The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-07

b IL o11h
role she had set herself to play.
In the next she went On, hurryine
her words, giving them the sound
Of frank confession. Rufus. il
wasn't retaliation, or-or Jealousy
that made me say it. 1t was-sud'
denly l realized how stupid Danny
and Ross really are, and Lois anc
Wilma. Oh, I'm Ike them, l sup
pose. l play around with them
sometimes. and do the same
things and say the same things
and think we're awfully clever anc
all that, but-well, it struck me
that Diane might have begun diff
ferently! You see Bill hates tina
sort of thing!"
Must Diane go all the way tt
him?" Rufus asked, dryly.
Page had expected him to agree
with her. She said, quickly, "Yor
were bored yourself! You m u S
have been!"
81? l can always find something
or someone to interest me in any
bunch"
ME at the wedding" she
thought, miserably. And tonight
watching me meet Bill" Or had
it been Diane, tonight? She asked:
who was it tonight?"
young Mrs. Arden. ! was fig.
uring out what about her had
caught old sobersides Bill! Seems
darn funny!"
Page jerked her arm from his
hold. IF you're teasing me,
you're cruel" she said, brokenly.
He took hold of h e r shoulder
and wheeled her around So that
she faced him. "Maybe am! But,
Page, / want to see you let Bill
90, once and for all! He's married
to Diane. It's a game and she
won and you lost and it $ all over.
It's none of your business now
what happens to Bill. What Diane
does. Forget i'll"
He spoke roughly, but Page
heard in his voice the tone he had
used before. She caught the lapel
of his coat. She wanted childishly
to put her face against it.
Rufus closed his hand over hers.
do that, Page, and you and
might get somewhere-if you're
Interested"
A car was approaching, its
headlights picking them out. Page
stepped back from him. II WILL"
she said, shakily.
Rufus pulled her arm through
his again. Sounded like the mar
riage ceremony itself, didn't it?''
"Di, a lot Of us are driving out
to Greenwood" said Lois over the
telephone. Cant you come
along?"
"Not tonight. Bills working.
81 didn't mean-say. Di, we re
beginning to think"
Diane dropped the receiver in
its cradle, She knew, without hear
ing Lois to the end, what she was
going to say.
As she came out of the bedroom
| Bill looked up, frowning, from the
papers he had spread on the dl-
nette table. "Can't your friends
| call vol during the day."
"Ill tell them. Sorry you were
disturbed"
A tightnass in her tone brought
his glance to her again. He said,
more amiably: "This won't go on
much longer, Di. The case ought
to go to trial in a month. Got a
good book to read?"
She answered over her shoulder,
Thrilling"
But she let her book remain on
the living room floor where it had
fallen when she sprang up to an
swer the telephone. She stood
quite still in the middle Of the
room, her hands hard together.
For awhile she had liked to sit
. curled up in the big chair and
read while Bill was working.
There was always ahead the mo-
ment when, his papers put away,
he'd come to her, draw her up
into his arms. ''Talk to me, dar-
ling, and make me forget collision
and conspiracy" Then she would
cuddle into his hold, tell of little
things which had happened during
the day. celebrating on them to
amuse him. But, lately, he had
not asked her; evidently he'd
wanted to go on thinking OF col
fusion and conspiracy.
1t had been DANES suggestion
that he use the dinette table, when
he found his desk in the bedroom
too small for his work. Bill had
been very a%ppreciative Of her CO.
operation. otis hard on you, /
know, Di, to have me tied up Ike
this. But remember, my winning
this case will mean as much 70
you as to mel"
She made herself remember 1t
now, e rebellion stirring in her
breast, Dean, Meadows and
~ SeS
Arden. the law firm would be.
Someday Bill would be a judge.
Judge William Arden. Instructive
" she looked over her shoulder
and up at the portrait of the first
Judge William Arden, which hung,
now. over the fireplace e. she
thought: Bill will look like him.
someday, grave very, very
judicial, What would she be to
him then?
She loosened her hands, put
them against her heart to shield
it from the sudden fear which
brushed it. Cant your friends
Her friends, not his! AS though
her life were apart from his.
(Ta Re Continl1ed)