Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1940)

^ T &)cmt a. VvtftCP^ Frantic hours became a confusion of faces . . .Grandma . ..Grandpa. ..the white-coated interne who said to Jerry, "I'm sorry — " Once to every marriage comes that fearful moment when only tragedy can point the way to happiness! Copyright, 1940, by Paramount Pictures, Inc. BY ADELA ROGERS ST. JOHNS THE early morning light etched sullen lines on Allan MacNally's young face. Lord, he was tired! Working all night, snatching a late plane to get home as fast as he could, was enough to make a fellow tired. But, even more than he was tired, he was angry. Where was Jerry? Where was his wife at five o'clock in the morning? "Out with her sister," the maid had told him, enjoying his discomfiture. She had seen Jerry frantic with anxiety, awaiting the message from Mac that had never come. She had, indeed, cheered silently when Jerry had rebelliously left, dressed in her finest. But none of this occurred to Mac. He only knew that Jerry was out with Wanda, the older sister she adored and he secretly despised. What right had Wanda to interfere? Wanda, who had let her own husband and little son slip through her petulant fingers. Wanda, who was just like all the other spoiled women whose divorces he handled so smoothly, loathing every trick but determined to give Jerry all the luxuries they'd missed during their first year of married life. And what thanks did he get? The moment his back was turned — He swung to face Jerry, as she swept defiantly into the room. Even then, everything might have been all right. If she'd looked sorry, or even frightened, or remorseful for not being there to greet him. But she didn't. She slipped off her evening coat, looked at him, and said coolly, "Oh, hello. Where did you drop from?" His collar felt tight, so tight Mac had difficulty getting the words out. "Where -did I come from?" he said. "I — -where have you been? Coming home at five o'clock — " "Every place else was closed," said Jerry and yawned in his face. Anger did things like that to them. Jerry's anger now was cold, it had turned in, she had herself well in hand, eyebrows up, eyes cold, frozen against him. With Mac, anger was hot, it shook him and his thoughts went around like a pin wheel. In the strange hot and cold of their anger they wanted to hurt each other. Mac said, in a voice that shook, "Where have you been?" "Oh, round and about," said Jerry. Her hands were perfectly steady as she lit a cigarette. "Who with?" "Wanda—" "All right, all right, Wanda. Who else? You and Wanda weren't wandering around until five in the morning by yourselves, I know that much. Who were you with?" "Don't cross-examine me, dear," said Jerry. "I'm no witness. Wanda had a couple of friends along — don't remember their names." For a moment Mac sputtered like a fuse, then he exploded. "You — you'd go out and stay all that time with men whose names you didn't even know? Look, I know the kind of men Wanda runs around with. She doesn't care — why should she? She hasn't got any husband to care what she does. David got smart — she hasn't got any husband waiting and worrying — " "Oh!" said Jerry, the coldness breaking, "how can you say that? Waiting and worrying when I — don't you holler at me! Where were you? Did you come home to dinner last night? No. Do I know where you were since you left here to go to your office yesterday morning at nine o'clock? But I don't suppose that matters." "You know where I was," Mac said. "I was working. I'm always working. I had to go to Reno to find out what a guy was doing. That's all. I wasn't out raising hell. I was working so you could have some swell clothes to go out with a couple of other men — " "Pooh," said Jerry and picked up her coat and started toward the door. "I've heard enough of that nonsense. I'm going to bed." "Not until I find out a lot of things, you're not," Mac said, swinging between her and the door, standing on the balls of his feet like a fighter ready for action. "You'll stay right here and explain what — " "Just a minute," Jerry said dangerously. "If there's any explaining to do, you'll do it. You jump on me and yell and holler, but you seem to have forgotten that I sat here for hours, worrying and — and — actually calling up the hospital to see if you'd been run over — and praying you weren't hurt and thinking of all the awful things that could happen to you — you don't seem even to consider that — " "Now wait a minute, honey — " (Continued on page 78) 69