"TOO WISE TO MARRY”

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 43, 21 February 1938, Page 9

"TOO WISE TO MARRY”

aynopxia of Preceding instalments: Sterling Lord's wife gets a divorce when Bomanza is 4 years old. Lord becomes New York's foremost divorce lawyer and Bomanza, at 23, is u member of his firm. Justin (Dusty) Bhodes, whose father was Lord's college mate, gets a job with a rival law firm. At the Lords' Long Island home he meets Aliah Sandell, popular radio singer, and Mr David Tree, a neighbour, already famous as a surgeon at 32. Soon after Dusty tells Bomanza no judge or jury can resist her beauty, she wins a divorce for a husband whose wife Dusty represents, and Bomanza’s picture appears in every paper. Aliah retains Dusty in a suit for divorce from honest Jim Sandell, wealthy contractor. Jim goes to retain Lord but in his absence tells Bomanza Aliah's evidence is a frame-up and agrees to her handling his case. Previously Prank Talmadge, a young Sandell employee, had shot himself at Aliah's penthouse door* At the hospital he tells Bomanza Aliah vamped him into planting a woman in her husband’s room at his club, then laughed at him. Frightened now, she offers him 10,000 dollars to disappear but he says he will testify for Sandell who took him out of the bread line. When Bomanza pleads with Dusty to drop the crooked case he refuses angrily. Aliah goes to see Bomanza, bemoaning their broken friendship. Bomanza says nothing can be done until she drops her framed-up suit. Dusty's twitting about her beauty being her best legal weapon still rankles and Bomanza dresses like a “ schoolma'am'' the day of the trial. Neither Sandell nor Dusty recognises her at first glance. INSTALMENT 23. Aliah Sandell was about to take the stand! A crowded courtroom waited with bated breath to hear from the lips of the beautiful radio idol herself how she had suffered in silence nntil she could bear it no longer. And now she was going to tell all! Dusty had made a stirring appeal to Judge Casinelli in client's behalf. Bomanza had laid before his honour, in convincing words, a brilliant barrage of damning evidence she had obtained against her one-time friend. For a time she had completely forgotten her ridiculous tweed suit and horn-rimmed spectacles, remembering only that she was fighting the most important battle of her life—and that she must not fail. When she had told of Frank Talmadge, the boy whu loved Aliah Sandell so much that he had betrayed his employer and then tried to kill himself in au effort to win her love, these details seemed merely to whet the crowded courtroom's appetite. Aliah was the star of the show, and the rest of the cast were only extras. The character witnesses, servants from the Sandell home who testified for or against their employer in an effort to help or defeat him, were merely suffered as necessary atmosphere to the drama. And now the great moment had come! America's most famous radio contralto was raising a little jeweled hand to swear that the evidence she was about to give in this case was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Aliah looked around helplessly when she had finished taking her oath, twisting her wisp of a lace handkerchief in her hands. There was little formality when Tony Cassinolli was on the bench. Quite frequently he took the job of questioning a pretty girl out of the hands of the attorneys and conducted the proceedings himself. He leaned toward the bewildered prima donna with an ingratiating smile. “Sit down, Mrs Sandell,” he said, “and don’t be nervous. We're old radio friends.” Aliah smiled timidly, and sat on the ©dge of the witness chair. “Thank you, your honour. Sou're very kind.” Anthony Cassinelli inclined his head in a little bow.

“Now just tell me your side of the story as you'd tell your own father.” Jim Sandell and Bomanza exchanged exasperated glances. It was obvious Dusty had coached his star well for her role. She was going to be the innocent little wide-eyed child who scarcely knew what it was all about. Dusty leaned toward Aliah helpfully as he said: “And now Mrs Sandell, just tell the court your side of this matter in as few words as possible. I'm sure it won't be necessary to go over all the details of when or where you were married. That has all been presented, and is now a matter of record.” Aliah drooped her furs over the back of her chair to reveal how small she was in the plain dark blue ensemble. Then she dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief.

“You'll—have to forgive me, Your Honour. This is all a dreadful shock,” she appealed childishly then. “I—I —really don't know how to begin ” “Perhaps we can help you,” the judge offered paternally. “It nas been charged you married your husband for his money. That you never loved him, and that ail the testimony that has been given in this case is false and was secured by collusion. Is this true!” Aliah drew herself up with dignity, and turned to where her husband sat at the table with his lawyer. “That,” she said eOolly, “is all falsehood. It is the way my husband has always struck back when some one opposed him. He will stop at nothing to gain his own ends.” Then the prima donna softened —her manner changed entirely. “I found out how ruthless he was shortly after I married him, Your Honour. And loving him as I did, it was a terrible blow. But—l couldn't give

(By Alma Sioux Scarberry) Instalment 23.

him up—until—until I learned about — the other woman.” “Do you deny having anything to do with placing that woman in ydur husband’s room, unknown to him!” Alias's big eyes clouded with pain; she drew in a quick breath as if someone had suddenly stabbed her. ‘lt breaks my hohrt,” she shook her head sadly, “to have anyone even suggest I might do such a despicable thing.” “It is charged you married Mr Sandell without having told him of a former marriage. Is this true!” The singer smiled whimsically toward the bench. “Your Honour—do I look like a woman who would be unintelligent enough to do sueh an utterly stupid thing! Why should I run such a risk! Of course he would have found it out. What possible reason could I have had in hiding a youthful marriage! It was an entirely honourable one—and my husband was—dead."' Anthony Cassinelli nodded, and seemed to be studying deeply. Bomanza suddenly had a hopeless feeling of defeat. There was no mistaking the admiration in the judge's eyes as he gazed sympathetically on the little singer.

It seemed quite accidental that her skirt had slipped a little nearer her knees as she twisted childishly in her seat, revealing plump little legs and ridiculously small feet in tiny gunmetal pumps. Bomanza knew the prima donna was more than 35—she looked not a day over 25. “Do you know Frank Talmadge — well!” Judge Cassinelli asked when he had ceased his reflections. Aliah shook her head sadly, and turned to look at the pale lad who sat at Jim Sandell's table. “I barely knew his name,” she declared convincingly. “Is It true you asked him to help you in framing divorce evidence against yonr husband!” “Bidiculous! I might have seen Mr Talmadge three or four times in my husband's office before the night' he came to my house and made such a scene. While he was in the hospital I felt so sorry for him I went to see him —to see if there wasn't something I could do to help him. I offered him money to go away for his health. But he cursed me and acted so insane I ran out. I was afraid for my life. Believe me, Your Honour, I wish him no harm.” From where the boy sat slumped in his seat he smiled sarcastically and inclined his head in a mock bow. The gesture did not escape the judge. Suddenly Aliah covered her eyes—to cry hysterically: “All this doesn’t matter—as far as I am concerned! I don't care what they say about me! But Ido resent the slurs they have placed on my poor old father and mother—two of the finest souls that ever lived. “The picture they are trying to paint of my childhood—singing for pennies in a hide-out for crooks owned by my father —is a desecration of their memories. They owned a restaurant, and slaved night and day for my musical education. And these terrible people say it was a—saloon!” Aliah's shoulders were heaving pitifully when Dusty motioned for an attendant to bring her a glass of water. He touched her on the arm gently and lifted the water to her lips. Aliah drank a few swallows and gave him a twisted little smile of gratitude. Then she crumpled in her chair and went into such a wild burst of weeping that Dusty sent an appealing glance to the judge. “Your Honour,” he begged, “‘if it pleases the court, I'd like to give Miss Sandell a chance to rest. She is very much upset over all these aspersions cast on the memory of her dead parents.” Judge Cassinelli nodded. “I believe I’ve heard quite enough from Miss Sandell. I'd like to hear what the witness Talmadge has to say.” ■ Bomanza held her breath. Frank Talmadge was her only hope, and she ( prayed desperately he might not fail her. He made his way to the stand slowly, for he was still very weak from the gun wound in his side. It seemed to Bomanza the boy's face grew several shades whiter as he took his oath

to tell the truth. After a few opening questions as to who he was and from whence he came, Judge Cassinelli leaned forward and looked him firmly in the eye. Talmadge did not flinch. “Is it true,"thejudge began then, ‘ ‘ that you were in love with Mrs Sandell—and that several months ago you made an attempt to kill yourself by shooting at her apartment!” The boy nodded. “Yes sir, I was desperate, Your Honour, Jim Sandell had taken me out of the bread line and given me a job and clothes. After Mrs Sandell had gotten me to frame him so she could get a divorce I felt I wasn't fit to live. the whitest guy that ever walked the earth—and everything that has been said about him being a

crook and bully is a lot of lies.” “You admit,” the judge leaned forward again, “you were in love with Mrs Sandell. And she repulsed your advances, didn't she!” “She did notl She told me she loved me—her love was to be my payment for my dirty work of framing her husband. Then, when I was in the hospital, she came and offered me ten thousand dollars if I'd keep my mouth shut. That's why I cursed her. I told her to go to the devil—where she belonged.” “Isn't it quite possible you might be here testifying to-day to get revenge!” Talmadge shrugged indifferently. “Call it that if you like, Judge. But it isn't revenge. I'm only trying to be a man—for a change. I hired that woman and planted her in Jim Sandell 's room at the Contractors Club. I would swear with my dying breath that he was not unfaithful to his wife. He didn't know the woman was there. As

I look back on it now—l think I must have been—insane.” The Judge looked impressed. Then he said evenly: “By the way, has there ever been any insanity in your family, Mr Talmadge!” For a moment the boy looked startled. Then he ran his hands through his blond curls nervously. When he looked up his face w~as gray. “Yes sir,” he admitted reductantly. “My father died two weeks ago—in a sanitorium for the treatment of mental cases.” The boy turned to Bomanza desperately. She was stunned with the shock of what he had said, and the impression it might make on the court. Her only real witness the son of a lunatic! Judge Cassinelli picked up some papers on his desk briskly. “That will do! lam going into my chambers to look a little further into the evidence. Court is adjourned for one half hour.” Without a word to Bomanza Frank Talmadge turned and walked miserably from the room. Reporters figited in their chairs. Bomanza, sitting icily beside Jim Sandell, had lost all feeling. She felt numb—her heart seemed to have stopped beating. Aliah and Dusty, heads close together. whispered at their table. ('To be Continued.)