The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1943-09-23
CHAPTER I

Stella said for the third time:
II wish you'd tell me where you
are going this evening""
Jane leaned forward for a bet
ter view of herself in the triple
mirror of Stella's dressing table.
She pulled on her little new blue
hat thinking that if she had only
known she would not have bought
it. Heaven only knew when she
would have the chance to wear it
again! Or the new blue dress
that went with it.
''Please tell me, Jane"
Jane laughed gently. Darling,
can't a girl enjoy her last night
of freedom without being asked a
hundred questions?"
Stella ran a comb through her
hair. She said unhappily, Il wish
l didn't have to go to this wretch
ed first night. I'm feeling per-
fectly miserable about you.''
Jane sighed. "You needn't be. I
assure you I'm going to have the
time of my life
After all, Jane reflected honest
ly, it was entirely her own fault
that she was going to spend the
evening alone. There were doZ-
en- people she could have seen if
she had only chosen to make ar
rangements to meet one or other
of them. She knew that it was
since her break with Tony that
she'd found she preferred her own
company, unless perhaps she
could be with Stella. There had
been, it was true, that brief hec-
tic affair with Give Forbes, but
the less she thought about that
the better.
Jane was a fashion artist, and
Stella a free lance journalist.
They had shared an apartment to-
gether for some three years.
Neither was making much money
in those days. Jane was at the
bottom of her particular ladder
and Stella trying valiently to get
a foothold on hers. Little by lit
tie Jane had learned what life had
done to Stella. Jane only knew
that there had been a husband
who had let her down so badly
that he had completely robbed
Stella of her belief in human ma
ture. She had divorced him after
a brief six months of marriage
and even though he was fairly
we'll off she refused to take a
penny from him.
Though Stella, in her worldly
contacts was hard and caustic, she
had a gentle understanding side
that no one else ever saw. It was
Stella who saw Jane through that
CHASTITY time when her engage
ment to Tony Rees was broken.
It was Stella who, year later,
brought Jane up with a jolt when
Give Forbes, who had been run
ming around with her, had very
nearly persuaded her to slip
across to Paris with him for a
week end.
She prevented it by the simple
expedient of quitely appropriate
ing James passport. They had had
a bitter quarrel and Jane threat
ened to apply for new one, but
somehow she didn't and before
many days had gone by she
sthanked Stella, a little shamefac-
edly, saying that of course she'd
been right. She hadn't really
known what had come over her.
Now Stella would be going to
live alone, and Jane would be
leaving her because tomorrow she
was joining the Women's Auxil-
larry Air Force! Always Jane had
said that if war came she'd feel
she must do something more
worth while than sketching hats
and dresses. The blitz only
strengthened her determination,
and at last she said to Stella,
I'm going to join up in one of
the women's services. There must
be something useful that I can
do"
The w A. A. F.'s were appeal
ing for girls of good education and
irreproachable integrity for spe-
cial services. She went to Victory