Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1943-01-21
Wrong Woman
By r. H. WILKINSON
Associated Newspapers.
WNU Features.

ried in England! Every member
of her family except herself had
been born in a little town called
Laurelheath, so it occurred to her
that being married there would give
her a distinction that the others
didn't have.
. Johnny was wholly in favor of the
idea.
So they set sail on the Urban
tania-Candida and her mother,
and Johnny and his aunt, Mrs.
Gill. Everything was serene
when the Urbantania left the
docks in New York. Everything
remained serene until that eve
ming. That evening the wedding
party found that two other pe0-
pie were assigned to the same
table In the dining salon. The
two others were Mrs. Jasper
Jummel and her daughter, Lita.
Lita was a blonde with lustrous
blue eyes and a perfectly featured
face. Johnny decided she was about
the most beautiful woman he had
ever seen.
After dinner, in the main salon
there was dancing, and Johnny, out
of sheer courtesy, naturally danced
with Lita. She was personified
rhythm in his arms, she was an
electric current that warmed his
blood and caused his nerves to tim
gle. He was glad when the dance
was over.
The next day Johnny was taking
constitutional around the deck and
he met Lita. The wind was in her
hair and the wind was whipping
her white silk dress close about her
body. He stopped and talked with
her, acutely conscious of her eyes
and her smile and the warm flush of
health on her cheeks.
That night at dinner Johnny tried
not to notice that every time he
looked at Lita she was watching
him. He promised himself that aft
er dinner he wouldn't dance with
her. But he did. Twice. After the
second dance he pleaded headache
and went to his cabin He lay on
his bed and thought. He asked HIM
self what would be wrong with a
harmless Irritation. Lita, of course,
meant nothing to him. When they
reached Liverpool he'd never see
her again. Candida was the girl he
loved.
He wondered if he could carry
on a harmless Irritation without
hurting Candida, without max
ing his interest in Lita seem OBJ
viOus. He decided that he could.
The next night he was halfway
through a dance with Lita when sud-
denly he stopped. He took her by
the arm and without explanation
led her through door onto the deck.
There was a moon, but deep shad-
ows lay beneath the superstructure
near the bow. He led her toward
the shadows.
''Lita!" he said huskily, and
took her in his arms. She yield
ed. The kiss lasted an eternity.
They broke away at sound of
voices close by. One of the
speakers was Candida's mother.
Johnny grasped Lita by the
hand and dragged her swiftly
away. They had not, he was
sure, been observed.
Two nights later Johnny again
yielded to temptation. He made a
secret rendezvous with Lita. With
her in his arms it was easy to for
get. He said things that he knew he
didn't mean. He told her that he
loved her. He told her she had Civ
en- life meaning. He told her that
he didn't want to 60 on living with
out her.
Lita reciprocated nobly. She gave
back answers of like nature, only
differently put. They kept it up for
an hour or more, babbling nonsense
to each other, assuring each other
that no one else existed in the world.
Repetition began to rob the con-
versation of its SAVIOR. There were
long pauses, while each tried hard
to conjure new angle. The con-
versation that had started off with
delightful little intimacies, began to
pail. Johnny became annoyed. It
occurred to him that it was a pity
they couldn't talk about something
else. It flashed across his mind that
the guy who married Lita would have
pretty dull time, if this were the
extent of her intelligence. He be-
gan to think of some excuse to get
away A couple of words with Can
dida at the moment would be re-
freshing.
Descending the companionway
stairs, Johnny cursed himself
for being seven kinds of fool.
Now the possibility that he
hadn't succeeded in keeping his
Irritation from appearing obvi-
GUS, struck him brutally. What
If Candida had noticed? What
if she He dared not think
of the possibilities.
Two minutes later he knocked on
Candida's door. She opened it and
came out into the corridor Oar
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