The Wilmington morning star., 1940-01-18
CHAPTER NINE

yin to ENJOY II WAeH IAo WV
phone rang. 1t was the kind Of
bath that should bring a girl to hel
senses. 1t was foaming and fragrant
with bath salts that had cost as
much as a poor doctors wife pays
for six pairs of stockings. There
was a rubber pillow at the head Oh
the tub and great, fluffy towels
warming for her. Outside 1t was
sleeting and the wind howled across
the park. But in that room it was
warm and luxurious and bright Will
lights.
The wife of a poor doctor would
live in a walk-up and be lucky to
have a cake of soap, she told her
self angrily, and picked up the
phone.
Camilla Morse was at the other
end of the wire.
Hello, darling. VIII you
serve on my committee for the Vel
vet ball?" she wanted to know.
mo" Fabienne bit off the word.
'How many times have I told you,
Camilla, that I simply won'+ serve
en- ANY committees"
but, darling, 1 thought since
you'd got so charitable, doing all
that settlement work and that . .
why 80. I 49,.
I'm fed to the teeth with char
table work, Cam. Sorry
,sT),4 1ool, lo,1ir~ y-o nnvlr see
YOU. What about dinner a week
from Thursday? I've a fascinating
man who wants to meet you"
Fabienne said, hold the wire
She Rugged her woolly robe
closer to her wet figure and
stretched across the bed to reach
her engagement pad. She thumbed
through it hastily and picked ur
the telephone:
Cant make it then, Camilla
I'm booked solid for two weeks"
Anything exciting"
'Terribly,' Fabienne said bitter
". 'Theater tonight. Marcia's for
dinner tomorrow night. Ned Web
ster's opening the next night. The
hockey game at the Garden the mex
night. Then Grainger's shindig the
next. Shall I go on? It's I'll pretty
much the same"
She could hear Camilla gasp a
the other end. "How do you do it;
Ye gods, Fab, why do you persls'
in doing the Big Sister act for eight
hours a day? I'm dead if I stay W
until midnight, and 7 hear you're
doing the town up night after
night"
Fabienne smiled wryly. "I'n
unique" she said. She might have
said she was desperate.
She might have said that she hae
to go out where there were lights
bright lights and music-loud mu'
sic-and people and more people, Sc
that she wouldn't think, sc that she
could sleep when she got home.
1t was all true that she was I'm
happy, but it was also true tina
Fabienne had brains and uset
them.
1t was not thwarted love tina
made her mentally ill; it was dis
appointment and Illustration. Fol
the first time in her life she ha'
seer something that she thought sh'
wanted and found she couldn't have
and she was wise enough to call l
Illustration and only that. She wa
not sick with the pangs of love a
all. 1t was true, and h knew 1t
But she knew, as well, that with tn
abrupt end of her anticipation tn
flavor of life had grown tasteless
The meaning of days was gone whel
she compared these days since tn
night that Ellen Chapman had tuck
ed her elbow into Bill Mallory's-
DR.. J. W. Mallory's.
Now, because she had know:
something else briefly, she kneN
boredom for what it was.
The night Ned Webster's clu
opened and Rose O'Day took Ne
York by storm with her torch sins
ing, Fabienne was there with Ke
Hemingway.
Rose O'Day had magic in he
voice and she was singing from he
heart. Her voice was like a palp
Eating heart held in YOU hand.
The mask was off Fabienne's co
face as she listened.
Ken said softly, II give up"
Fabienne drew her brows t
gether questioningly.
Some other guy has got 20,
heart. It's all owe your face, bah
Who's the lucky guy?"
It was Rose C'Day's singing tn.
did it. She played on Fabienne
emotions. Fabienne dubbed owe
At least it was bubbling over for F
bienne. She said, II met that ma
that a girl meets once in a lifetime
or. at least, he looked like that ki1
of a man-but when I went to cole
him, I found I'd be %poaching."
married."
She shook her head.
"Engaged?"
ct don't think So"
'Then what's stopping you? All
fair in love and"
She stopped him. There's no u
talking about it. It's just out as f;
as I'm concerned" There was
point in trying to tell Ken why 81
couldn't cut in on Ellen. She didr
know why exactly herself. 9th
girls she had known were not abo'
pirating when it came to men, b
Ellen wasn't like any other girl s.
-- DJ1ap Iod nffara6 h