The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-26

" a t t h e w S o n S friends and
mothers. That all counts these
days."
Diane said: yes" thoughtly.
She was thinking: There's some
thing bigger than your ambition,
Bill, and that is what we r to
leach other. We should be talking
about that" Not as they had those
weeks before they were married,
or the weeks after, honeymooning,
when ia did not seem to need words
and they spoke them only to hear
the sound of them; they should
talk about it impassionately, OBJ
jectively. Hold it off a little so as
to see its every side.
But she could not speak her
thoughts aloud, not when, though
she sat in the circle of his arm.
she felt so far away from him.
Still less could she say: "Bill
we're going to have a baby"
Lois called her the next day and
again the next, each time protest
ing volubly when Diane refused
to join her.
Danny called her. "What's be-
hind all this, my lambpie? Is it
funny. or is it? Are we supposed
to laugh?"
Eyes, it's funny and roar about
it," Diane retorted, and hung up.
II they knew, they would see
it - almost comic, Diane said
grimly to herself as she left the
telephone. They would e her
stuck! That would be Lois word.
She remembered the look of con.
sternation on Lois face wnen she
told her she was going to marry
ELL Arden. 'Di, he isn't any fua!"
She answered, she recalled, flip
PANTY "Says who?" She had felt
SO heady because Bill wanted her,
so sure in her choice. She was
still sure!
Shed like to go out to the club,
play golf and tennis, swim, lol; on
the veranda, go somewhere, eve
nlngs, where they could dance.
The old gay round of pleasure
seeking was enough of a habit to
have it's claim on her, and to
leave her at some loss whea it
was denied. But, she argued, Bill
had a right to feel the way he did
about it. 1t vas to his credit.
when l have the baby"
But That WouIan l be 1or a long
time, SO long a time 1t was dill
cult to give 1T reality. And mean
tlme-She busted herself ABOUT the
apartment, austlng, polishing, re-
arranging. Now, Bull notlced
things in the apartment. 1t was,
actually, as if ned just come to
it. She went over and over tine
little book that held her accounts,
to the least figure in it, calling TO
herself a logged satisfaction IN
their balancing, in having kept
within each weeks budget.
'Amazing!" She gave a great
deal OF thought and time to her
marketing, Everything Bill
likes" To finding flowers fer the
table, for the living room. To ar
ranging them. Each evening she
put On something cool and fresh
in which to greet Bill when he
came home, took his kiss, sat op-
posite him through dinner, match
ing his cheerfulness with like, a.
greeing with every suggestion he
made for the rest of their eve
ing. But all with a strange guard
edness il her heart. Loving him,
yet watching and waiting, afraid.
"Well, it's Dean, Meadows and
Arden now," he told her at the
end of the week. They were in the
living room, he had just come in,
his arm still encircled her. He
said it otfhandedly, but she heard
his satisfaction in his voice, saw
it in his eyes.
Congratulations" 1t was too
empty a word for his reaching this
goal, and tears stung her eyelids
because she could not make her
self speak one intimate.
Bill did not seem to think there
was anything lacking in it. He re-
leased her. Dinner ready?"
At dinner, he said: Dean plans
to have me take over most of the
trial work. He's edging toward re-
firing. He has that house cut on
the lake shore and he wants to
live there the year round. l gath
er he's piled up quite a bit Ct mon
ey, by saving and good investing.
That's what We'll do, Di. And
when I'm fifty, l don't think
Deans much older than that, I
can retire and we can enjoy life"
Diane lowered her glance 10 her
plate, thought: Its as if he had
everything down, in notes"
She must tell him about the
baby, SO that he could include
that. She must tell him now. Her
hands frightened, fingers cold
against the palms.
Bill" She had begun that way,
that other time. But now the
breathlessness in her voice was
from her dreadful uncertainty.
Bill glanced up quickly. what
is it, DIP"
"Tm going to have a baby"
Bill put down his fork, stared
at her, frowning as he always did
when he was in%credulous. "But-"
he began, in a puzzled tone.
"He doesn't want i'll" She felt
her flesh drawing into a tight.
hard cord. Her voice had a brittle
sound. I'm sorry!"
Sorry" Bill repeated. He got
up from his chair and came a
round the table to her, the stupe-
fled look still on his face but a