The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-10

off. And you know Lois and Will
ma. You'll like Vicky. They're a
good crowd"
"Give me a ring when I'm to
appear"
II like him." she thought, quite
simply. as she waved to him with
one hand and steered her car
from the curb with the other.
She had not told Bill about the
movie; it was useless to try to tell
him, for in his concentration in
the trial, he would not hear a
word of it. She did not tell him,
that night, that she had met Rufus
at Tony's. He came in later than
usual. Il was with Gregory at the
office" he explained. There were
tight lines about his mouth, but
less lines of fatigue and of pur-
pose. He carried a stuffed brief
case under his arm.
DANES light kiss asked nothing
from him. She left him at once to
put their dinner on the table. To-
night, everything cool and tempt
ing, iced bullion, chicken loaf, a
crisp salad. She had put on a cool
white dress, tied her hair back
with a green ribbon.
But he looked at the chicken,
as if he did not know what it was.
The trial couldn't last forever!
If he lost-well, if he won. they'd
share the victory together.
She washed the dishes very
quietly. Already Bill was deep in
his papers at the dinette table. He
looked up as she came III from
the kitchen. why don't you drive
over to mothers, Di? She'd like
to have you. Isn't your car still
the ~street?"
Diane said, after only the slight
est hesitation: Il will" Her pa
tent asking for something which
it was easier to give than to re-
fuse. She touched his cheek light
ly as she passed his chair.
Until the trial started they had
been going to Bills mothers
house for dinner one night of
every week. Bill had said it was
good for him not to work one eve
ming. But when Paula had invited
them, he had refused to go. He
had been a little surprised that
Diane would accept for him. "You
I can't take the time, Di,
just now. You go without me-"
She had not gone; she had call
ed Paula on the telephone and
told her they could not come, that
run in some morning. soon.
But she hadn't done that. She had
seen her father in his office, going
up to it on impulse one day wheo
she was near the building, breez-
ing through the outer Office and
past the secretaries at their desks
there and on into her fathers
room with no more ceremony
than a brief knock on its door.
He'd pulled her down onto his
"How's everything?" A
resentment in his tone, but
his big hand fondling hers.
"Oh. everything is wonderful"
Looks like you had no more
use for your own folks, the little
we see Of you'll"
ITO prove you're wrong Ill eat
with you today"
"Not today. There's a man here
from New York and I'm meeting
She hadn't stayed long. As she
went to the door to 60 he had
growled after her. Need any
money!" And he'd opened the
drawer Of the big desk where he
kept his checkbook.
mo, Dad, thanks. Bills sup
me very nicely"
The slow way he'd shut the
drawer had made her sorry she'd
so crisply. She had
thought: III go see him some
evening soon. without Bill" But
a week her father had gone
out of town again and Paula with
him.
But she never felt she was neg
lecting her father, as Bill felt,
when he didn't see his parents
otter. She pondered on that as she
drove to the Arden house. The diff
ference might be that she had
never been really close to her IA
Their. She'd never been home long
enough. Each vacation she'd gone
from school to camp or on a trip
somewhere with a school group.
Home had shifted so often, too.
from east to west, from west to
east. More often than not it had
been a hotel suite. Looking back
on it she telt vaguely cheated OF
something, perhaps of the roots
Bill had in this home to which
she was going, his warm attach
ment to his family.
Ito Be Continued)
Scientists, during the rubber
short war years. attempted to find
. substitute in such things as
rod and the so-called Rus.
Iando1ion |