Radio and television mirror (Jan-June 1942)

Her vole. .Iw.yi faded off In acute ""^"r'owln, over" PhU SUnley ha.ln'l Ix-cn fa%y. nor h.d Joan done II llKhlly Th-ir familini hod olway» rxp<rt<-'l lh<-'n lo marry, and the pnUfflKonmnt hod »rown out of mat nxpec-Ulum and childhood companlormhtp Hut from Ihr day nhc laid eyes on llnrry, Joan wbb no lonucr cngoKMl lo Phil With the burKroninn of love, nhe knew what the fell 'or I'hil wa» only fondni-M II hadn I been eoay lo face bin hurt disbelief that she wouldn't marry hmi; It hndnl been easy, or flallcrinK, or nny of those IhmKs, lo hear hmi plead Ihnl he would always love her. She'd mnrrird llnrry anyway. She'd followed her heart. Almost ImmedlBlely Phil had married Kve Topplni! in a diizyinR elopement, and Joan Ihouiihl the old ihapler closed forever. Eve was her "best friend," which in a town like Stanwood meant Ihe Kirl whose family had always known yours, the girl you spent the nlRht with alter dances. Because they were best frlenils, Joni\ knew Kve loved Phil as passionately and tempestuously ns she did everylhinn in her impulsive life. There were no half measures In anythinu for Eve. The elopemenl hadn't lione down well with Phil's family, and Kve and Phil moved lo their own liltle house 111 llailey's Unidens while Phil slarled. for the llrsl lime in his life, to look for a Job. Joan anil Hurry hadn't seen Ihem since they'd been back from the honeymoon With a vu|{ue proddinft of her conscience, .loan knew she should Hut lo shaie her pri-cious momenls with llnrry nmonii outsitleis was tiH> much of a wrench. "Nol yel. " she told hersj-lf "Tomoiiow, maybe. Ml call Eve But ItHlny Just llnrry snd me " And she luinii as she waslied the (jay new cnH'ki»ry nnd made the IuhN anil reariatiKed for the third lime Ihe ciiihl pairs of pewter candlesticks they'd received amoni! Ihe weddinii preiu-nls .^hc wa> sinttini; Ihe day the bell rani: and Kale Ic^l hci down Ihe narrow, bi liEhlly paperiHl hall Ihroujih the llrsl invisible link in the chain of cirvumstancrs, lo throw open the front door and txime face to '-^ 1 f^^ .1... ,,..<.,< ....Ml j,i, ii>,,>.4i> t.^^y ,>< s ru (WT. t,ol.o"i r^'iW bv tK« c«i* — M«>7 J4»* Ht^bv *t MmK J*a« R*^ ct Hooy klkb«l m»»»illl M ML face with Eve Topping SUnley. ?hcy embraced, laughing excitcd J Joan led her intj, the s„nl.t f^ing room. It was as if they were Ule%irls again, ••p'-y"8 '"J^^Anl only this lime it was real. And "'"/v^rdark gypsy beauty seem^ dimmed. Heavy shadows lay under hcT brown eyes, and '^"0 was a strained tightness around the (ulU wilful mouth. She -"oved as if too tight a rein had been laid on her and Joan wondered suddenly what was wrong. "I don't want to interrupt the honeymoon," Eve laughed. "But we want you and Harry lo have dinner with us one nighl next week. We haven't laid eyes on each other since —since we were all married.' Joan felt the hesitant cmbarrassmenl, covered up with laughter. Naturally this was hard for Eve whose hu.ibond, after all, had been engaged lo Joan unlil right up before the wedding. SO she answered quickly. "We'd love It. Harry's so busy now with a new case — " and for the life of her, she couldn't keep the pride out of her voice— "that we haven't seen anybody or been anywhere. He's trying to get a child out of the custody of a perfectly horrible old woman named Mrs. Ashbcy, and he's awfully wrapped up in it. But I'm sure Wednesday would be all right. How's Phil?" Eve dropped her eyes. The strain around her mouth deepened. "Pretty well He hasn't a job yel and we're living off the ollowance his mother makes him. I didn't want to lake it, but Phil's never worked in his life and we had to have somcthitij; to live on." "He'll find a job soon," Joan comforted. "Phil's played a lot, like we nil did, but he's smart. Have you seen any of the old gang?" "I saw Bertha Catlett yesterday. You going lo her wedding?" "Bertha's" Why, I didn't even know she was getting married." "Oh, yes, to a perfectly darling young oflicer stationed at Fort Brandcr. A wartime wedding with all the trimmings 1 thought surely you'd be going." "Well— Harrj doesn't know Bertha of course. And 1 haven't seen her for ages — not since my wedding. What else do you know?" She listened eagerly while Eve ran through the old names: Jim Kawvelt was in the .\ir Corps, ond the Higjnnsrs were having a baby, and Don King had a new job at the dcfonjc pUnt. ,nd the youngest Crowley boy had been dropped from the Country Qub for insullmg the president's brother. From then on. it was a fine visit. She told Harry about it at supper He was properly and flatteringly reluctant to accept the dinner invitation. "It's the entering wedge. Iw said. "It's been perfect with just you and me. If we go to the Stanleys, we'll have to open the door and i« the world in." Joan looked radiantly at n™ across the table. "You darling I «« that way, too. But we have to open the door sometime. We have to «e our old friends eventually." •Yes. " he said slowly, "I gu«» ** do. I guess you've been pretty loneij these last months." , She jumped up and ran arouro the table to him in quick den •Oh, no, Harry. I couldn't be loi^ with you and our house and— »«»' why, I'm so busy I haven't ume be lonely." , j^-^ "That's just it, honey. '**°!5 pretty selfish, keeping you e**^ up over here away from « people you used to know. rm not coooed up! I've lo««> iy from all " 1 I know." i up! I've lov«d ■ --a. with only the two of us. But I want to show you off lo people I want them to see whal a wonderful man I married and how proud I am of you and — oh, everything." He laughed and pulled her down ■n his lap. "Flatterer. Well, well go lo the SUnleys as lonj as you've said we would." ill like Phil, when you know '!er." she said happily "He's .'un than anybody. And Eve is a peach — really she is, darling" But Harry was quietly thoughtful the rest of the evening and Joan knew he didn't want to go Onc« sh* almoot weakened, almost said they'd call the whole thing off Then she decided against It She remembered Eve's he«l«nt embarraaamenl wh«n she came No, they'd have to go They went And from the moment they set fool mside the SUnlryt' door the evening went wretchedly. horribly Kverylhlng was wrong. In the llrsl place. It was only Eve who greeted them Joan saw Irare* of tears under careful make-up, and her manner was itralned lo Ihp point of frvrrishnvoa. "Phil's delayed," she said nervously "I thought we'd Just start without him " They tried, all thre* of Ihem, lo make It natural that the host ■houldn'l be there They talked and laughed and covered up Ihe awkwardnrsa The table was Ml with the best linen, the flowers were beautiful, and r.'.. • ' • of her day Ihe dinner her Afterward In Ih* living room, II I lo distract Eve by re , amusing incldanla that ^ . .',.ipp«>n«d In court. H« got hn inlerested in the Ashbry rase . and Continued on fiafir 48