The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-11-20

was easily slid back. "N-n-n-nv
Her sigh of surprise and relief
was audible. She walked into
Nancy's living room and reclos'
ed the door.
II was light enough to see well
in mere, but still gray enough to
be depressing. She stood there
moment. thinking, h o d n 6
Pops stubby gun. Suddenly she
was glad the cartridges were
blanks.
I'D do something terrible! I'd
kill someone."
This way, she could maybe
bluff with II and accomplish her
ends without having to carry q
personal fear of the gun.
She smelled delicious fooo
cooking, and saw that Nancy
had already set her tiny dining
table with pl ces for four
Food was in an electric cooker
loaned to Nancy by Nom Mil
Ter weeks ago. 1t would be some
thing tangy and good. The table
was lovely. 1t held, dominant, a
vase of flowers, rather expen-
overlooking ones. Blythe leaned
close to see a card dropped near
by. 1t had a florists heading, and
handwritten in ink it said:
Flower. cheer for Nancy
and Scoots! (Be sure you
cook ENOUGH.) Norman.
Norman! He, not Duane, had
sent them to Nancy! Even his
note held his breezy, cocky air
Blythe moistened her lips. Odd
that the flowers, or rather the
note with them, should give her
such satisfaction in this strained
moment. But she had to admit
that it did.
She leaned to read the dainty
homemade place cards. Each was
a little football sketched in
Scooter's color crayons. They
read Duane, Scooter, Norman,
Muv. Muv was Scooter's own
name for his mother, and so
Nancy obviously had printed it
in whimsy there. The whole ia
BILE was intimate, cozy, nice.
Blythe felt quick little lump
of yearning in her throat, then
a horrid feeling that she was
bout to destroy a beautiful
thing.
Why in the old Nick, she ask
ed herself, did life have to do
people this way? Why was it in
escapable for her thus to expose
Nancy Hale? She didn't hate
Nancy. She couldn't! Not even
when knowing that Nancy want
ed to marry Duane.
II ought to hate her! I loved
him first, and I still do" A re-
phrasing of that salient fact
still didn't make her course easy.
Here before her was a cozy ia
BILE for four friends - quarter
back, fullback, beloved mascot,
adorable girl. Why couldn't 1t
all have been as perfect. as it
looked! Blythe wanted to rail
out wildly at fate or something.
To get the calm that comes
from physical action again, she
opened the cartridge chamber of
Pops gun, inspected it carefully,
snapped it back shut. She pulled
the hammer back, then reclosed
it carefully, holding the spring
mechanism. She knew that it
would shoot and scare anybody,
even though it did no actual
harm.
Here's what I'll do" she
promised herself, standing there
in the twilight. "I'll hide away
back in the closet behind Man
cy's clothes. Fortunately it's a
big one. The two gamblers said
they'd come there, but they'll
have to be near the door to peek
out. it'll be a long wait, but
I can do it, Half an hour at most.
They won't enter the closet,
surely, until they hear Duane
and Norman coming. And when
the boys are in the room / can
take command. have all the
proof I need, then, to convince
them. And-and maybe-maybe
we can work out a way to turn
the gamblers in to the police
without letting Nancy get
too involved Nancy
and Scooter"
It was wishful thinking again,
but it was genuine. Knowing
that Nancy had agreed to drug
the two football stars in order
to get $1,000 from the gamblers
was the cause of lingering,
gnawing pain. Nancy who had
been an adorable friend. But, too
who had fallen for the
man Blythe herself loved!
It was still a tragic, almost
sickening situation for pretty
Blythe Miller, a situation that
kept her emotions more and
more confused. There is no con-
flict like that within oneself.