now-familiar
florists delivery boy, huffing and
painting, arrived to deposit on the
desk between them huge potted gar
denia plant, from which lowered ex-
actly eight blooms.
Linda didn't look at the card until
later. This time it was formal en-
graved card with the name
civilian Meredith Blaine. M. d."
crossed out and the words: "At 8,
count 'em, s-Bill" written in ink.
Linda tried to cover her embarass-
ment by being very businesslike,
avoiding Mrs. Wharton's quizzical
stare, which seemed to say: "Well,
of all things!" Linda fumbled very
busily with Mrs. Wharton's history
card, trying to appear absorbed in
what she saw there.
"Let me see," Linda said, your
pulse was 47-oh, no! Why that can't
be; you'd be Oh, that's not your
pulse. That's your age!"
DR.. Thorpe came into the reception
room from his office just in time to
see his patient rise Indignantly and
exclaim:
"Young lady, KNOW my age! I'm
sure didn't ask YOU 49,"
After She had left, somewhat mol
flied by DIR. Thorpe's strategic flat
terry, Linda's employer turned to her
and said, with what was for him un-
usual severity:
"Miss Morton, if you're going in for
gardening perhaps you'd better
change your uniform for overalls and
sunbonnet. Take a letter! Or, bet
ter, take sedative and go home"
AS she beat a retreat, Linda could
at that moment-have willingly
stood by and watched Bill Blaine
drawn and quartered.
But by the time she had reached
home her mood had changed again.
Linda raced through dinner, scarce
ly knowing and caring less what she
ate. Mrs. Blauer, who remained to
keep Mickey for the evening, had pre-
pared dinner and was feeding the boy.
"Where are you going, mother?"
Mickey asked solemnly as Linda skip
ped her dssert and gulped down cup
of coffee. "Can go, too?"
"No, DEAR" Linda told him. "Moth-
er's going to party. She'll take you
bye-bye later-maybe on a picnic in
the park"
After hurriedly kissing him good
night, Linda gathered few accessor-
les and dashed for the apartment of
10 and Janice, where her formal and
other clothes already had been laid
out. 10, the author of the plot, had
paid for her authorship with the loan
of her smart cocoa ermine coat, the
coat which 10 said Looks like what
I'm not, darn it."
"Hurry, honey!" Janice greeted her
at the door. "We won't have time
for that special hair-do."
"Don't bother" Linda cody reject
ed Janice's offer to help, "Pll take
care of it."
Perfectly groomed and coiffed, her
nails cleaning in long tapers of ma
tural shade, Linda slippd into the
filmy cornflower formal which was
her chest"
Her high-piled blonde hair and blue
eyes were artfully set off by the blue
of the gown, but 10 found something
to criticize in the ensemble.
"No, huh-un" 10 said, pursuing her
lips and shaking her head in disap-
prevail. "Not the rhinestone clip. It
just doesn't fit it."
"Here, Linda" Janice, her eyes wide
in hurt at Linda's continued rebuffs
at her every effort to help, "please,
honey, wear it. For me-"
She held out beautiful brooch, ex-
quisitely wrought in old gold, in the
center of which was a tiny porcelain
miniature.
"Mother's", Janice said. Both Lin
da and 10 knew that it was Janice's
most priced possession.
Linda smiled her thanks and silent
" pinned the brooch at her throat