The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-23
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

CHAPTER FORTY-IHREE
Christmas week dawned clear and
crisp, but the weather mar promised
snow. Cissie took her staff out to
Johnny Cake Hill and opened the
great old Harlowe mansion early
one morning.
In the afternoon when Romany
drove Cholly out in her new car,
the place was a bedlam of servants,
caterers and deliverymen.
Cissie was in seventh heaven,
dressed in Stacks, directing the cut
ting of trees and boughs in the
woods back of the estate. She rode
in on a truckload of them, waving
to Romany, waiting for her on the
front veranda.
"Oh, Tannenbaum, oh, Tannen-
baum" she sang gayly. 1--WE been
wishing you girls would hurry. YOU
should see the big tree in the front
room. I'm dying to start in on 1t.
1t reached to the ceiling of the
great old beamed room. On the
other end cracked a great log ire
and the place smelled like a forest.
Romany and Cholly hurried INTO
Stacks at Cissie's suggestion. They
decorated until dinner time, then'
after pausing long enough to dine,
went back to their task until mlo-
night. When they had finished, the
great room was a ~fairyland OF lights
and boughs. Clusters of mlstletoe
hung over all the doors n molly
lent color and charm to the Win
dows.
The afternoon before Christmas
Eve. Cecilia called Romany at In
terstate, where she was rehearsing.
Il want you to drive out and
bring hat writer friend of yours
for the party, darling. If he spurns
us again, let me know and I'll come
in and get him myself"
Romany hesitated.
DO you really think I should,
Cissie? I wouldn't want him to
think I'm chasing him"
"You do as I say" Ceceta
laughed. Don't telephone him al
warning so he ear duck. A Halle al
ways gets her mani"
Dover was driving Cholly out 10
Cissie's farm. so Romany set ouF
for South Shore drive, not without
trepidation. 1t wasn't easy to throw
yourself at a mans head when ne
hadn't even as much as called you
on the phone since the night he first
kissed you weeks before.
A little breathless Romany rang
the bell and, when the buzzer
sounded, she sighed with relief.
Bax was home. She ran UP the
stairs and again, as sh~ had done
when she called before, a
stepped back with surprise.
oh" he smiled crookedly, "it's
you, Glamor Girl. This is a sur
prise"
at shouldn't be-" Romany walked
inside and Bax closed the door. It's
getting to be quite a habit
May I have your mink?" She
noticed that his face was thinner,
with a little pang.
Aunt Cecelia's mink" Romany
corrected him with an uncertain lit
tie smile. mo, I won't take it off.
I've come to carry you off to the
country. Aunt Cissie is having some
of the radio crowd out for the holt
day, and she ordered me to come
and bring you"
Bax hesitated.
TIN sorry, Romany, but I'm
afraid I can't 60"
Romany walked over to him
swiftly and put her hand on his
arm.
"Bax," she faltered, 'please
ONE. Bob Lane told me you are
going away. You mustn't go with
out meeting Aunt Cissie. She has
read your scripts and she's crazy
about them. She wants to meet you
so much"
1t sounded silly and childish,
Romany knew suddenly, and she
flushed a deep pink.
"Besides," she added, raising her
head and looking into his question
ing brown eyes, Il want you to
come"
do you?" Bax cupped her soft
chin in his hand. will you please
tell me why, Romany? Why do you
bother with me? Is it because you
feel sorry for me? You're on top
and I am on the bottom"
She cried out sharply:
"Stop, Bax. OF course it's not
that. Oh, will you stop being a fool
and put some things in a bag and
~-Y AVIAN |@rrr- 49,