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TANGLED WIVES By PEGGY SHANE Copyright by Peggy Shane. WNU Service SYNOPSIS A pretty young woman finds her eelf in a taxicab in New York with a etrange man who addresses her en dearingly and epeaks of "an awful ehock." He leaves her for a moment and she drives on, for she fears him. Her memory is gone. She stops at the Blltmore, From her expensive cloth ing and wedding ring she concludes she Is married to a wealthy man. She meets a young woman who speaks of her desire to go to Reno for a divorce, If she can get the money. The wom an vanishes with the nameless girl's 4300. An elderly woman, Mrs. Oscar Du Val. cordially greets the nameless girl, addressing her as Mrs. Du Val's son, Rocky, abroad, and Doris, bewildered. Is tak en to the home of Mrs. Du Val and her sculptor husband, Oscar, Doris falls in love with Rocky's photograph, but cannot remember having married him. Discovering a trademark In her clothing, she visits a store, and Is astounded when a saleswoman Insists she hid from observation. "Doris," wife of Rocky Is CHAPTER III—Continued Doris found herself on the Inside of a dark closet with the door firmly closed. What could be the meaning of this? She groped. The hard cylinder of a broom handle was beside her, and this other shapeless thing was probably a vacuum cleaner. Could It be that she was dreaming? The fantasy of a girl coming toward her, almost calling her by name, "Miss, 1 mean Mrs,—Val—'' she surely had said "Val"—then the crazy push into the closet: It was very like a dream. Or possibly the salesgirl was mad. Or was Doris mad? She remembered that Insane people sometimes thought every one in the world was crazy. She felt the blackness of the closet around her throbbing, throbbing. Why was she shut away in a closet, a "poor child" hidden from some unknown peril? Instead of leaving, her fright was Increasing. As always In her mo ments of depression the vision of the man In the cab came to torment her. Now his face floated before her, very real, very menacing. Her Imagina tion, unbidden, brought out a dozen suggestions; supposing he were out there? supposing he wanted to kid nap her? supposing he were a crim inal, and she was his helpless tool—a criminal herself? Her hand tightly clutching the broom handle, her reason telling her that this was all nonsense, she still felt wave after wave of terror plunge over her like great billow's knocking her common sense over, choking down her efforts to be calm and rational. The salesgirl had recognized her, had called her Val. Outside Mrs. Du Val was waiting for her in the car. Every thing was all right. What was she scared about? Everything was not all right. What was the meaning of the salesgirl's ter ror? And why was she In this closet? Doris called herself a fool. Fate had taken her kindly Into a safe haven where she could rest and be well treated until her memory re turned. But she had not been satis fied. She had wanted to return to this alarming life she had once led. Why hadn't she been content with Mrs, Du Val In the country? She tried to think back to the Impulse that had led her to this place where girls looked at her with stricken pitying eyes and pushed her Into dark closets. She felt that If she ever got back to the country, she would never make any effort to leave again. After what seemed a very long time she turned the handle of the door and looked out. The small reception room was empty. Evidently the salesgirl had left It so, that she might get «way. And outside sitting placidly In her limousine was Mrs. Du Val. Dogls stood in the center of the room hesitating. Try as she would she could not summon her resolution to go on. Out In the car lay sanity, rest, peace. If she went In again and looked up that salesgirl she did not know what would happen, but she could feel the terror the girl had spread like a contagion. Doris knew that she was being cow ardly but she could not help herself. Then she remembered that the sales girl had used the word Du Val—or at least she had said It so quickly that Val something was all Doris heard. But It must be Du Val. What else could It be? And after all that was all she had come to find. Some proof that she belonged to the Du Vais. And that one word of the salesgirl's should be enough. She ducked out of the door and raced breathlessly to the curb. She did not wait for Louis to get down and open the door, but got Inside quickly and sank down on the soft springy cushions. "I was beginning to worry," said Mrs. Du VaL T did promise Rocky not to let you get out of my sight" As the car rolled up the avenue Doris pondered this. Did Rocky know JLi of her danger whatever It was, and hpd he left these strange Injunctions about her for her own safety? Her mind went over and over the Incident. "Miss," the girl had started to say, as if she bad known Doris best for a long time as Miss Somebody. Then she had remembered, corrected herself and said Mrs.—Mrs. what? Oh It must have been Du Val, but In the excitement of the moment It had been said so quickly that Doris could not be quite as sure as she would have liked. She was pale and exhausted from the fright Mrs. Du Val was quick to notice this. "Doris, the trip Into town Is a mis take. You could not stand the dentist could you, today?" Doris looked at her thankfully. "Whatever happens I'll always love you and be grateful to you," she said. "Such thoughts !" "I mean ft. You have been wonder ful to me." "'Whatever happens,' she says! You must not worry so. You are going to be all right" Doris looked anxiously at Mrs. Du Val, What did she mean by that? She spoke as if she knew of the strange thing that was hanging over her. Surely she could not have known that a salesgirl would push her Into a closet and call her a poor child. Doris' head was buzzing. If she could only talk to someone about all this. She found herself falling back on her old hope: tomorrow she would re member. She bad had a shock today —that ought to bring memory back. Oscar met them In front of the house as on the night of Doris' arrival. He was delighted at their return. His first words were: "I have good news for you. Tonight there will be a sta dium broadcast. It Is very good. Do you like to listen to Beethoven, Doris?" Doris said she did. Mrs. Du Val looked pleased. Doris felt unreasonably happy. Here she was secure and loved. The salesgirl had called her by name, so she could be sure she was all right. It must be that Rocky's coolness sprung from something she had done in her past to alienate his love. But she would win It hack. In the future she would he a model wife. . These feelings were still In the rendant when she unsuspectingly sat down in front of the radio after din ner. As Oscar Du Val turned the dial to find the concert there was 11 ml nary buzzing. A man's voice spoke with startling distinctness. It boomed Its message through the room—a fright ening monologue that set Doris' arms clenching the sides of her chair: "Diane Merrell, the girl wanted for murder In Morristown, New Jersey_" Doris was staring Into space with wide glassy eyes, —"was reported seen In Detroit, Mich., at four-thirty this afternoon. The police are—" ■ Mrs. Du Val gave a low scream. Oscar switched the radio off, Doris had fallen back In her chair In a half daze. Wave after wave of black emo tion was pulling her downward. The radio voice had spoken from her past and dragged her hack to the no man's land of threatening circles, and menac ing purple rings. Mrs. Du Val's fat little arms as a pre were around her, trying to embrace her. "At such a time you should not be listening to murders!" ~~ Sire - fell "forward In her chair In dead faint. a « « « « « Doris came slowly back to her senses. She opened her eyes: the white canopy met her gaze. She was In bed then, but what was this fright ening trouble clutching her? She turned her head. Mrs. Du Val was sitting at the bedside leaning over with anxious eyes. Behind her the soft rays from a pink lamp fell on Rocky's picture, sent out gleams from the sliver frame, Doris felt better. The bad dream was gone. She was back with Rocky. Rocky's mother was patting her head. She managed a smile. "Now, now you are going to be all right," whispered Mrs. Du Val sooth ingly. Then Doris remembered. She had been sitting at the radio. Something had been said, something horrible. "What—what was It they were saying over the radio?" "Now, now go to sleep, my Doris. It Is all right." Doris sat up and looked at Mrs. Du Val a little wildly. "But you've got to tell me. I^'s very Important" "Now, now Doris. Remember. At such a time you must not be thinking of murders !" Murders ! Doris fell back against the linen-»vered pillows. Murders! What had she tq 'do with murders? She knew that her past had yawned for one ter rible second while the radio announce ment was being made. x\nd now her mind had turned away from It again. She was thinking that the reason she had forgotten her past was be cause It was too agonizing for her mind to dwell on. Her loss of memory was a veil which nature In her great kindness had dropped across her life. Behind that curtain lay something dreadful which she could feel, even If she could not remember It. Now that she had had that one backward glimpse she felt that she could never he happy again. "Tell nre," she said, "what murder was It that was being talked about?" "Mercy, mercy. And how should I know that? You must stop thinking of such things, Doris. It Is bad for the baby, you know." Mrs. Du Val was blushing furiously. "There now, Doris. You must forgive me. I have not been very delicate, have I? But I was so worried. To day has been too much for you. Now, now we won't mention It again. 1 know that young girl* are sensitive about such subjects." Suddenly the meaning of the often repeated phrase, "at such a time," was clear. She looked with startled eyes at Mrs. Du Val. Of course. She might All those have known that was It little worries about her exercise, her diet, taking care of herself, «11 those sly little looks; she was supposed to be an expectant mother 1 And of course she was not going to be a mother. Of that she was certain. Now the meaning of Rocky's words unrav eled; "No need to worry about Doris." Did Rocky, too, think she was going to have a child? She opened her mouth. "I'm not—" but the French woman's little ringed hand was already over her Ups. "You must not say another word. You are too excited." Doris' eyes, big and full of anxiety, looked at Mrs. Du Val. What was the use of trying to tell anything now? She would only be thought over wrought. Sooner or later she must straighten this thing out. Tonight there were other things she wanted to find out. "But about this murder—" "No, no. No more talk." In silence Doris allowed Mrs. Du Val to tuck the covers about her chin. She was thankful when the light was turned out, and she was left alone. She tried to think why It was that she had never before thought of this explanation of Mrs. Du Val's solici tude. But how could she have sup posed such a thing about herself? Now she sat up In bed clutching at throbbing temples. If this were so, then she was not Rocky's wife, Rocky's wife was some other forlorn waif. In her frenzy she pictured this other woman as a sort of Blltmore ghost walking, walking through the big lobby looking for a Mrs.Du Val that nevercame. The shapes and shadows In the room were assum ing grotesque outlines, pointing accus ing fingers. "You are not Mrs. Rock well Du Val. You are not Rocky's wife at nil. You belong to the man In the cab." She tossed all night, not quite know ing whether she slept or dreamed wak ing nightmares. At dawn she rose with a painfully contracted heart and knelt down before the picture of Rocky. In his pictured eyes she tried to read the truth about her relationship to him. He had grown so familiar to her that she could not believe that she had never seen the real man. though her mind conjured up no recol lection of him that went beyond that silver frame, she still knew that- Image so well that she believed him to be her husband. E?en "You must be. You must be/' she whispered. "Fate could not be cruel as to give you to me only In make-believe/* SO The breeze coming In from the open window was sharp. She sneezed, and shivered. In the long mirror she caught a glimpse of her slim figure In its thin lacy nightgown. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flaming unnatural ly. She took hold of the corner of her dressing table to steady herself. "I must have a little fever," she muttered. She crawled back under the covers and fell asleep. She awoke to find Mrs. Du Val standing beside her bed. Mrs. Du Val looked anxious, and she knew she had something wrong with her. Her head felt hot and unnatural. "It is nothing," said Mrs. Du Val cheerfully, "you have a little touch of grippe. You must stay In bed. Yon will be all right." For the next few days Doris lacked the energy to bring up the subject of her supposedly approaching mother hood. Mrs. Du Val, like many fussy and worrying women, was at her best when there was actual Illness to com bat. She was a miracle now of opti mism, as she nursed Doris. Doris lay for hours listlessly Watch ing the shadow of the leaves make changing patterns In the sunshine that came In through the long windows. Her hands lay clasped In front of her. Once she took a daisy from the bunch of flowers that had been put near her bed, and pulling the leaves went through the familiar ritual of, "he loves me, he loves me not" The mes sage of the -flower was, "he loves me not." She did not like IL Superstl tlously she felt that It proved that Rocky was not her husband. "I suppose I really am slightly crazy," she told herself despondently. She fingered the ring which curled around her finger with tender reassur ance. She had never taken It off since the day In the Blltmore. Now It sud denly occurred to her to look at the Inscription inside again. She slipped it off. "H. L. V. to D. M. May 19th. 1932." D. M. That was Doris—7 She did not yet know what her maiden name had been. And B, L. V. was—now panic overwhelmed her. Rocky's In itials were R. D. V. She was not mar ried to Rocky. She must be married to the man in the cab. She tried to be rational. There must be some way that H. L. V. could be Rocky's Initials. Sometimes people's Initials were quite different from what you thought they would he, people who went by nicknames. Her brain whirled. She felt determined to prove to her self that she was married to Rocky. H. L. V.— R. D. V. There seemed no escape from those awful Initials. Why hadn't she thought of this be fore? She had often gone to sleep with her fingers on the small circle, thinking of It always as Rocky's pres ent to her. She had remembered that there was a V and had taken It for granted that they were Rocky's In itials, Now she accused herself guilt ily. She had wanted to think herself married to Rocky. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Razing a Famous Building in San Francisco Tff -- - * ? : v->v ' * \ T. ■ ;-v: 4 * ■ ■ > mm - <■ 1, A \ % i V - m .< ; ■ ] &' if;. ~ «: - 313 # ? I w m I,*: * ! i % » % m ■ m . Æ t ; •V j m -, V: irf miss Hf mmmàmm sat ■ 3AGSS3 mt mi The famous old Bohemian club building in Ran Francisco has been torn down, to make way for a new $1,000, OOO structure for the club that has gained fame by entertaining Innumerable writers, artists, actors and other noiaulea. Site of Columbia River Reclamation Project i w . .i r \ mk m I ■■ ■* few B * , >S : ' ' >'■ lis w V - S Mi si - »-J ^ ' 3 m¥. ■IS S vv; l-l m ■■■■/ - * .<>5. - W im r,/ M ;■ S * Vi ■ '--s >-v ; wm -'ÂVÿ? $$ iii i S-. 1 . 1 ' i - i" General view of the Columbia river Just west of Bonneyvllle, Ore., where It will be necessary to take np the Union Pacific tracks shown and tunnel them through the rocks to higher grounds as part of the plan calling for the expenditure of $03,000,000 for the erection of a power dam and reclamation project. The plan, which has received the approval of the President, would furnish the country with the cheapest electricity manufactured and would set a pre cedent for prices ou the west coast Orange Girl in Her Bed of Oranges 5,1 J : ? J f m m .• i :.i W ■ . i hsW feaii p? %'K , >. 1 •• IIP ■: $ M i ? wm f : . t : St. ■ v 4 ■ fm f m m .. *. Pretty Miss Joyce Brooks was selected as the orange girl to participate In the Los Angeles county fair, September 15-24, at Pomona, Calif. Miss Brooks Is shown here In « pool of the golden fruit getting acquainted with a portion of her domain. Taking a 'Walk" on Lake Merritt m. 1 mm 1i: -:K ■ i - * i ' . ■M T . ' • ' '* : / < * i * mm •v /■. J: ■jC fM'. : , ■ ilBWW ■}WV. $ A ■y. . . . xfT.„ / m ... . Winfield P. Rue tried out a new style of transportation on Lake Merr$|t, In California. In fact, this picture was taken while Rue was tramping across the lake for the weekly meeting of the Lake Merritt Breakfast club. The hydro-skla were devised by A. W. Owen of the Oakland recreation department. DIRECTOR OF JOBS » ir »• 1 1;': r The new United State* employment service created by the Wagner law has opened Its headquarters at the Department of Labor. This Is a new portrait of W. Frank Persons, named by President Roosevelt to be director of the service. POWER BOARD CHIEF ■ ■" ■■-I 1 HMl ■ i; m i i [ , '• I ■M-: Frank R. McNlnch of Charlotte, N. C.. who has been vice chairman for the past several months, has become chairman of the federal power com mission, succeeding George ütls Smith.