Browning chief., 1941-02-14

owing one oil her scripts TO the popular
and producer, Ted Collins.
[ him. He liked the full contour of her
breasts beneath her simple white
gown, and the slumberous darkness
of her hair He fell in love with heI
Before the weekend was over, he
had told her SO. And she had kissed
him in a way that told him all he
wanted to know. Elsa was Nina Car
rington's house guest, from Cleveland,
and j went back to New York to make
arrangements for the wedding. Elsas
widowed mother was to come east for
the ceremony.
Back in his apartment in New York,
however, j was overwhelmed by the
events of the past few days. He would
have to tell Elsa of his obsession, for
even now, transported as he was by
the first knowledge Of real love, he
had no confidence that the phantom
idea of Joel would not recur to plague
him. Certainly, he argued with him
self, 1t was a phantom idea! All he
had TO do was to tell Elsa about 1t,
and the nonsense would vanish. But
would it?
Suppose she became Interested in
Joel? Suppose she really believed there
was a Joel, who should have a wife
and a secure home, too? Joel, who
had never had any happiness.
1t was at that moment that he
decided he must consult psychi-
artist.
Doctor Edward Malcolm glanced
about at his guests. He rose In
leisurely way and added a birch log
to the fire. 49,
For goodness sake, Ed" Aline
cried. Are you deliberately trying to
paralyze us with suspense? Was there
Joel?"
Malcolm sat down again and smiled
at Hannah Elliot, idly extending his
palm toward Aline. There, my dear
, you have the perfect eXtrovert-ln
Aline. She can't wait. The introvert
loves to daily with the unknown"
That's me-" said George surpris-
ingly. LAS long as Joel Is unknown
he's all right. But I'm afraid to meet
him"
with good reason" Malcolm OBJ
served drily. But for your sake
Aline, I'll tell the rest OF it."
He refilled his pipe ~ did not come
| to see me until some weeks after he
had decided the visit was necessary
He hoped still to solve his problem
alone. He made excuses to ElSa-sound
enough, perhaps-for a delay of thei!
marriage. His work-finding suitable
apartment-and so on. Elsa under
stood. That was-shall we say the
psychic part of it? She told him
one day, ! know. dear. There musi
| have been someone in your life be-
fore you met me-
That startled him so that he al
most told her the truth. She hat
q
! tional strain, you see. But he was
| still afraid to put her to the test
Elsa was as normal as sun and rain
you must remember.
well, after he had told me all that
I have told you, he was completely
| spent. Putting it into words had mads
| it seem all the more real to him.
was disturbed. There was only ont
thing to do. and it involved seriou;
risk. We had to try to track Joe
/ down."
Aline shut her eyes and gave a thin
| squeal. Hannah Elliot stared unwink-
ingly at Malcolm. George nervously
| twirled his glass.
II shall be brief. There was very
! little to it, except that dislike travel
/ intention of permitting him 10 do so
J refused to go west alone. I had nc
but for my own purposes l was
obliged to suggest it, at first. We flew
! to nneapoli-charming city, but
| the traffic is hideous-and there
went to see an old classmate of mine
| Fredericks gave us cards to all the
founding asylums and children's
homes in the state. believe. I shant
take you through all that. Suffice il
! to say. we sat at last in the presence
of frosty-eyed woman who mus!
have had heart OF gold-she had
nothing else to recommend her. AT
institution since the cornerstone was
laid. She disapproved of US. could
see-thoroughly She had never heard
Of me. But that didn't matter, because
she had heard Of J.
He was so exhausted and despair
ing by this time that he did not even
notice the keen glance she gave him
But the old girl had kept a record
as far as she could. of all the chill
dren adopted out of her shelter. Her
sole dissipation was the theater, and
her interest In j was tinged with
something like possessive pride. She
had even been on the point Of writing
him once. but professional ethics OF
course forbade that"
Malcolm drew musingly on his pipe
1T was the loneliest little grave
yard have ever seem" he went on
graveyard. On the outskirts of a little
country town. on the prairie. We
reached It Just at sunset and there
was . pink light on the long grass
and the thin willows and the settled
gray Of the modest tombstones. It oc-
CURED to me that nobody could have
died In that little town for . long