The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1941-01-17
A LESSON IN
LOVE
g
By MEREDITH SCHOLL
Associated Newspapers.
WNU Service.
.HROUGH the screen door

O6Sh " 90 W AlAAAI OAiO oAiC WdS
looking up at the moon. He glanced
about furtively; the room was emp
ty. Ruth and Ted had gone off
somewhere. He turned, opened the
door noiselessly and stepped out.
She didn't move, not even when
he was directly behind her, not even
when he leaned over and kissed her
neck. She merely said, scarcely
breathing the words: "Oh, Ted!
! Please"
Tony's heart seemed to stand still.
Ted! She had called him Ted! She
had thought it was Ted who had
kissed her. She had acted as h-as
il she hadn't minded.
Ugly thoughts flooded Tony's mind
and left him cold and trembling. He
turned, went back through the door,
paused once to glance over his
shoulder and saw that Elinor was
still standing as he had left her.
Alone in his room he sat down
to think. The incident had opened
his eyes, had explained many things.
Had explained, for example, why FL
inor had been acting strange Of late.
No, not Of late. Only since q few
days after Ted and Ruth arrived.
She had fallen in love with Tedi He
had made love to her, and neither
OF them had the courage to tell him.
That was underhanded for you all
right. Engaged to girl, and she
lets another man make love to her
right under your nose.
The irony of it made him bitter.
He had been fool enough to be-
lieve that Elinor's uneasiness was
caused by the fact that he had been
displaying interest In Ruth. Could
you beat it? He had been conceited
enough to think that Elinor was ac-
tually jealous. Why, he'd actually
been attentive to Ruth because it
pleased his ego to feel that he had
enough power over woman to up
set her emotions. And all the while
she had been laughing at him, play
ing up to Ted.
Tony set about packing his bags
Unadmittedly it was pride that pro-
voked the decision to go away He
didn't have the courage to face the
crowd again, to admit that he had
been played for a sucker.
He found the lower floor of the
DiXon'S summer cottage vacant He
paused in the living room, consid-
ering writing note to explain to
Mrs. Dixon his sudden decision to
leave: thought better of it, and went
out.
Unchallenged he rolled his road
Ster down the drive, let out the
clutch when the machine reached
the highway and went roaring away
into the night.
Tony drove till nearly dawn. His
thoughts were chaotic, confused,
bordering on panic. With each pass
ing mile the realization Of the real
depth of his love for Eliner, of the
great emptiness caused by knowl-
edge of her deception, became more
poignant.
Exhausted, at last he drew up be-
fore a tiny uncovered inn, reused
sleepy clerk and engaged room.
But sleep would not come. He lay
awake until long after the sun had
risen, reviewing each hour OF the
| days that had passed since Ted and
Ruth had arrived at the camp.
Thoughts of Elinor holding secret
rendezvous with the handsome Ted
Fisher tortured him. 1t was I'M
believable, beyond comprehension
that Elinor, in whom he had put his
trust and faith and love, had be-
trayed him.
Suddenly he sat bolt upright in
bed. A startling thought occurred
to him. Perhaps it was his fault!
Perhaps he was to blame! Perhaps
| his attentions to Ruth had driven
Elinor to retaliate. For the first
time in his life. Tony Colbert faced
a situation that involved his own
| feelings. honestly Was it any more
right for him TO practice deception
than for Elinor, he asked himself!
| After a while he lay back and
closed MS eyes Sleep came at last
And his last waking thought was
an admission of wrorgdoing and q
feeling of guilt.
Toward mid afternoon he awoke
Dressing. he went over carefully the
plan that had half taken form ir
his mind the night before 1t TOOK
courage and suppression of pride te
reach his decision But eventually
the battle was won. When he de
scended the stairs there was moth
ing but grim resolve written in hi:
face.
| Darkness had fallen when TONY
once more drove along the drive Of
the Dixon summer cottage Through
the trees he could see lights, an(
the strains of radio music came Il
him on the still night air He parket
his roadster in the garage and mad,
his way along the flagstone walk tina
led under the maple trees.
At the foot of the veranda step.
he paused. A figure was outlinet
against the lights of the room be
yond. Tony's heart began to pound
He set down his bag and came slow
" up the steps A board creakes
beneath his foot and the figur,
whirled: II was Eiinor.
/ sCTooyf" eaSD escanad har l;v,-