The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-01-14
CHAPTER VIII

At 5 o'clock that day, Martins Marshall was still enmeShed II the coils of her inner problem How could she indicate to Pau Elliott, without hurting him, anc vet without letting him know tht real reason, that she preferred no1 to 20 out with him any more?
 There was a pile of unfinished reports on her desk. There were letters she should have answered and the article for the engineering periodical which the Chief hac asked her to type. Never before had she been so slow, so mefh- cient.
 She opened the desk drawer wearily. She'd catch up tomorrow She took her compact out of he1 handbag. Her eyes in the tiny mirror startled her. So wide and dark, so brilliant with misery, as if she had fever!
 Paul opened the door to his office, and Martha seized her pow der puff hastily.
 Ready to leave, Martha?" he called. wait @ minute, I'll be right with you"
 She steeled herself. She looked LID at him. Don't bother about me, Paul." she managed to say. TT don't feel awfully well. ] want to go right home and get in bed"
 He was all concern, immedi- ately. She wanted to kick herself. She should have told him some story of being expected somewhere catching store before it closed anything.
 I'm all right" she repeated tonelessly. "Just a headache" The phone in his office rang, "Theres' your phone" She got up and slipped out while he was still talking.
 The next morning she avoided his eyes, was thankful when he had to go down to the production depart ment to straighten out tangle. It might take all day. Production was 8 hectic mess, most of the time.
 But at quitting time, he was back in the office.
 Feel like some chow mein?" i sNo. I - I'm going home and cook Butch some hamburger. I've got a lot to do. I'm awfully tired" His face fell. T was looking forward to it. After all, there's no nne waiting for you"
 There'S Butch"
 Suppose we stop of and buy the hamburger, you fry it while . walk Butch, and then" Martha averted her head, pre- i tending to fish out the eraser and the pencils from under the legs of her typewriter. ''No Paul. Tn thanks, anyway"
 But why not?"
 'No!" This time, her voice was sharp. Paul stared at her. his thick dark eyebrows straight line over his brown eyes.
 She walked home. A long walk, with her head high and chin up. She hoped there'd be letter from Bill waiting in the box. But there wasn't. While she fried the meat for Butch, even while she walked be- hind him, later, she remembered Paul's surprised eyes, his set mouth.
 Mrs. Kelly, the cleaning woman, was waiting for her in the hall when she and Butch returned. Could you let me have a dollar On what you owe me?" she asked. 'I know tomorrow's Saturday, but I can't wait for this" Her grand child, she explained, was i'll. T gotta pay at the drugstore for pre- scriptiorS."
 "Oh, that's all right. I'm sorry he's sick"
 Martha said. disliking to tell her now, but knowing it had to be done, i've been meaning to tell you, about the cleaning. There isn't as much to do as there used to be, and"
 "Oh, yes there isl" cut in the old woman argumentatively. That friend of your husbands, he still comes, I can tell by the newspa- perS on the floor, and pipe ashes all around and didn't he cook up 8 mess of something sticky in that skillet like he always does?"
 Martha remembered the con- coction he called "slumgulIium" he had insisted on making that night they played two-handed bridge. Her face burned.
 Mrs. Kelly" she said evenly, MT. Elliott will not be calling any more" The words seemed very loud in the suddenly still room.
 The cleaning woman eyed her shrewdly. Those little blue eyes, in their bed of wrinkles, were like the eyes of a bright, inquisitive bird. "Oh, so MT. Elliott won't be calling, eh? How disappointed that Miss Trent upstairs is gonna be! Her with her tattling about him stayin' all hours" She folded her