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 <li«n- of her bedroom where
Andy and Both wore working or, |
inore correctly, Both was working
and Andrea was dreaming. "It never
nets really cold here, but still
Kelt says it can't compare with
California."
"California, pooh!" Andrea ejaculated
when Marion had gone back
to the' kitchen from whence came
aromatic odors. "Hawaii has it
aoos and spades over her old California."
"It's not hers," Eeth said, removing
pins from the hem of a checked
t.ifcta skirt that was six yards
wide. "She's a Washington girl, but
1 suppose, now site's married to
Bert, it's the old "Whither thou
poest" stuff. That's the way you've
fit to be with Jim."
"With Jim and me, homo will be
where we hang our hats. He hasn't
any family, any more than I have.
I don't know what we'd do for relatives
it we didn't have you. Bcthie.
Jim hasn't even a fifth cousin living.
We're, just a couple of orphans."
"Trying to make me feel sorry
for you? Come away from that
window and let me try this skirt
on you."
Andrea clucked her dark head as
Beth slipped the skirt over it. lis
folds fell to the floor in a wide
sweep. "I can wear it with a red
*ilk jersey blouse, or a tailored
white crepe, or something very
transparent in black." sho said,
looking at herself in the long door
mirror. "I expect we shall dross for
dinner a lot out there."
"This will make three dinner
dresses," Beth said, kneeling to put
pins in the hem again. "You're
pretty well fixed."
"Speaking of fixing," Vernon had
come to the bedroom door, "X got
ft lock for that trunk of yours. Andrea.
I can fix it up so that it w ill
Inst until you get off the boat, anyway."
Bert Blake joined the patty, mixing
martinis in a shaker. "When
you going, beautiful?"
"Next month. I haven't passage
yet. I'm waiting for money. I won't
be going for five weeks yet."
"Five weeks of this will make
nie a nervous wreck," Belli put in.
"This is the first and last time I
ever try to make a trousseau."
• "Are you sure?" Vernon linked
quietly, drawing her eyes to his.
"Well, almost." Beth snid.
"flood girl," Andrea murmured
under her breath so thai only Beth
could lienr. "Never closc any doors
on opportunity."
"This girl," Beth indicated Andrea
with the point of her scissors,"
is doing all right. She's got one of
the girls at the boarding house donig
mono;;rams for her, and old
Mrs. Haunter is knitting a sweater.
I'm linking dresses on Marion's
machine. Vernon is fixing her
I runic. What's your contribution,
Uerl ?"
Bert said he was supplying
mojule, and they'd better call their
sewing off and come and have a
cocktail.
"(■nip tlieni, kids," Marion advised.
"We're having a kind of preThanksgiving
dinner today and I
don't want it to spoil."
Andrea whirled from the window.
"But that's bad luck, Marion!"
The boys advised her not to be
superstitious, but Andrea went into
the dining room with her fingers
crossed.
There were turnips and cranberry
sauce and mashed potatoes
and a noble bird, before which Bert
stood with poised knife, and live
people drew in rapturous breaths
before the appetizing odors which
rose from the table.
"Temptation is stronger than superstition."
Andrea admitted. "I'll
have only one more dinner like this
before I go away. Do you suppose
we'll be eating coconuts a"d poi on
Christmas Day?"
"Yoti won't know what you're
calitig, if memory of my honeymoon
serves me," Marion said with
a fond glance at her husband.
"This is wonderful," Beth observed.
swallowing her first mouthful.
"You Blnkcs don't know what
a touch of home life you give us. I
used to bo a pretty good cook my>clf
and I miss getting up meals."
Across the table, Vernon said,
"You belong in your own home,
Beth. An oflirc is no place for a
girl like you."
Under cover of conversation, AnJ
drea whispered, "Prepare yourself,
sister. I scent an invitation to preside
over Junior's dream house."
j Beth had a feeling that Andrea
: was not far wrong.
It was not much later that she
was sure of it. Andrea had said
there was only one catch In going
to Honolulu, that it was so far
awav from Beth.
"California Is not far away, Andrea."
Vernon said, but he was
j looking at Beth while he said It.
"It's just a nice holiday away. If
: ttrtli lived in California, you could
visit each other."
Beth said hastily she couldn't
abide turkey stuffed with chestnuts
<>r oysters; just give her Marion's
dressing any day.
Bert brought the conversation
back, saying be wasn't sure there
would be much going back and
fori It to (lie Islands; things were
filling pretty hot and lie wouldn't
be surprised if war popped In the
Pacilic any (lay.
Determined tint nothing should
spoil Andrea's happiness, since Elie
was determined to go, Beth
changed the subject again, and it
wasn't mentioned the u\st of that
day. n
She was in complete accord with
Andrea's determination. If she
were in Andrea's shoes—oh. happy
girl to be marrying Jim—she'd go
to Siberia, defying the whole German
Army to get to him. She could
understand Andrea's finding a lit tie
thing like a possible war no dctcrent.
The girls went back to their
sewing while the daylight lasted.
Then they listened to symphony
music on the radio and later they
had sandwiches and coffee, and it
was time to go.
"I'll walk home with you," Vernon
said, going to get his coat.
"A dime gets you a tpiarter that
Vernon proposes tonight," Andrea
whispered to Beth, thereby getting
Beth Into a state of panic.
"Why don't you and Bert come
along, too," Beth invited urgently.
"It's such a divine night! The air
would do you good."
Marion thought that wns a
splendid idea. It was obvious that
Vernon didn't, that he had someUnng
to tell her. He had to tell her
when they were walking two by
three, since Andrea had abandoned
her to walk with the other Blakcs
on the narrow sidewalk. •
"I'm going back to California,
Beth."
Beth stopped In her tracks. "No,
Bert! I'll miss you. Why do you go
back ?"
"My efforts to get Into something
useful here have come to nothing.
I've a good business back home.
My kid brother's carrying on, but
lie wants to get into the Army."
"Washington won't be the same
without you." she said honestly.
"You don't know what it's meant
to me to liavc you for my friend."
She saw his face wrinkle unhappily
into a wry smile.
"I guess that's what I am, Beth.
Your friend."
"I thought you'd known all
along."
"Somebody else?"
"Yes. I guess that's it . . . only
I can't have him. Vernon."
Ho held her arm a little closet In
his. "I'm sorry," lie said.
"I know yon are. And I'm sorry,
sorry it isn't you, Vernon."
"I don't gi.-e up easily. Belli. I'll
come back. Don't . . . don't sit
under the apple lire Willi anybody
else, will you?"
"There isn't anyone else."
Then she thought of Dennis, but
only, of course, because Dennis
would lake her out again. She
wouldn't be quite dalcless when
Vernon was gone.
(To lie (iindiiiicdl
Fight on Tuberculosis
My i.ih; an ct.f.ndkninc, m. 1>.
CKUTAIN WARS jfo on quietly
year after year and no one sees
any prospect of a time wIk-ii postwai'
planning will In- possible.
Dr. Cleudcnini; will answer
questions of general interest
only, ami then only through
his column.
Tln-so arc* the wars on disease.
Koine ol° (Ik-iii ai<- ended quite
dramatically. Such was the case
Willi typhoid fuvi-r.
WIk-ii a combination of pub'.ie
supervision of the water supply
ami universal private- vaccination
came along tins worlil-ohi scotuno
which hail been killing its thousands
every year since the lime
of the beginning of written history
sudilenly disappeared fur all practical
pnrpo:.es. To have a cum- o;
typhoid fever in a person today
is an indictment of I in- community
where it is found thai puts it
down as hopelessly uncivilized
Much more quietly aiuI gradually,
hut still quite thoroughly,
we are winning the war against
tuberculosis. Only as long ago as
when 1 was a medical student it
was called in the text book 1 used
the "Captain of the Men of
Death". Now it< incidence is
greatly reduced. Among the students
at the University of Minnesota
it was found that SUM
reacted positively to tubeiculin in
llrjs, ubile in 151-11-12 17'i reacted
positively. Here i-> a change
that has occurred in only I I yearn.
An Unremitting l-'ight
What has brought this victory
about? Nothing siidd--n, definite
and dramatic like typhoid fever
vaciiiiatii.n. but -low. bard utile
mittiiiK toil by a liiiiul-er of wi-i k
ers all over the woild u.-ing a
number of method:;.
To accompli-h our objective—
to remove tuhcrcuk*. is iioni Uiii
world—that haul, slow, tedious
work mil i uo on. That why tlio
•■ale of ("Inislmas >eal- :iml up(mil
ol' I in* National Ti.l.eivul"-is
Association must he kept up.
What aic the eleituin in this
hanl individual toil tlmt liavo
brought us so far on the mail to
victory'! I*ii..t, iinipiotionably. is
in tier ami cailier diagnosis'. Wo
can spot an active east; earlier
with more certainly than we used
lt» anil so he;*i i in;.intent earlier.
Ami the earlier treatment is beU'uii
i iie more likely arc wi» to
have a *;i>«d resull. \V« u.-eil to iie
unwilling to male a diagnosis
until the* gcniis coiiM he demonstrated
in th' sputum. Now we
believe that il lie jj«-iiii.' can he
found il is a late ami possibly
hopeless ease.
Removing Infcctcd Calient
More* important than Ireatmcit
of the infecleil individual, bowever,
is that we lemove him from
Contact with the ie ; of tin* family.
l*'or w« know now beyond any
doubt that tuberculosis is a contauious
disease and i I rans mil led
from one liiimaii l»ii.;; to another.
Tin* only other method id' infection
is by mii:. from an infecte*l
cow and wo haw largely I'niuidated
all our tuberculous infected
cattle.
Another element in our control
is that we have men* : anilaiiuin
bed* in which t.. |*!aco patients,
thus accompli' l.ii,*' the n inoval
from the family. \\ *• need more
santaria hut that is part of the
future battle.
Lastly, in toad *1 waitinir for
case to conn' t>* tli*' doctor, v.e
••lllploy case lit* I.i ■ and tin' ilooI
tor take-' the 1!:: -:ii ive in labelling
j a I'UjM!. 'I't:s is till* l'l*a **ll fill* I hit
j preliminary *•■.: ui:.alii.n iu lao'
lor it* , .-eho'l , ti.e army, el-'*.
Wlie Preservers
SCOTT'S SCRAP BOOK -a By R J SCOTT
; I If: OLD HOME TOWN.
By STAf ILF.Y
DRAFr '• | I HA Vt.
1 BOARD ; \FRCM //AS* n
k w llMlMK ITS :.ATf" * • f 1 '
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THIMBLE THEATRE—Starr
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BLONDIE (Krjjlslcri-d J'. S. r-jlnit {.'flue)
roL?| rs V
KoiX>5HOHs5 I
Bargain Day!
I5y Chic Young
The Gumps
Which One Is Expendable?
I SERGEANT PAGE'
| PO YOU MEAN TO SAV ' LOOKS
ITHE ELECTt?IC CABLE IS JTMAT
|SO SHORT THAT THE MAN XWAV
WHO^SETS OFF THE BLAST ) S'R^.VILL
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Put you'pre ensaoep
TO A LOVELY OiKL
BACK HOAAE -
; HAVE YOU \WEU M \<J :
forgottenYr-'eml ;.\3<THAT
YOU,TCOVU 'COt?F='Ci?/>.j
AWE EN<3A<JEC>) SL'CE.A' Av
CAPTAIN p I c. LiT IN 'r' ^4
By PAUL ROBINSON
AN' A! \!) L CC'V