The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-05-02
BY
LORENA


daily event. Same food, same place,
same hour, same girl"
Lois leaned back of him to stare
at August Drake. Not me-" Au-
gust denied with graceful disdain,
although her heavily tinted face
was puzzled.
Larry deftly switched the con-
versation as he supplied meaning
ly, "She is busy with other things
at that time of day"
His insinuation forced visions Of
herself at that hour. masked and
chin-strapped. into the red-haired
woman's mind. Instinctively she
lowered her face into the wells
about her throat, and breathed
thanks that a newspaper photogra-
pher, armed with camera, suddenly
provided a rescue from her taunt-
ing leading man.
Pleasure frightened Lois face
as she realized the paper would
carry proof Of her chummy friend
ship with the stars of Orchids Can
Choke You" She leaned even clos
er TO Larry He also was pleased.
August put on the careful prop
smile that wouldn't nip wrinkles
into the corners Of her eyes. No one
would dream she had coerced their
press agent Have him there be-
fore I've eaten my face completely
out of shape" she had instructed
him. Lunch with the Lyndons
should land us on the society page
instead Of the theatrical"
On Wednesday at the matinee
performance, Anette stood near a
spiral staircase in backstage gloom
and knew she had been none too
good in her first scene. Verrazano
was standing beside her, instruct
ing her. He moved away and i'm
mediately returned. Or so she
thought. Instead, it was Laurence
Peyton who, without a word of
greeting. opened his hand beneath
her startled gaze.
Look In the dim light she saw
three locks Of hair. Red, blond,
black. Augusts, Lois, her own.
Larry Dragged idiotically. I'm
making a collection. All need now
is gray and white"
For what seemed a tormented
century Anette Just stared. 1t
wasn't entirely the three curls. The
lock-of-hair idea had been ridicu-
lous all along. 1t was the long wait
in the sandwich place that after
noon when he hadn't even arrived.
It was his telephone call the ensu-
ing day, friendly and explanatory,
but scarcely apologize. It was the
two frightful days after that when
he hadn't telephoned at all. It was
the ridiculous mourning over the
newspaper picture because he
looked so completely happy with
his partner and Lois Lyndon, and
because she herself looked so plain
beside the sober-faced James Lyn-
don. 1t was all those things, sud-
denly eneircled by three locks OF
hair. and made more detestable be-
cause he now seemed so provoking
ly unaware Of wrongdoing.
She dragged her gaze from
Larry's palm and inquired In stran-
gled, childish sarcasm, Are you
stufing a sofa ?" Her eyeballs felt
like marble slabs. Actually they
were soft beneath uncomfortable
tears
She realized with sick helpless
ness. I'm crying-my makeup-I
must not cry!' And while she stood
there, beneath Larrys strange
smile, her teeth clamped, hands
frightened into fists, neck and spine
rigid, lighting her emotion. trying
to ignore the tears that persistent
ly rolled down her cheeks, a second
thought raced 10 her But I must
cry I'm supposed to cry. This is
IL"
She walked onto the stage, shoul-
ders bent beneath the burden Of her
heartbroken sobs
Ito BE COntinued)