The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-20

|, HeA SWIM mere, when he's
g enough"
Driving honeward she identi-
lied her way. DUEL Road. she
found it was called. After that
Jake Duell's family. They'd be
nelghbors. She'd buy her eggs and
butter and milk from Jake,
Visions of foamy milk in clean
pals, pats OF sN eeo-smelling / +.
ter, fresh from the churn. crossed
her mind, leaving a little trail of
excitement. Eating super at a
tapie unoNr these Trees at the side
OF the house-were there two or
three trees? Shc- saw herself Set
ting a table with lowered cloth
at the same time watching the
lane for Bill to appear, running
down tn lane to meet him, a
small boys hand in hers.
She heard herself telling the
crowd: We're going to live in the
country. Oh, terribly simply, just
like farmers!" They wouldn't be-
lieve it at first; someone'd say:
Bury yourself? And in the
sticks? What's the. matter with
Forest Lawn Cemetery" And
she'd say: cts sweet When Bill
comes home"
I'VE en- pay for it the way we
pay rent now for the apartment"
she thought aloud, and was a little
proud that it had come to her to
say to Bill, SO very practically.
She sang while she prepared
dinner. She went into the bed
room and put OF the yellow or
CANDY dress, listening, while she
did so, for the sound OF Bills key
in the door. She would not tell
him about the baby and the house
until after dinner. Though he'll
see at once that something won
derful has happened to me- she
laughed, seeing the shine on the
face reflected in her mirror.
But Bill did not notice it or
wonder when she chung tightly to
HIM Tor a moment after she had
kissed him. He put his briefcase
down on the table. well, Judge
Waters refused my plea for dis
missal today! Now. everything will
depend on my summing up" His
mouth had a hard set to it.
Diane only said, with a smile:
&c and shower, darling. Every
things ready to go on the table"
The smile fingered on her lips
through dinner, the radiance in
her eyes. She did not urge Bill to
eat, she did not mind his abstrac-
ton. When he went from e ia
BILE to the living room she did not
follow at once; she sat on IN her
chair putting together the words
she would say to him. Words
they'd remember all their lives.
He was standing at the window
when she went in, his shoulders
hunched, his head forward, his
hands dug into his pockets. But
she did not e him forbidding;
she went the length Of the room
swiftly, to his side and slipped her
hand under his arm. "Bill!"
He started, jerked away from
her. "Di, for heavens sake, can't
you leave me alone?"
Her face whitened. She drew
away, too. 81 was going to tell
you something"
at can wait, can't it, until I've
got this trial off my mind?'
1t was Page who told Diane that
the trial was over.
She burst into tne apartment
one afternoon Of the next week.
'Di, have you heard? The jury
brought in a verdict of not guilty!
The judge practically told them
what to do. They weren't out an
hour! It was 81 Bill's summing
up!" She waved a newspaper at
Diane. ''It's in this. You can
RI lad it."
Diane took the newspaper from
her. but she put it on the table
without looking at it. II thought
you were for the prosecutions"
!"I?" Then Page caught herself.
''Oh, you mean because Rufus is!
I've tried to agree with him, that
is why I've gone to the trial, but
T couldn't see that the evidence
proved Staples guilty. Could your"
Diane shrugged her shoulders.
'I don't know a thing about it.
She barely refrained from adding:
"And I'm sick to death OF i'll"
Page did not linger very long.
II was on my way home and l
couldn't resist running up to your
apartment for a minute
When she vas gone, Diane
opened the newspaper. STAPLES
Not Guilty" streamed across the
top of it's front page in big black
letters: there were two columns
given to the verdict and a review
Of the case. But Diane only
glanced at ther~ There bad been
time for the newspaper to print
the story, for Page to buy a copy
AZ d come with it here. Why hadn't
Bill called her at once? cts over
darling, and I've wont"
She let the paper slip out OF her
fingers to the floor. The trial was
over incredibly it was over. No
longer need Bill keep his every
thought for it. IT can tell him
But. even with that realization,
she felt only cold. A coldness that
had been on her heart since that
moment at the windown' wheH Bill
had .ierked away from her. that
had resisted all her attempts to
reason it away, Bill's arms
around her, even his lips on hers.