III
Trenton wrote again that he would reach town at noon of Christmas day and expected to remain a week.
“Why didn’t you tell me Ward’s been sick?” asked Irene when Grace told her that he was coming. “You’re certainly the secretive little one.”
“How did you know it?” Grace demanded. “You and Tommy made up?”
The girls were putting up stock at the end of the day and quiet reigned over the department, broken only by the voices of gossiping employees.
“I’ve been dying to tell you something all day,” said Irene holding up her hand on which the emerald had been restored to it’s old place. “Yes; Tommy told me about Ward.”
“Well——”
“Oh, I’ve just taken him back on trial,” said Irene with a sigh. “Poor Tommy! Minnie got me up to her apartment last night for supper and who should walk in but Tommy! He swore that girl in Chi didn’t mean anything in his life. He saw her just once when he had dinner with her and some other people; he was careful to mention the other people! I believed him even if he had denied the whole business on the telephone. Tommy looks terribly pathetic. He’s going to die if he doesn’t check up. His wife’s gone to California for the winter, and he’s drowning his sorrow in too much booze. Another victim of prohibition! Tommy’s one of the million who didn’t know he had to have it till they took it away from him!”
“Well, I’m glad you’ve fixed it up. It’s much nicer to be friends with him.”
“Just a friend, that’s all,” replied Irene, slowly shaking her head. “The poor boy really needs somebody to keep him straight. From what he said his wife went away in disgust. Why don’t these women stay at home and look after their husbands and not leave the job to us poor working girls!”
“Irene, you’re a perfect scream! Don’t make me laugh like that or we’ll never get this stuff put away.”
“It’s not a laughing matter,” said Irene, maintaining her tone of lofty indignation. “I can tell you right now that a woman who parks her husband’s taking an awful chance.”
Before they separated Irene warned Grace that Kemp had it in mind to drive them with Trenton to The Shack Christmas afternoon.
“He wanted us to have dinner out there but I told him nothing doing. I’d promised to play with my family and besides I can’t let him think I’m forgiving him too easy.”