The Wilmington morning star., 1947-03-12
D.! |! !? r 4! X;E%!3Ikz e TAR
cmmh 1914 by RommondD v dr, An LN
osmedb Kin sEeVns smMoe Z1x>L-

his weathered face grave. After a
moment he said. There are ether
measuring-sticks for success thai
money. I still think you're wrong.
But-time will tell. And you car
always come back if you want to-.
Well, they had moved to the city
and Tom had secured a job. But
1t wasn't a very good job, so Leds
hired a nursemaid for Val, who
was three, and Sherry, a baby o.
only a little more than a year.
linen Leda went to work in the ad.
vertising department Of Craven's
Things would have worked out,
Leda was sure of it, if Tom hadn'1
died OF pneumonia the winter after
their return to the city.
There had followed years that
hadn't been easy for a young wild
ow with two children to support.
iom's small insurance had helped.
And Leda proceeded to apply her.
self diligently to the job of getting
ahead at Craven's. She took night
courses at Northwestern. She
played store politics with a natural
diplomacy and skill she hadn't
known she possessed. This flair,
along with her undisputed ability,
brought her out on top on those
periodic shifts which so often take
place In the inner workings of 2
pig business enterprise such as
Ccaven's. There we're those of her
associates who disliked and feared
her. But there were others. among
whom was Roger Bedloe, one Of
the stores vice-presidents, who
held her in very high esteem.
Now, as advertising manager,
Leda Kent's position was com.
p~arat1vely secure. And her inter-
est in her work had increased in
proportion to it's importance, SC
that she was immersed in her job,
the brilliant executive, the sue
cessful career woman to her we'll
manicured finger tips.
All in all, Leda thought, deter
minedly putting aside her unrea.
sonable mood of melancholy hers
had been a good lie, full and sue.
cessful and satisfying. It was NOR
bid to brood over the past, merely
because it was Toms birthday and
the day was bleak and dark. She
had much to be thankful for, in.
Guiding two lovely daughters.
At thought of Val and Sherry,
a little smile curved Leda's lips.
She was very proud of them, she
loved them both dearly. All she
had worked SO hard for, all she
had accomplished, really, had
been for them. AS she had told
Tom long ago, they deserved the
best. And she had tried. to the
limit of her ability. to give them
every advantage. Good schools, a
substantial background, the right
friends. Such things were so i'm
portant, Leda felt. They more than
compensated for the fact that she
had had to devote most of her
time and attention to her job. And
she had always been most careful
about the servants in whose
charge she left her daughters.
That was evidenced by the way
they had turned out. Val and Sher-
ry were attractive, charming girls,
with whom any mother would be
wholly satisfied. It at times, she
felt she didn't know them as well
as she'd have liked, Leda brushed
the notion aside as absurd. They
were her daughters, weren't they
flesh of her flesh, extensions Of
her own personality? OF course
she knew them-at least as well
as any human being ever knew
another. And they were complete
ly devoted to her; they relied on
her advice, her mature judgment,
Just as daughters should.
A little qualm caught at Leda as
she thought of how close, how very
close, Val had come to disaster
TWO years ago. Only a wise mother
Vooid iloNC OCCH dDlc W dFtIt
that. Val had been determined to
rush headlong into a wartime
marriage. 1t had taken every bit
of responsiveness. of tact, of rea-
soning power Leda possessed, to
hold Val back. She had had to
confide in her the heartbreak and
disappointment of her own hasty
marriage, to tell her more about
her troubles with Tom than she
had let either of her daughte Is
know before. But, in the end, she
had succeeded in persuading Val
to wait until after the wal to mar
ry Rick Colby.
It had been such a tragedy he
had to die, Leda reflected. But,
since that was the way things
worked out, how much better that
Val wasn't left a widow. Even
though she had loved Rick, this
way there were no scars time
could not heal.
The little clock on Leda's desk
arrested her attention. It was al
most four. If she hadn't phoned
Ctayo Iaffrav she'd bovo hoo, M