CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR i JIM HAD eight ,Jays' leave lie-1 fore leaving ti> report to his Ijaae in tlio Hawaiian islands. and hoi was spending tlK'in in Washington. Andrea, will! n<> conscience :it all, tub! lielh she Had blithely licil to { her lioss, saying she was matrh-tl, ami asked for the week off to spend with her soldier husband. and was given it. lietli counseled against this, but Andrea said she might not ever see Jim again. When she said things like that, Beth felt something inside her chest become a heavy little lump. Andrea had recovered from the Move of bearing that Jim was going away, and blossomed, a.s if the h ave were a merry holiday, buying herself new dresses—and Beth had come to the conclusion that Andrea was charging her many puri bases, but dared not discuss it with her—and planning all soits of goings-on for the eight days. Kunicc Scccombc, whom Beth had conic to know in a casual way. • aid she would chapcroite them as she had before, and Jim could stay at her apartment. The Bla kes, Marion and Bert. gave Uvo parties tor the engaged couple. Vernon tui.k them, with Beth, of course, to Kl I'atio, which didn't seem quite as fabulously interesting to Beth us it hail when she was with Dennis, and the girls at the boarding house rallied their friends around .11 Sunday afternoon and had a tea. ai.d served sherry and sandwiches ami tea and cake with equal iin[ .11 tiality. It seemed to Betli that Jim had ntvir been more handsome, or Andi«a more flasliingly beautiful than ..lien she saw them together then. And she thought, "If Jini wi re initio, would I be beautiful, too'.'" Iler thoughts were with them always, but she kept out ot their v.ay a.s often as she cc.uld Jim came to take her to lunch iwice during that week, and each time he repeated that he was counting on her to take care of Andrea. Each tune she assured him gravely that • lie wotlld. The day before he went, she liiiight a handsome leather frame and had a rather good sn ipshot of Andrea enlarged to put iu it. Jim said there was only one thing the matter with it: it shnul ! have been one < f th.ve duofold afi.iiis so that he could have her ;>iet'ir ■. too. She was. he repeated, his recond-liest girl wtwl she wasn't to 1 • i*t it. I'., tli's face felt as it it was made ot stone that day because she knew it u is the last lime she \ •uld set lino for a very long t ine, and there nothing alio could do about tin ■i he inside her. She couldn't tell anyone about it. II wouldn't ha dc•. •:! to cr. alxait a man another il a:. • i aged to even II lie was a very olu liitna. Ill- tuitli, Belli well know, was that she could never regard her Jim as an old friend. She shook hands with him when he left, stood marble-like when he |>!unted a brotherly kiss on her lips, and .shut her eyes when she saw him sweep Andrea into his arms and hold her closely, preciously, with not a word. She did not go to the railroad station with them. She stayed home and sang the "St. Louis lilucs" to keep her mouth from crumbling, ami planned stories, speeches and witty sayings, as the phrase goes, with whii-h to cheer Andrea when .■she came back to the boarding house. But Andrea was in no need of cheering. She was blithesome, expectant and full of secret thoughts which Beth came to know in the days that followed. Andiea took to pouring over the smart fashion magazines that were showing clothes for tropical climatis, and said she thought she might write and ask Peg Woodruff tn .-•< iid down a box of her slimmer clothes she'd left at the apartment. Beth told her not to lie deceived Iiv Washington weather. It would probably turn cold. When the tirst letters came back from Jim, Andrea began to show an extraordinary Interest in geography. and went so far as to read two 1 loolts about Hawaii. "It's wonderful out Jiere." she told the girls. "Nobody ever does any work. You don't do anything hut swim on :i heavenly sea. and sun-ton. and live in beautiful bun} .tlows, anil sleep anil go to parties. If ever there were a place designed for paradise on earth, it's Hawaii. And there are millions of men." Kunice laughed that off. "There id' millions of them in Washingtun. t' ii. tint what to do about it?" "We're lucky, having ours." Andrea said, and then remembering I: th's pnsenee, "1 meant it would tie la avenlv for a girl like Belli." "I wilt easily ia tropical clinics," Beth said. i She w is beginning to see writing on the wall Andrea's interest i'i warm weather clothes, in literature about Honolulu all added up in one thing Andrea was thinking I of ;:"tng there And that could only mi :n that she was go.ng to marry i Jim. i Belli felt a growing concern. She was prepared for their marriage. It was not that. News g»l around Washington and news had come to h r Things added up to a sum tola! that was disquieting The Japanese diplomatic ollice in Washingi ton was very busy. Tense conferences were already under way. Men in the Navy, stationed at Pearl Harb.ir. were sending their wives hack to the mainland. Two and two i added together. 0:u> day Beth went up to An.! . : ii "in to lind her lying on iiei back on a bedspread with travel booklets, anil she said directly, "What's up, Andy?" "I'm going to join Jim," Anilrea said with sparkling eyes. "Look, let me show you what I've bought." Shu opened the closet door and began taking tilings from their hangers. Cotton dresses, a pale pink crepe, a white polo coat. They took Belh's breath away. . "I expect to get slapped down for this," she said out of experience, "but you're getting in pretty sleep. How's Jim going to pay for these after you're married?" "They're all paid for," Andrae said. "I told you I bail a little money. ... Well, what do you think of my going out there? it'll be like a dream." "I hope so." Beth said slowly. "But. assuming that ynu can get there—do you p'.an to swim? —I'm not sure- that it's going to be the safest place in the world." Andrea sighed and looked to heaven for patience. "If you aren't the darndest lull-jo.,. Belli Kiiiuan. First you want mo to make sure I'm in love with Jim. Then I make sure and you don't want me to marry him." "(if course I want you to. We're talking aliout two different things." "So you're worried a bant 11 >w I'm Igoing to get there? Well, I il tell you. Jim will take rare of everything. He'll . . . well, next month i he'll wire me money. 1 e::peet to I h ave in time to spend Christmas I with him. What do you think of that?" "I think spending Christmas nn a honeymoon with Jim is just what you should be doing in this paradise you talk about, as you ought , to know, hut I'm wondering if ' you'll he able to." Andrea sat down hard. "Why j not ?" I "Don't you rend the papers, Andy? Don't you know thai we're at sword's point v ith Japan? Anil ! that I'earl Harbor is a great naval base on which our little brown brothers have their greedy eyes?" Andrea laughed. "Is that all? V'liy. honey, the Japs are so sea roil 'of us they wouldn't even dare light | a piecs of punk, let alone a tirecracker. Of course I read the pnI pers." "Did you know that instead of ! sen.,ing ior their wives to come ! out there, many of tie Army and , Navy men sue sending them I home ?" | "Maybe they're tired of them." Andrea said serenely. "Anyway, v.hy would the Japs want anything in Hawaii? They'd never dream of trying to invade this ronlinent." "Did Jim tell ;ou that?" Belli asked quiclly. "No-o. not exactly. Anyway. I'm not seared of them. My mind is nidfle up and nothing is ;;oing to [stop me now. Honolulu, here I ] come!" I (To Be C'oniiiitl.xl) CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE j IT WAS Sunday, the flr:; 1:1 Nov. tnlK-r. mul 1110 church Ik!!.-: wore | tinging ami echoing all Ihtough j the Irn.sty air above ti:•• ;;u:«t city of Winbinglon, which 1: ■ liko .1 ' l!:it bow! Im Iwcen tv.o rolling llill!!.! >!>lit by a band of . .Ivi r tii.it is the , l'i >tomao. "li s the first sign of winter this year." Marion Blal:c said, coming I the