“TOO WISE TO MARRY”

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 45, 23 February 1938, Page 7

“TOO WISE TO MARRY”

Synopsis of Preceding Instalments;

Sterling Lord’s wife gets a divorce when Romanza is 4 years old. Lord becomes New York s foremost divorce lawyer and Komanza, at 23, is a member of his firm. Justin (Dusty) Rhodes, 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 Dr. David Tee, a neighbour. Soon after Dusty tells Romanza no judge or jury can resist her beauty, she wins a divorce for a husband whose wife Dusty represents and Romanza’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 Romanza Aliah’s evidence is a frame-up and agrees to her handling his case. Previously Frank Talmadge, young Sandell employee, had shot himself at Aliah's penthouse door. At the hospital he tells Romanza 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 Romanza pleads with Dusty to drop the crooked case he refuses angrily. His earlier twitting about her beauty being her best legal weapon rankles, and the day of the trial ahe dresses like a ‘‘schoolma’am.’ 1 Romanza produces damaging evidence about Allah's early life. The judge himself elicits from Talmadge the fact that his father died recently in an insane asylum. He retires to his chambers to consider the evidence.

Tony Cassinelli was a pompuous egotistical looking individual at any time. But when he walked back into (the courtroom to render his decision in the Sandell case he seemed to strut—like a peacock.

It was obvious to the newspaper men who knew him so well that he felt the importance of the occasion. He, Judge Anthony Cassinelli, was about to show the power the commonwealth of New York had vested in him. He had never been known to render a decision without a Tound-about speech. His Honour loved to expound. Bo he looked his audience over, cleared his throat, set his pince nez glasses at the proper angle on his nose, and began ponderously: “‘lt is not my practice to make an important decision in a serious matter of this kind without giving all due thought to the evidence that both sides have presented.” Romanza twisted her hands in her lap and thought she would scream if he made a long speech. Jim Sandell sat woodenly beside her, his face a set mask. At their table Dusty and Aliah sat leaning forward, hanging on the judge’s every word respectfully.

After what His Honour considered the proper length of time for his golden phrases to sink in, he began again:

‘ln this case, there is no doubt in my mind that my decision is a fair one, based on mature thought and a clear, open mind. ” The judge was wound up and he intended to give a glowing picture of the workings of his great mind. Romanza was too tired to listen to details. She sat, looking straight ahead of her into the round, shiny face of His Honour. But she wasn’t hearing a word he was saying. Then she realised he was near the end, for Tony had drawn himself up importantly to make a dramatic finish. Every word fell like a hammering blow on Romanza’s aching head.

“In this case there has been no real evidence presented by the defence to prove the plaintiff used dishonourable means in obtaining her evidence. I have only the word of the man against his wife. Divorce granted.”

For a moment the room whirled dizzily, and Romanza was unaware that she had clutched Jim Sandell’s arm. His face was stormy with a fury that made him want to leap across the table and strangle the woman who had once been his wife.

But the contractor, with a mighty effort, controlled his anger. He looked at Romanza, and it startled him to see the stunned misery in her eyes, the pallor of her face. In her awful tweed suit and blue hat, she looked pathetic. Suddenly he smiled sympathetically and took her hand. “Listen, little girl, don’t you blame yourself for this. You did a job to be proud of.”

Romanza searched his face earnestly. Then she shook her head. “ Yon ’re being nice to me. I failed. I—lst you down.” “It was in the bag,” the millionaire declared convincingly. “Pull yourself together, and go over and congratulate the winner. Don’t.let them see they’ve got you down. Be a sport.” Romanza felt physically ill when she turned dazedly and walked over to Dusty. She could hardly get to him for the crowd of newspaper men, photographers and cheering fans that mobbed his hysterically happy client. When she finally reached him Romanza held out her hand:. “Congratulations, Dusty, you win.’ , 44 Thanks, “he said hurriedly and turned toward Aliah again. The prima donna ignored Romanza with a studied indifference. Photographers were ready to take her picture with. His Honour. No other judge in New York permitted the press and the public to mak6 a mob scene of his courtroom. But Tony stood for anything as long as he thought it would make him popular. Romanza stood for a few seconds like a little child who didn’t quite know the proper thing to do next. Then she touched Dusty’s arm timidly. “So—long. See you at. seven in my

(Bv Alma Sioux Scarberry) Instalment 24.

office. I want to pay my bet. 1 ' * Dusty nodded toward her absently and she made her way back to her client. “I must be getting along now, Miss Lord,” Jim Sandell said hurriedly. “I’ll give you a ring in a day or two. Promise me you won’t let this get you down. Everybody’s got to lose sometime, you know. Take it on the chin.” “I can take it.” Romanza’s lip trembled. “But I know how you must feel.” Sandell’s smile was bitter. “As long as the divorce laws of New York State are what they are, men and women will be dragged through the slime to beat them. But wait—l'm not through. I’ve got a few dollars to spend—and I’m mad enough to use ’em. You’ll hear from the Sandell case later. ’ ’

“You intend to re-open the fight!” ‘No. Let Aliah have her freedom if she wants it. I don’t want to go through this kind if mess again. But I'll get Tony Cassinelli—if it’s the last thing I do. It shouldn’t be a very hard job to get plenty on that bird.” He shook hands with the little lawyer

again and hurried away. Romanza suddenly felt more lonely than she had over felt in her life. If her father had only been there—to lean on—it wouldn’t have been quite so bad. She smiled a little bitterly at the photographers and newspaper men swarming around Aliah. For once in her life the beautiful daughter of Sterling Lord was not going to be bothered. That was apparent. It was Aliah Sandell’s day! Romanza walked slowly from the courtroom, and no one seemed to notice that she had gone.

Every one had left for the day when Romanza let herself into her office. She took off her ugly blue hat and sat down to lay her head on her desk wearily. Her temples throbbed with a pain that suddenly almosc blinded her. Dusty 1 Dusty had won—after all. It was going to be the hardest job she had eer tackled —trying to be nice to him at dinner. Making an effort to be a good scout about his victory. After all the things she had said he would be quite within his gentlemanly rights in laughing at her. Naturally, being a male, he would have to strut a little about it. And she didn’t even dare lose her temper. She’d have to take it like a man.

Dusty would laugh at her because she’d gone dramatic and tried to disguise her beauty. Perhaps he would even tell tier she had proved she couldn’t win on her brains. She had made an ugly foman of herself for a day—and lost. In her horn-rimmed glasses, without her pretty clothes and her make-up—she had been just another girl. Once Dusty had told her Tony Cassinelli couldn’t resist a pretty ankle and pair of gay, girlish eyes any more than a drowning man could help grasping at a straw. It had made her furious then. But now she realised that perhaps Dusty had been right. It had been a battle of Aliah’s beauty versus Romanza’s brains. And the prima donna had won—hands down. Romanza went back, in bitter memories, over everything she and Dusty had said to each other. And the way she had boasted made her wince. She had been so sure of herself then. For more than two hour 3 she lay with her head on her desk, drowned in misery. All her father’s warnings came to taunt her. Her persistent course had let her in for this dreadful humiliation. She would have to tell him she’d been wrong. That would be a bitter pill to swallow, too. But if she just didn’t have to go to dinner with Dusty Suddenly Romanza realised it must be getting almost time for her appointment with her rival. She looked at her watch and was shocked to see it was after 7.30. Dusty was very late. But of course he would be rushed for time. The day before she had brought a change of clothes and hung them in the dressing room off her office. A gay, green velvet dinner dress with a silver coat. Because she wanted to look beautifll on the night of her great victory. Romanza shivered and got up. She was alarmed when her knees felt as though they were going to buckle under her. The room went around in circles, and she felt a dreadful illness in the pit of her stomach. Suppose—suppose Dusty were not going to come after all! If he stood her up, she’d die with shame. Somehow she managed to get into the dressing room. When everything grew black, Romanza tried to scream. But no sound came from her throat. A few minutes later a knock came on the outside door. Romanza did not hear it. She lay in a little huddle in the middle of the dressing room floor. (To be Continued.)