The Wilmington morning star., 1944-02-04

oh, my love, l have to see yol
again soon. Come out with mt
later tonight" he whispered quick
ly. There were sounds outside the
swinging door. III telephone
you he murmNred, and picked
up the key of tequila.
When Manuelita n d Richard
walked in-Manuelita silent, b u
the engineer talking briskly and
very loudly-Mallory was across
the room f r. m Carlos, packing
shaved ice into glasses.
Carlos said in a fumbling man.
ner, I'VE thought to make new
drinks for you t~o- that would be
sense-we thought, to make all at
once" He ignored the Mexican
girl, but smiled at Richard Blythe.
Blythe smiled back. He chuck
led, in fact. AN excellent idea,
inasmuch as we both have fin
ished ours" He raised humorous
eyebrows at the blond girl, who
turned suddenly and brought the
three ice-filled glasses. She gave
both the newcomers pleasant
glances, but said nothing Rich
ard Blythe leaned against the cab
met where Carlos was squeezing
lines. I'VE thought you two might
need some help out here"
I'VE thought you might need
something Manuelita amended.
Her thick lashes all but entwined.
IA chaperone, perhaps, she said
with lazy significance.
Mallory gave deliberately the
giggle of a high school girl. "A
chaperone?" she repeated, as if
her visitor might be teasing her.
Between her sblack eyelashes
Manuelita scanned the blond girl S
mouth. Looking for lipstick, Nal
lory knew instinctively. Her face
had been rubbed so bare of make
up while she wept for Prism that
there was not even powder, much
less Hpstick. He. malicious de-
light, because of that, made it
easy to laugh again into the Mex
lean girls beautiful, creamy-toned
face How she had worried when
her guests had arrived, Mallory
recalled. because Carlos would see
her without the added embellish-
ments of expert makeup. And how
glad she was now.
Manuelita seemed uncertain of
herself; she bit her upper lip ner-
vously, then looked at Carlos. He,
too, seemed self-possessed; that
little embarrassment with which
he had greeted the visitors to the
kitchen had gone. She won't see
any lipstick on him either, chuck
led the singer inwardly, as she
found small cocktail napkins and
placed them beside Carlos.
The Mexican girl returned to
her condemnation. You laugh if
you please, Mallory, but you're in
Mexico now and chaperones are
not to be laughed at down here"
please, Manuelita,' admonish-
ed Carlos.
She paid no attention to him.
After all, Mallory, it is a Gus
tom. You must respect it.
Il shall, if you insist retorted
the hostess. Il was here in the
kitchen alone with Carlos, while
you were alone in the living room
with a man you've just met. l
certainly respect your worry, Ma
nuelita." She turned and headed
for the living room herself.
The others followed. 1t was as
if nothing had happened. Manue-
lita took her second drink n d
promptly began talking about ev-
ez'ything. Mallory was glad to let
her do the talking. 1t left her
free to sip her limeade and watch
Carlos. Not directly, but in the
gold-framed mirror. 1t was heav-
only to sit there, feeling his kisses
on her lips, knowing there would
be more. Never had she been so
glo-iously in love.
Even if she had loved David
which she knew now she hadn't
Carlos would have stricken him
from her mind with nothing more
than one look from those eloquent
brown eyes. Mexican men, to NAL
Tory, had meant the types she had
seen in the Mexican quarter in
Los Angeles, the ones she had
seen along the highway or, in a
dreamy way, the theatrical Old
World dons in their velvet cos
tunes. Those of operas and NOV
les. Expecting that, she had found
Carlos with his made-to-o bust
ness suits and hand trailored
shirts, with his cosmopolitan edu-
cation and manners, with his good
looks that astounded her anew
each time she saw him.
Eventually Latham and Roberts
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