TV Radio Mirror (Jan - Jun 1957)

THE EDGE OF NIGHT A suspense story about a terrified, childlike ivoman, gripped by evil influences she doesn't even suspect — a story-within-the-story of the popular daytime drama HARRY Lane said briskly; "Sincerely yours. That's all for the moment, Marilyn." Marilyn rose, with the sleek grace of a wild animal. Harry Lane's glance went past her, unseeing. He appeared completely unaware of her as a woman. Marilyn said in a businesslike tone: "When do you want these letters ready, Harry?" "Oh — in an hour. I have an appointment later." She did not leave. She tapped her stenographer's notebook lightly against one hand. After a moment, he realized that she hadn't left. He looked up. "I just wondered," she said silkily, "if you knew I was here. There was a time when I was more than office furniture, you know!" ^ORA Lane's eyes fixed themselves upon the ^ empty box the way they might have looked at a venomous creature. She began to tremble. It's happened again, she thought desperately. Oh, ifs happened again! But it can't he! It can't he! I rememher so distinctly! She dropped the box and began to snatch open the other drawers of the bureau. She searched frantically, throwing their contents helter-skelter on the floor. She began to sob a little. She searched her closet. She even looked under the bed. And all the time, over and over again, the phrase It's happened again! repeated itself mockingly. She felt that she heard the words in Harry's voice, icy cold, and in the silken spite with which Marilyn would say them. Presently she stopped stock-stUl, with her hands before her face, gasping and sobbing. She'd failed at everything else. Now it looked as though she'd even failed to stay sane. Five minutes earlier, she'd felt wonderfully good. When she opened the bureau drawer she was smiling, and she noticed how strange and satisfying it was to smile. This is the way to he happy, she thought. It is to make someone else happy. And who can he mude happier than a child? The box lay in the drawer just where she'd put it; pure rapture packed in tissuepaper for little Bebe. This is the sort of thing I can do, Cora thought yearningly. I certainly can't fail at this! But even then, when she was most confident of giving pure happiness to little Bebe, something close to terror nibbled at the edge of her thoughts. She'd failed at everything — even at being able to endure failure. If she let herself remember how she'd disgraced herself and Harry. . . . People spoke of alcoholism as a disease, but to her, the disgrace remained. And nobody seemed to realize that failure could hurt as much as pain. It could be as terrible as physical torment. And she'd suffered unceasing failure all her life, as victims of an incurable disease suffer their agonies. She couldn't fail in this, though. It was so simple a matter! Little Bebe was leaving Monticello with her mother. Harry had arranged it, and it was a pang for Cora. Little Bebe was the only person in the world to whom Cora did not seem worse than useless. But no little girl would not feel absolute bliss when presented with such a lovely, silken-haired doll as this, with dainty clothes that buttoned and unbuttoned, and which said "Ma-ma" in the most firmly established tradition of dolls. So Cora smiled happily, reaching down to lift up the box. After her baby died and she learned she could never have another, she herself had collected dolls, pretending brightly to all the world that it was a hobby like collecting china or antiques. She'd made a jest of naming her dolls after people she knew — ^Harry, Marilyn, Jack, Sara, and so on. But, one day, Harry'd caught her actually playing with them like a child — and she was a grown woman — and he was coldly disgusted. She'd disgraced herself after she put them away for good, too. But, when one knew oneself to be a bitter disappointment to everybody, sometimes it seemed very logical to take refuge from the anguish of failure — even if it made one an alcoholic. These things, though, she could ignore for now. She put the box (Continued on page 78) The Edge Of Night is seen on CBS-TV, M-F, 4:30 to 5 P.M. EST, as sponsored by Procter & Gamble for Tide, Crest, Camay, Spic and Span. Lauren Gilbert and Sarah Burton are pictured on opposite page in their roles as Harry and Cora Lane. A FICTION BONUS 51