"ANN STEPS OUT"

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 December 1938, Page 12

"ANN STEPS OUT"

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT.

By I

MARGARET GORMAN NICHOLS

CHAPTER XIII. .-Continued. The Iwuse was seething with people. They nodded to Nick Hamill and wondered who the slim little blonde girl he had with him was. Ann and Nick walked into the brilliantly lighted drawing-room. And Ann saw Doug standing close to Gail. She was still in her wedding dress and held a cocktail glass in her hand. Ann was struck again by her vivid, nervous beauty.

"Let’s pay our compliments and duck,” said Nick.

When they approached the bride and groom, Gail said, "Oh, Nick! How sweet of you to come! Do have a drink.” Then, turning to Ann. "This is Miss Dryden, isn’t it?” Doug saw only Ann. He stood there with the cocktail glass in his hand and looked at her. Was it really she? The room was blank of people except for her. He saw only the tall slender girl in a blue dress with a small head of tight curls set nobly on her shoulders. Was this the girl he had thought commonplace beside Gail? He looked at her firm little chin, the sweep of her long thick lashes, and slim hands. "What have you been doing to yourself?” he asked, thinking it was a stupid thing to say. “You look marvel-' lous.” Resentment and bitterness for her were gone out of him'. "Business girl,” said Ann and then, ."I hope you’ll be vbry happy.” Her voice did not quaver. She must make Nick proud of her. Mrs St John, a dignified matron, joined them. "Is this Ann?” she asked. “Why, my dear, I didn’t know you.” Then turning to Gail, “You’ll really have to hurry and change. Your train leaves in an hour.” Nick was looking at the girl who had won, and the girl who had lost. “He sees now,”, he thought, “his mistake. Anybody can see. Ann is the lovliest girl here.” They said the conventional things and left. Ann tucked her arm through his going down the street. “You were magnificent,” he said. "I have a magnificent curiosity,” she said. “What is the surprise?” In the car, he said, smiling, “I’m telling you. I’m like a little boy going to a birthday party who tells his host about the present before he goes.” He chuckled. "I’m giving a party "for the weekend at my place at Gibson Island, and you’re the guest of honour. You’ll like the people—old friends of mine, people who write or paint or chase the news. What do you say?” Ann laughed warmly. "You’re telling me, you said.” CHAPTER XIV. Nick’s party was already in progress when he arrived with Ann . . . She had stopped home, packed a few clothes, introduced Nick to her family, and hurried out to his waiting car. She could not forget the graciousness with which he treated her family. They had seemed slightly awe-stricken at receiving Nick Hamill in their modest home, but Nick’s friendliness had immediately put them at ease. Driving along in the crisp night air, he had said, “Your parents are nice—real people. I missed that. My parents didn’t have time to bother with us. Your sister is a real beauty.” ,She had liked that, corning from Nick. Gibson Island was rather a bleak deserted place in winter. Some families stayed there the whole winter, but, for the most part the houses were open only in summer. “I gave Gregg Anthony the key,” said Nick. “I’ll intoduce you to them, but you probably won’t be able to remember all their names.” “I’ll get to know them. This is my first house party, you know. I don’t know anything about the etiquette of them.” “A girl as pretty as you needs only to sit or 101 l on the divan and look beautiful, smile now and then, and listen to the men- talk about themselves. If you do that, you’ll be a great success.” It was ten o’clock when they arrived. Nick’s house was situated on a hill and a sweeping lawn rolled before it.' As they stopped the car in the stone driveway, they heard music and voices from the house. "The pai-ty without a host,” said Nick. Ann stopped in the driveway for a moment and touched his arm. "I know why you are doing this,” she said. "It’s because you don’t want me to be alone tonight aand think about Doug.” “Yes, that’s it,” he said and smiled. “Guilty.” People—young people in tweed suits and young women in smart dark dresses —pounced upon them at the door and greeted them with much merriment. "Where have you been?” they cried almost in unison. "To the wedding? How was it? You both look awfully dressed up. And you say this was not to be a dressy party." “Ann and 1 are going to gel out. of these clothes at once," said Nick, introducing her to every one. "When I brought this house, I swore that it was going to be a house of comfort and informality." Ann was shown to a pretty bedroom on the second floor. Il was twin beds bright chintz draperies, an old desk, and hooked rugs. When Ann was .undressing, one of the girls came in.' “We’re room mates,” she said, "I’m Ruth Ashton, commercial artist." “Cni Ann Dryden, and I’m somebody’s secretary." She joined Nick and the other guests a short time later. She liked just to stand oil and look al the room with the enormous fireplace, rustic furniture, and deer heads on the unfinished walls. At eleven o'clock they were hungry and since Nick in his haste had forgotten to send a servant, several young men and women got into cars and went in search of a local grocery store. They returned in a short time with thenarms laden. "The storekeeper was in bed, but we got him up!” In an incredibly short time they sat down in a hurriedly prepared feast in the kitchen. Ann loved the spirit of friendliness and informality. And she knew that Nick was enjoying his own party tremendously. When the feast was over, they kicked back the rugs and started to dance. Ann liked to dance with her head cushioned against the rough tweed of Nick’s suit. She liked to feel her body moving in rhythm, with his. That old feeling of wanting to be made love to by him possessed her again. She wanted, because she felt gay and happy in

his handsome house in the company of congenial people, to be caught up swiftly, ardently by him and loved. Another young man broke in. "Here —what is this —dancing with this gorgeous blonde all evening?- Not fair — even if you are the host.” “Try to find one fairer," said Nick, surrendering her to him. "Where has Nick been hiding you.”

“I'm hidden every day in an office,” she said. “But it’s really a very nice office. What do you do?” "I’m a reporter—so help me—and this is my night out. The little brunette with the long cigarette holder is my wife. She’s .a newspaper girl, too, and a bright one. We call ourselves 'partners’ in crime,’ but we love it.” It was two o’clock before they ceased dancing. Eyes became sleepy, mouths yawned, and legs refused to carry them to the rhythm of the music. They filed off to bed. At three o’clock no one was in the large room except Nick and Ann. She was stretched on the chaise longue and Nick sat at a footstool at her feet, poking at the fire. ' “I’ve never had such a good time,” she said. “They are real people. They work hard and they play hard. But they all work. ’ And they all seem to have some sort of .career mapped out for themselves.” “I like people like that, too. That’s why I have them around me.” Ann leaned back her head and closed her eyes. Her dark lashes fluttered. "Tired” he asked. “No —the lull after the storm, I guess. It’s so quiet here now. And with the window open a little way you can smell the bay and hear the wind flapping the trees against the house. It’s wonderful. If I had a house like this. I’d never leave it.” “I leave it,” said Nielci “because I’m lonely.” “Your mother and sister, why don't they'. . .” “They don’t approve of me. They wanted me to marry a girl when I came out of college and I refused. She ws nice, and I liked her, but I didn't love her. Too unfair to her. My mother is a strange woman. She’s proud. She loved my father a great deal, but she didn’t pay much attention to him. And when he died quite suddenly from heart trouble, she never forgave herself for neglecting him. Louise, my sister, is bitter. Some day I’ll tell you all about them . . .”

“Before I marry John?” • She saw something new in his eyes —something she didn’t understand. It was neither passion nor tenderness. Ann didn’t know, but it was the thought of the loss of her and futility. "Yes,” he said, "before then.”

"Sometimes I don’t understand you,” said Ann, “but I shall .always think you are the most wonderful person in the world. Why, after all, should you take such an interest in me? I'm flattered by it. Sometimes it scares me a little. You’ve given me so much and I’ve given you —nothing. Nothing.”

“You’re the honest woman I’ve been looking for,” he said, trying to shake off the feeling of futility that possessed him. "You are all that most girls are not.” “Am I an experiment?”

He laughed soberly. Impulsively he leaned over and put his lips against her hand and Ann looked down on his head. They did not say anything, and she was strangely moved by the gesture. She thought, “Does this man love me? If he does, why doesn’t he say it? Why doesn’t he kiss me into believing, and loving him? It isn’t because of John that he is holding back. Nick is the kind of man who takes what he wants. I feel very close to him, and yet I don’t understand him.” After a while she said, “I’m tired. Do you mind if Igo to bed now? I’ve had a very trying day.” He turned and looked at her, and at the way her head rested on the bright pillow. He lifted his head. “Don’t go—yet. We’ll sit here by the fire. Go to sleep if you want. I want you to stay because . .

“Nick . . .” The gesture of lifting his head was defiant.

"You see, Ann,” he said, smiling, “I didn’t want you to spend this night alone. I wanted, when you thought of Doug’s wedding night, that you should remember you had spent it with Nick Hamill —safely—happily . . . and mostly that you were not alone that night

When Ann opened her eyes in the pretty bedroom the next morning, she saw Ruth Ashton at the dressing table. “Nick brought you up about fiv.e,” said Ruth. “You were dead to the world. I undressed you.” Ann sat up in bed, looking fresh from sleep. “I like Nick’s parties,” said Ruth, applying lip rouge with a deft finger, “because you can never tell what’ll happen. Half the time he forgets to get a cook and everybody has to cook. Have you known him long?”

“Since New Year’s Eve." ‘Tve been knowing him for years. When I first came to Baltimore, lie was marvellous to me. Got me acquainted. We were never in love with each other. You know,” she smiled at Ann through the mirror, “if you ever lose your job, you could get one as a model. Anybody who wakes up fresh and rosy is truly beautiful.” When Ann came down, dressed in a woollen brown dress, the long table was set for breakfast.

“Nick, went to town and got his cook." somebody said. "I thought we'd have to fry our own eggs.” She saw Nick come in the room. “You didn't get any sleep, did you?” she asked.

He laughed. "I let the cook drive back from town, and I slept all the way.” The congenial informality continued. After breakfast they played bridge, looked through Nick's prize collection of etchings and first editions, lolled around, talked, smoked. Nick made no effort to entertain them, and yet every one seemed to be having a good time.

Along about dusk he came to Ann. “If you’ll put on your coat, we'll take a stroll around the island.”

Ann went upstairs aid put on a brown coat. Nick wore a heavy sweater. They went out of the house and descended the steep slope of lawn and turned to the right. They didn’t say anything for a long time. Ann absently tried to keep her blowing hair in place. Nick smoked on his pipe.

(To be Continued.)