t'^f .
» BARRY
,-; :f ■•-: w ' 0m.m. ^
HFTKKXTH INSTAL.I2MKXT
Ainsworth lifted bis bead, put
Vs band under ber chin and
■fared down Into her face. Joyce's
^.wrklrl of bappinesd filled her so'
tall of emotion that she could not
bold It all and a little of it spill
ed OTer in tears. Her heart beat
gare her a final kiss.
“Can’t I do the calling next
time? We’ye got some serious
talking to do about this situation
of ours. Tell me where this
mysteriou.s aunt of yours lives!"
Joyce dropped her eyes suddn-
ly. “Oh—please let’s leave things
la rapid accord with the violent
beats which she could plainly
teel thumping in Robert Ains-
arorth’s breast. He bent down
then and kissed her eyes and ber
Bps. At first, just lightly, al
most in playful caress: but again
and again, and each time a little
larder, a little more intensely—
antil finally, his mouth crushed
down gn hers and it was as it
, she were lifted out of herself
and had lost her identity.
After a few moments he re
leased her abruptly. Joyce, so
weak, she had to lean against the
' bookshelves to keep herself from
klling, watched Ainsworth walk
to the door and stand there with
bis back to her. She could not
apeak. It seemed to her that
they stood thus for an eternity.
Finally he turned around and
wniled at her again. “Well, there
it is. And what happens next?
loes the Beautiful Belinda de
part forever in proud wrath and
leave the poor insulting worm to
Ire on with only the memory of
bis daring .deed or . . ." Leaving
bis sentence unfinished, he took
a cigarette and lighted it. Joyce
watching, saw his hand shake as
ke held the match to the tip.
Why he did not come back to
her and take her in his arms
again? Why did he not tell her
he 16ved her? She had not re-
(oised him.
“Dickie." went on .\iusworth.
sitting down on the step and
picking up the dog who was
nudging at him lor attention,
“it should be possible, one would
think, for a sweet, beautiful girl
to visit a man, even in a lonely
place like this without being . . .
♦r . . . manhandled." He smoked
furiously. Joyce, feeling her
knees trembling, sat down on the
nrm of one of the big redwood
thairs and listened silently.
“But. you see. Dickie, damn it.
I’ve been living here all alone for
months and months, and a man
gets to fooling himself with his
smart delusion that he’s self-
anfficient, that the lid is on good
and tight -until, suddenly, along
semes a girl, not just an ordinary
girl, you know, Dickie, but one
with sweetness and beauty and
totelligence, one who is a pecu-
■ar joy to be with, and—well,
then, bang, everything is off!”
A chill descended on Joyce- She
belt a vast sickening fear settle
down benumbing over her. What
did he mean? Did he—was he
sorry for what had happened? A
flame of white humiliation burn-
•d Joyce with intolerable pain.
She must get away quickly and
bide herself from this thought.
She stood up and tried to
speak In a casual, ordinary voice.
“I think, Dickie, it's lime for ns
.... to go."
Ain-sworth jumped to his feet,
fropping Dickie unceremoniously
and came to her. ‘ I,ook here.
Joyce! Don't go. You're—oh
■ hat shall I say?" He took her
m his arms and kissed her
again and again. Then he looked
into her eyes, met her an.xions
smile and said softly, "Oh. what
e there to talk about? We don't
aeed any words, do we, darling?’
Joyce .shook her head without
ipeaking. She . as swept l)acl-.
i.gain to the heights of joyous
happiness and she clung to him
BOW unquestioning.
At last, however, .site drew
lerself away and stool up,
jtraightening her silk hionse •.vith
lervons hands and hastily comh-
ing her hair, which .Ainsworth s
taresses had rumpled. -As she
itood in front of llie mirror, he
tame up behind her and put his
irms gently around her body
tgain. His eyes met hers in the
slass. He was so much taller
than Joyce that his chin rester
»n the top of her curly yellow
head. She leaned back against
him, suddenly aware of the fact
that she was almost limp with
fatigue after the emotional storm
ahe had passed through, and
•miled into the mirror. At that
he whirled her around and
•rushing her to him again buried
his face In her neck. “Oh. . . .
dearest . . . most beautiful . . .’’
She put her arms around his
•boulders and whispered shyly,
-Oh, am I all that ... to you?”
“And so much more that I
•an’t put into words!” he mur
mured, kissing the tip of her ear.
After a while Joyce was able to
fnt on her hat and then, with his
^ arm around her, they set out to
’■alt to the- car through the
as they are!”
All at once she realized the am-
bigiousness of her position. “I’ll
come again In a day or two.”
She was thankful tor the un
conventional slant that made him
answer cheerfully, “Oh, all right.
I have to go up to the city for a
day or two. I think it’s next
Tuesday.”
“Oh no. don’t . . . don”t stay
away tong." begged Joyce.
“But you’ll come before I
go? Good Lord, it’s four whole
days till then.”
Even though she knew it was
late, Joyce drove home slowly.
It was maddening to have to go
out to dinner at the Carter’s. It
was to be a more or less formal af
fair followed by a “theatre party.”
Both Mr. and Mrs. Carter were
devoted to Neil, but their aversion
to Frills was only thinly veiled.
When she was ready to go, Joyce
sat at her dressing table and
stared dreamily at herself, won
dering what Robert would think of
her now.
“You’re looking stunning to
night, Frills!” Neil had come up
behind her and interrupted her
dreaming.
Joyce started at his words and
blushed at being caught so obvi
ously admiring herself, partly with
annoyance at being forced to a
realization of Neil’s right to so ad
dress her. She jumped up and
went to the closet to get her eve
ning cloak, remarking casually in
a voice of which she tried to kepe
out all trace of her nervous irri
tation. “Thanks for the compli
ment, but the credit is really yours.
It’s a lovely dress but I couldn’t
have had it if you weren’t such a
generous provider, my dear Mr.
Packard.”
Neil took from her the luxuri
ous cape of sea-green transparent
velvet, and they went downstairs
together. “By the way, mother
telephoned me a dittle while ago,”
he said, “the doctor has ordered
her to stay in bed a few days and
she wondered if you would come
tomorrow afternoon and sit with
her for a while? She’s missed
you lately . . . and . . . you know
. . . and she’s so happy at the way
you’ve been to her . . . “I’m wor
ried.” he went on, as he laid the
lovely cloak about her shoulders
and for a moment held her to him,
“there’s something wrong about
it I wish I kn^-w what to do.”
“Oh. I'm so sorry,” exclaimed
Joyce. “I’ll go tomorrow and
sperui the afternoon with her. I’ve
. . . I know I’ve neglected her late
ly.”
“Darling, that’s sweet of you. I
wish ... 1 wonder • . . Frills, what
the devil can I do to . . . win you
back? Isn’t there any chance for
had struck her. '
“Mothet sure looked tired, didn’t
she?” remarked Neil as they drove
was ahe during tiw
aftenwonl Did she ijelk much?"
. “it' Bttli, lert I
think. It seemW td.^«*hgese her,
Neil, sbe’h worrying
thinks som.eth|ng is ... ",
They were botih silent. Jpyce.did
not dare ask what it was that was
troubling him because she felt so
sure she knew. ’ . _ >
Joyce lay awake a long time that
night seeing the situation with an
appalling clearness, from every
point of view- “I was ready enough
to condemn Frills for treating Neil
the way she did. I was disgusted
at her for having an affair with
Cepoie
Just 'Joyce
Vim Maitisihl. And now, Jus^Joyce buried her face in the pUlow
hitanM) Robert Ainsworth se-m^and tried to stifle th
to. am to. be worth a million Ar-i.
thnr Msi^ands, it doesn't makef
any real difference. If I - deceive
Neil, that'way, Vm hurting
too,'find Ftn no hetter
was. And , . . Oh, I fM like a
miserable worm to be taidng.', all
this luxury'and love without doing
anything to deserve it, even using
it to ... to hurt Neil so terrifily.
If only he didn’t love me so much.
And he was so happy for a while.
It was almost pitiful how grateful
he was for re'little. Oh, I can't
bear to ... to think (ff it even."
morning
■hoA her.
At breakfast the next
at -‘her V
FWffs? -You1oefe:.Wi^.of
pale and dragged but thU aunn&l^
dear.” ,, ♦- 5
Joyce’s nervesop^pdgh'
after her stormy night awl Meilhi-
eoncerned tbne'«trnriE hoy: itjfmoirir
like a blow. ' Tifiktt horraf’^^^she
felt her eyes fill with j
rush of toars.' The woWied^'look
on 1^ face deepened. “Why, sweet
heart' what’s the matter? Aren’t
19, am
you trail?. Does your bred
sobs which-fWby didn’t you stay in bed?”
But Joyce swallowed the tamjrtn
her tiiroat and summonfaig sU '
said.f self-control .dh# answered qvi&nir,-
“Oh/ I’ll 4» gJl right. I ioft didst
idcep ve^ ,
better iidM.»
Vometime, V What a»a
■4pf>SC^ any thiiig special?*^ he wqof
-I
^ “No, i .‘guess not. I’m goiag^
to-run out to your mother’s for'^S::
few minutes about noon and taka
her some magazines and books. I
ride this afternoon.” *
(Continued Next Week)
may :
After she was in the qar.^'wltU
beside her,
“Oh, please, Neil, don’t!” cried
I Joyce, “don’t start that again.
Come on, we’ll be late and you
know .Mr.s. Carter likes to begin
on time when .she’s giving a thea-
tic. party afterwards.”
Most parties in Manzanita had a
way of splitting up into couples,
and Joyce found herself taken in
charge by her dinner partner when
they afterwards set out for the
theatre. This happened to be
Paul Packard, much to her satis
faction, for hi.s company made it
possible to sit without talking dur
ing the picture Joyce deliberately
shut her eyes to th» .sartorial al-
llurements of the picture and re-
j turned in spirit to the lUtie shack
on the lonely hillside.
Before the next aft'-rnoon ;she
was torn by such longing to see
Robert that she set out for Neil's
mother’s house in dragging rebel
lion. Even Mrs. Packard’s gentle
gratitude and pleasure failed whol
ly to rout her constant sense of
frustration.
“I wonder whether something is
going wrong in the business,” .Mrs.
Packard remarked in the course of
the afternoon, “Neil hasn’t been
him.self lately.”
“I don’t know,” replied Joyce,
“he hasn’t said anything to me and
I think the business is all right ”
^She knew only too well what was
the cause of Neil’s depression but
'she could not tell his mother,
j “Please don’t worry about Neil
too mpeh.” she said gently, “I feel
sure this is just a temporary
thing. There may be some busi
ness deal in the air that Neil is
brooding over a little. He’ll come
out all right.”
Mrs. Packard looked as if she
were grateful for Joyce’s effort to
relieve her mind but not wholly
con'vinced that the matter was so
simple as it sounded.
When Neil arrived, Joyce insist
ed on their leaving shortly after.
All the 'way borne ska . could not
get out of her mind that one
HERE IS THE
FOR MODERN
MAID
Just Beginning
OUR ANNUAL
ELECTRIC
RANGE
EVENT
Featuring the Hotpoint and
Universal Electric Ranges
New Features
of these
Electrical
RANGES
MODEUN . . .Kloclric
limins device and auto
matic oven control per
mit you to cook entire
meal.s without constant
meals wiinoui. co,ic,aiti
watching over the range.
FAST . . . The new
sealed-in-s t e e 1 heating
coil makes electric cook
cry fast.
KCO.N'O.MIC-AL . . , Pro
vides not only economical
.■peratioii hut gives dls-
lin‘t savings in food cost
ilirough minimizing the
-hrinkage of meats in
oriok iiu;.
M
■I
LOOK
AT THESE
TERMS
Cash Puts The
Range In Your
Kitchen!
'i
I
CLEAN . . . Clean, flame-
:ess electric heat cooks
without so o t - blackening
pots or pan.s.
Comfort! Cleanliness!
We Mow
You For
Your Old Stove
ACCl’HATE . . . Simple
processus and automatic
control enable women to
prepare perfectly cooked
more accurately
when timed by
moala
than
human mind.
Economy With An
Electric Range
COOL
Perfect insula
tion rotalni the heat in
oven so wel Ithat it does
not escape into the room.
UEAl/niFCL . . . Elec
trical cookery glvea you
tastier, more healthful
food. Natural flavor* are
preserved. Health-giving
mineral* are retained.
With an Automatic Electric range you can put a com
plete meal in the oven and forget it all during the cook
ing, thus freeing you from the kitchem Electric cookery
is cool and fast in addition to being economical. You
are also freed froni the disagreeable task of cleaning
blackened pots and pans, thus assuMg a greater degree
at n