Evening star., 1941-05-19

w
to find Lucys rooster missing and
workmen building the stables.
"Oh Cynthia" Lucy cried
sparks?"
"Mr. Sparks?" Cynthia said. There
was an oddly disturbed look on her
thin beautiful face.
Court had a sudden premonition.
"Yes. Cynthia" ne echoed, Lucy s
pet rooster"
"Oh-the rooster. Well, I may
As well tell you. He's dead" Cynthia
said fatty.
"Mr. Sparks-dead?" Lucy cried.
"I told Miss Carter that rooster
was the little girls pet" one of the
carpenters burst out, land that he
was just showin' off, that he
wouldn't hurt her none. I didn't
want to wiring his neck, but she
wouldn't have it any other way"
"Cynthia!" Court said hoarsely.
"He frightened me horribly He
was vicious, and anyway no sort of
a pet for child. Well get you a
kitten, Lucy darling Cynthia
knelt and looked into the child's
white face "Oh now, don't be a
baby, darling. 1t was just silly
old chicken Well get a cunning
Angora kitten to take his place. I'm
sorry, though, if you really were so
attached to that silly rooster"
Court Breaks News.
Lucy said nothing. She turned
and began running, as fast as she
could. Court and Cynthia watched
her disappear around the corner of
the house
"She couldn't have taken it to
Crestwell with her, Court" Cynthia
said uneasily.
Come to the house, Cynthia" )"
Court said. Il must talk to you"
He strobe toward the house so
fast she had to run to keep up with
him. Il have lots of things to talk
to you about, too, Court. That's
what I came out for. l wanted to
talk to you about the houseWarming,
for one thing" she said breathleSsly.
He faced her inside the door of
the hideously modernistic living
room. There isn't going to be any
housewarming, Cynthia" he ex-
ploded.
But Court"
"And there isn't going to be any
wedding His dark eyes flashed.
Court" she exclaimed. Her chin
lifted. Are you behaving this way
just because of that ridiculous
rooster? Oh, Court, when you cool
off you'll be so sorry you're saying
these things. It's childish"
1T isn't just Mr.. Sparks. Lucyll
get over that in time. It's just that
you could be $3.50 heartless and
unthinking. I don't believe I ever
realized until now, just hoW-hoW
absorbed in yourself you were, how
little regard you have for any one
else's feelings or-or happiness
Il said I was sorry. After all
what do you want me to do?"
Il want you to release me. I
can't possibly marry you"
Finds Lucy Weeping.
But Court, it's too late! What
will my friends say? It's been an
nounced. Why, right here" she
waved a paper under his nose, "is
the list of invitations. You can't
humiliate me this way, hurt mel"
She dissolved into tears.
"I'll sell this place, pay your
father back the money he's spent
on 1t. Lucy and I could never live
here" he said. Go ahead" he
ADDED stonily, "cryl You're utterly
incapable of feeling sorry for any
one but yourself anyway. Your tears
fail to impress me, Cynthia, because
I have no feeling whatever left for
you I was stupid to think loved
you, or that could be happy mar
ried to you. I guess I didn't even
know what love-real love was
then-when I thought I had fallen
in love with you"
He paused, rubbing his head
YEARLY. aside from that" he went
on, II couldn't marry you because
Of Lucy. She means more to me
than you seem to realize. Cynthia.
Her happiness comes right at the
top of things for me-" He turned
then and went out.
1t was half an hour later before
he found Lucy. She was down by
the pit, lying fat on her stomach
on one of the big fiat slabs of rock.