The Wilmington morning star., 1947-06-18
ruAPTER FORTY-THREE

IN the rare evenings when they
.o,e both at home Diane contriv-
" TO have a third person in
sonoetjmes Mrs. Fisher, from
scross the hall, whose husband
vas out of town a great deal,
sometimes Lois or Wilma. Imme-
,;..oIv after dinner she would
Nv Bill has to work. Let's find
something to oo."
Ana in those moments when
.bav we're left together, they care
t-Ii,, maintained either a polite
nass so cold that it had the sting
If = whip, or a silence, heavy with
Z, had begun that night when
name cried out: Don't touch
49,, When the stoniness in which
W. had moved through the days
'mmediately after Nellie's going,
suddenly yielded to the bitterness
snJ passionate rebellion it hac
anon canning, She shrank from
Vim shaking, her eyes wide ana
LID Never - touch me
again"
But she did not heed him; she
rs bind to the whitenesS of MS
You think l killed my baby!
Nh know, FIRST you though. l
Giao.f want to have her and then
w. ! could kill her! Thai when
.bo was nine You wanted her to
bs = boy and she wasn't ana /
was glad and l loved net more
Inv if, We were going tc show
Won YOU and your precious fam
lily
this"
THEY'RE Toe precious7 I must see
your mother look at me as though
I'd nuraered-"
ID. for Gods sake, stop.' cried
Bil. hoaIsely. You don't know
what you're %saying!"
She swayed a little. If Bill he'd
rnt ont his arms-But, stiff with
shock. ne made no moEe.
81 know / hale you, ma: l shall
halo YOU always" On that. she
turned and fled to the bedroom,
shut the door. locked 1t. Locked
her heart against the echo Of her
wild words.
Then had begun her c%easeless,
needless search for distraction.
She called Danny the next eve
ning. If my husband breaks his
Ieq. III call Danny" She telephon-
I'd N Bills hearing, but Bill gave
no sign that N had heard; he
went out before Danny came for
her. He appeared to oe asleep
when she returned.
Where are we heading, Dip
he asked her, some weeks later,
his voice carefully even.
Probably to the divorce court
Diane answered as evenly, adding
with a hooking show of consider
alton: Though. with your cam
paigning coming on, you wouldn't
ike that, would you"
If we COULD hold it off
Amicable agreement, wasn't it
called? Dance, Diane, laugh,
laugh-Iaugh that away,
There was a moon, Diane and
Jimmie Mason found, and they
walked through it to the plane and
Jimmie said: "How's for a take
off"
Vicky, from the veranda, heard
the plane roar over the meadow,
saw it lift and streak off across
the moonlight. 50,
Got to telephone" she said to
Thad Corning, and turned into the
house, a little malice in her smile.
1t was after ;hree when Jimmie
Mason brought the plane down.
The orchestra mad gone and near
ly all the guests. But Danny was
waiting.
That Vas a crazy thing to do! >
he said with some heat, as he and
Diane started homeward. There
easily could have been an acct
dent, landing in the dark On that
field
IT was - g}orious!" DANES
voice had a strange intensity.
The night the space flying
through it, away from everything
You might have been killed.
well, 1 wasn't! The last scene
should be rewritten, shouldn't lt?"
Danny was helpless TO answer.
Jimmie Mason had asked Diane
to have luncheon with Min the
next day, and take another hop
He'd call ner III the morning, to
know she was real, and no: some,
thing he's dreamed about. When
her telephone rang she thought ii
Was him.
But it wa Rufus Kents voice.
I'd? Hello, there!"
She gripped the receiver, swept
by a panic that ran cold to her
flnger tips, caught her breath in
her throat.
Surprised? 1 told you I'd come
back! | nave the bracelet and the
mandarin coat. May l bring them
around TO your"
she forced herself to speak.
I'm busy all day, today, Rufus"
This evening"
This evening, too"
You sound short on your well