Browning chief., 1941-07-04

She realized what this goodby meant
She would not hear his voice or feel
his arms and lips again. q. And yet
it was not until the clock had safely
passed AS that she was quite sure
she would not meet him at Labrozzi's
In the meantime she had busily packed
trunk and boxes, all the while half
doubling her own decision to go away.
An incoherent telegram from Ricky
had come. She was in Philadelphia and
was driving back late with a news
photographer. Laurie would have liked
Ricky's warm companionShip, and yet
it was better she was not here. She
had never been in love.
Laurie sat down to rest. She drank
some black coffee and wondered where
she would go tomorrow. To the summer
place up in Vermont? Neither she nor
Ricky had been there for years. May
be Ricky would give up this silly news
paper hobby and come along too?
There was some stipulation in the will
about the Vermont place. Being the
daughters of trust fund Ricky and
Laurie had stipulations and stipends
instead of punishments and rewards.
She wouldn't consult Henry. how
ever. He would understand why she
was going and make everything simple
for her at the bank.
Now the clock was around past mid
night. She had won against her own
weakness. There was no danger now.
Vance had never waited Is minutes
for a woman in his life
She took up a mystery novel and
looked at the pages, turning them at
intervals as if she had grasped their
meaning. Every sentence was pune
tuated by her own absorbing, repeti-
tive thought: This is a tough
problem to solve" said the commits
sioner. Its an incredible murder
What is Vance doing now? viii
he believe I am really through? .
It's incredible said the other thought
fully. but I'll wager that piece of
green Mungo will solve it . E. Will he
find out from Henry where I have
gone? Will he follow me up to Yer
mont? If he does. what then? No
woman could withstand Vance if he
really wanted her At least, none of the
women I know"
Slowly drearily the clock marched
on to l. At least have gotten through
seven hours of this pain, she thought.
Then there will be weeks and more
weeks and some day will wake up
and wonder why was unhappy.
She meant to stay up until Ricky
came and tell her everything. She had
heard that the more you talk about
grief the easier it is healed. In fact,
she had known women who were
healed before they finished describing
the symptoms. So she was annoyed
when the doorbell rang, for that was
the warning Don't wander out in your
step-ins or what-have-you. Somebody's
with me-" It would undoubtedly be
the newspaper photographer and he
would want to drink and stay till all
hours.
Laurie hoped that Ricky had merely
Vance she couldn't say word. She
stood there looking at him, feeling
weak all over He walked past her into
the drawing room and sat down on
the love seat. Something about his
walk and his eyes made her wonder
if he was drunk. She shut the door
dllu NSllI " SIdllu OtS4ue HILL S1lS
noticed everything dear about him as
if for the first instead of the last
time. He was boyishly slight. and his
face was thin with high cheekbones;
his dark, close-cropped head was
shaped for the touch of a womans
fingers. His strong, white hands were
more expressive than most peoples
eyes.
But just now he looked haggard, and
for the first time older than his "a
years. 1t made her sick to think she
had done this to him and yet she felt
natural surge of relief and triumph.
It waited at Labrozzi,s," he said.
How long?"
"A couple of years, I think. This
evening has been a century. Oh, all
of the Dark Ages"
Il know, Vance"
Then I went home and 1t broke
over me all at once. I felt as If
were drowning And 50 had to come