Indianapolis Times, Volume 38, Number 176, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 October 1926 — Page 25

OCT. 29, 192 G

SONIA

A Story of Dangerous Love =s=a By VIDA HURST B-====ss=

_„ThrOttSrh DR. DON STILLWATER. SONIA, MARSH, young and pretty, obtain* a position in the San Frauelsc-o real estate oft ire of JED THOMAS, hi* uncle, MAXINE LARUE, head of her department. favltea Sonia. VIOLET. HERN. JINNY and FRANiiIE .to her liquor party, > ALTER D. HENDERSON, a wealthy bachelor of Berkeley, disapproves Os Selma living with Maxine. Sonia quarrels with BERT DONOHUE because of her infatuation for FRANKLIN CRANE, whom he says i a periodic drinker, and retains his posi !ion in their office because his wealthy ather was a friend of Jed Thomas, but frape explains that he is absent to take his invalid mother on long auto trips A threat from Bertie worries Sonia. Crane admits he loves Sonia, but says he is afraid their happiness cannot last. Maxine chides Sonia for offending Henderson. alluding that she is wasting her time with Crane because his mother, dispenses her money cautiously, Maxine notices Jed Thomas' unusual Interest in Sonia. _ Sonia visits her sister VERA and sees an old friend. TOM UNDERWOOD, %is now engaged to SIDNEY he home for Christmas, Walter Henderson calls and asks Sonia to marry him When she refuses he asks her to take time to consider it. Her parents, SAM and ANN MARSH are favorably tm pressed with Henderson. Sonia learns from Sidney that her eousln. GENEVIEVE, 1s engaged to Franklin Crane. When Sonia s father asks her to explain her sudden depressed expression she bursts Into tears, but will tell nothing . = „ She leaves hurriedly for Han Francisco It-occurs that Crane lies to her, Maxine admits that her middle-aged friend MAO MACGREGOR, is married, put that since she learned to love him t before she found it out, she does not I let it worry her. • Sonia tells what she has heard about Crane, when Maxine comments on her did action, CHAPTER XXV Instantly, Maxine was all sympathy. "Are you sure?’’ How do you know?” Sonia explained that Crane was engaged to Sidney’s cousin. "She has hacl a ring for a long time," she concluded. “So It hap pened even before he met me.” "Gosh, I’m sorry." "Don't be," Sonia cried, sharply. "Pity Is one thing I can’t stand.” "Why did you tell me. then?" Stark terror leaped from Sonia’s eyes. “I couldn’t go on by myself. But I must face it and decide what to do before he comes back." "What can you do?” Maxine asked, curiously. Sonia dropped the dish cloth and began to pace the room, "Oh, I don’t know. But something! I’m not- the kind to sit and patiently endure a thing.” "Are you going to tell him you know It?” "I certainly am. He owes me an explanation. Maxine, he’s made love to me.” "I suspected it.” The memory of the thrilling way he had made love clutched like a cruel hand at her throat. She turned to Maxine, desperately. "Let’s get out of here. This room suffocates me. I can’t breathe." L She strode the streets like a wild r thing. Maxine was forced to run to keep up with her, "Sonia, darling, don’t go so fast.'* "Go home, if you want to. I can walk alone." But this Maxine refused to do. She struggled along loyally until, drenched with wind swept fog, Sonia turned towards home, Next morning Sonia was startled by her own face. It was so slckenlngly sad. Her eyes were pools of sorrow, hiding dark, uncanny, secrets. Her mouth was tortured. "But I’ll fix that,” declared Sonia, pursing her Hps Into a bow and rubbing on lipstick. "No use advertising my aches to the whole world." She was smarter than ever when she arrived at the office. Thin and proud, with red lips and green eyes blazing In white, defiant face. She suspected that Franklin might return and she was right. Promptly at 9:30 he sought her desk. "Sonia! God, I’m glad to see you!" She faced him, smiling, gallantly masking the tragedy of her eyes. "Did you have a good time?" "Stupid! again! When can I see you tonight? As soon as the office closes?" She nodded. But something In her quiet face made him whisper, "Do you love me as much as ever?" "I’ll tell you tonight.” He caught a hint then of her mood. His blue eyes were troubled as he turned away, Sonia was surprised to find that his promise of seeing her that evening was confortlng. An open fcbreak would be better than endurlng this torture alone. * "If we do quit he is going to suffer as much as I do," she thought. Then she caught herself, sharply. 'But there Is no 'iff about it If he really is engaged, I'm through." As If It were another Sonia she heard hersllf- joking with the girls In her department. Tossing her head" when her eyes met the understanding glance of Maxine. She was already wishing she had not been so weak as to confide in her. Tt would have been easier today alone. At noon she swallowed a glass of milk. Solid food would have choked her. "Are you going to see him tonight?” Maxine asked.

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“Yes, hut don’t ask me anything about tt. I don't feel that I can stand to discuss It today. “I won’t* old thing. I understand.” The hours crept by. IVhen It was 5 o'clock, she straightened her desk and went to the dressing room. Ten minutes later they left the office together. Ho made no attempt to evade the issue, “Sonia, there ts something wrong?” “-There certainly is.** "Well, let’s get in the car and ride, so we can talk. Unless you are hungry.” Hungry-? Sonia smiled. "No. I’m not hungry." They walked in silence to his car. Once out of the traffic, he swept through the streets at a furious pace. Not until they started to aseerjd Twin Peaks did he ask for her explanation. "All right. Let’s have it.” "Were you really in Los Angeles with your mother?” His charming mouth tightened into hard lines. “So that’s the trouble? No, Sonia. I must admit that I was not.” Even then her heart gave a thrill of gratitude that he had not lied to her the second time. “Where were you, then?” "Sounds like the inquisition. But I suppose you’re Justified. I was at a house party. A perfectly de cent, anemic house party, with chaperons and everything.” "And the girl you’re engaged to?” He started and threw her a miserable, anxious, look. "Who told you that?” "It makes no difference wher/ I heard It.” she answered In a hard. Httle, voice. “I'm asking you if it's true." "Yes," he groaned. Sonia said nothing. She had been sure enough of it, but his own admission made it more sickenlngly definite. Presently he said, "Sonia, I owe you an explanation.” "Not at all," she said, proudly. "I want you to take - me home." "Well, I’m not going to." "Sonia!” he cried, “I am engaged to Genevieve Erickson. I don’t know how you have found it out, but It is true. I would have told you soon, only—oh. what's the use my trying to explain when you are sitting there hating me?” I "Can you blame me?” ‘ No. I see your point of view. But if you knew what a bloodless arrangement this engagement is." "You made it, didn't you?" “I’m not sure that I did,” he replied, bitterly. “My mother seems to have had the biggest part in it. Genevieve is a peach of a girl. I might have been able to have married her if I hadn’t known you. But I didn’t know you when it happened, Sonia." She still said nothing, taking refuge in one of her disconcerting silences. She realized that she was making it hard for him. He stumbled on. "I love you, Sonia. I never- have loved any one in my life as I do you. You’re like a flame burning up my neart. . . . You’re driving me trazy. God, don’t you realize what I’ve been through? The torture of making you love me. knowing that in the end you were bound to know this. . . .” At his words of love little shivers swept over her. He was suffering. There was no doubt of that. Raw emotion cut through his voice. He fumbled for her hand, blindly, as if through tears. "Sonia, darling, don’t doubt my love for you. I can’t stand It. It’s the biggest thing in my life.” Her hand quivered in his. “Kiss me, sweetheart! Tell me in spite of it all you still love’me. 1 admit I have been a cad not to tell you. But it’s because I loved you so much. Nothing can make you doubt that." Her lips sighed Into response. It was as if their love leaped forth to satisfy itself in spite of their separate hurt and suspicion. "You do love me?” “Oh, you know I do! But what are we going to do?" "What can we do? I can't, break my engagement and go on living at home.” Too desperate to remember her pride, Sonia cried. "But If we were married you wouldn’t have to go on at home.” His arms tightened. "Darling. I don’t make enough money to marry now.” "I’m not used to very much.” "No,” he said, and his voice sounded strangely practical. "Marriage at this time would be impossible. My mother isn’t well. The shock might kill her. She can’t force me to marry any one else but the engagement will have to remain as It. Is. You don’t know my mother, Sonia.” She twisted away from him. "You mean to say the engagement will go on?” "It can’t do anything else. But I swear I will not marry her." She looked at him across anew chasm of disillusion. "You would ask me to go on as if nothing had happened, knowing that every night you were not with me you’d be with her?” “We have been happy, haven’t we?” The memory of that happiness was in exquisite pain. “But I didn’t know. I didn’t dream. . . ." Suddenly the lights in the city below blurred, and were blotted out She slipped down in the seat beside him. "I’m ill. You must take me home.” (To Be Continued)

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