The Wilmington morning star., 1947-04-18
CHAPTER

Ten days later Leda returned
from her business trip. Such a
erccessful trip it had been. She
told Sherry about it in consider.
ohIe detail before she had been
bome an hour. And then she asked.
End what's been going On here
dear. while l was away
II was the moment, the question
4bat Sherry had been draafirg.
Not TOO happily, since suite fuge
didn't come naturally to he,
sherry related to her n,o'her the
Tersion OF events that Val's ex-
n1essed wish had imposed Lpo4
her.
Food poisonlng?" Leda repeat.
"a. frowning. when she had tin.
shed. But that's dreadful. Was
Val very ILL.,"
Sherry nodded. Yes, she was.
We were awfully worried, Wade
and l."
But she's all right cow"
Eyes. They let Tuesday tor
california. Wade thought a cruise
would be good for her. They re
sailing for Honolulu tomorrow.
Leda said, We'll, ] suppose
Wade knows what he's dong BLt
il seems so soon. Are you sur e
she was we'll enough"
The doctor said so. He thought
4 change would be good for her,
too"
Maybe, Sherry thought, lying on
some sun-washed beach with
Wade, sailing through tropical
waters Val would be able to work
trings out. Maybe she and Wade
could put the pieces of their MAI
rage back together and make
them stick. Val was in a mood to
try, Sherry knew. And Wade had
V stopped loving her. At least,
new scenes, new faces, should
make the unhappy memory of the
days just past grow blurred in
Vals mind. And maybe Kelvin
Blake's. image, the still more re-
mote memory of Rick Col
b., would fade as well.
She became aware that
her mother had asked a question,
something to do with Steve. Sher.
ry regarded her inquiringly.
Il asked whether you'd been out
to see Steve"
Sherry shook her head. mo,
They're quite busy at the farm in
the spring. And-I've been rather
busy, too"
Leda smiled approvingly. 81
think you're very wise, dear. Truly
l do. There are SO many more
amusing things to do than spend
your time out there"
She was thinking, And it's much
better if you forget about Lex
Morell.
Sherry knew her mother was
thinking that. Leda might even be
right. The sensible thing probably
would be to put Lex out Of hel
life once and for all. Her mind adj
mitted that. But in her heart she
knew she never could forget him.
1t was during Leda's trip east
that Roger Bedloe's wife, Marga'
ret, slipped SO easily out OF hel
long illness into death that scarce.
ly a ripple was left behind. Leda
learned of her passing when she
came back to the office. She ex.
pressed her condolences TO Roger
as she would have expressed them
to any other business associate un'
der similar circumstances. Leda
had been trying, ever since that
night when Roger had limited al
his hopes for the future, to keer
their friendship o, an impersona
plane. But the habit of years i:
not easily altered. And Leds
wasn't sure that Roger had ever
been aware Of her tactful attempts
to discourage him. Naturally, she
hoped TO avoid an open break, OF
even any unpleasantness. After all
aside from the fact that she likee
and respected him, he was a vice
president of Craven's.
Leda realized that there wa!
considerable conjecture along the
store grapevine, linking her name
and Rogers. But she had been liz
noring that sort of thing fol