10 Story Book, August 1938 — page 54: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

INTRIGUING STORIES, SPICED WITH PRETTY GIRLS! RY THE MIXED-UP CASE OF JASPERLEIGH (Continued from page 34) afterward ... I was, well, badly disap- pointed. I didn’t enjoy our relations in the slightest. It was terrible. It upset me. I realized that I had merely married a substitute tor ‘the woman 1 really wanted, and I was cold every time I held her close to me. She seemed to want me badly enough, and has displayed the utmost affection ever since we've been married, but during those first four or ve weeks k was... just... doing his duty.” ‘se, om,” Tourged. “Then what wipe pened ?”’ a husband Fle laughed. Then, he said, “I did something that probably isn’t new. Scores of husbands deprived of their real or fancied soul- mates have doubtlessly done the same thing. I simply started imagining that Marjorie was Rose Rossalin. Every time IT made love to her 7 closed my eyes and let a mental picture of Rose, as I saw her the day I interviewed her, fix itself firm- ly in my mind. And it’s been fairly easy, since Marjorie is so nearly her physical double.” UDhe sesilie tl asked. “Why,” he replied, as he flicked the ashes from his cigarette, “they've been surprising ... but I’m still up in the air. Since I started imagining that Marjorie is Rose every time we embrace each other, I’ve known a _ gradual improve- ment in the sense of pleasure extracted from our relations. In fact, here of late. Marjorie thrills longer have to do much imagining. It’s actually as though I were with Rose Rossalin.” “Then,” I said, a bit relieved, “it looks as though you'll have a happy married life and put the celluloid siren out of me amazingly. I no vour mind completely in time to come.” Tie-sighed a bit. “No;”’ he said. “Adil of this has given me a strange mental quirk. While I’m beginning to know unbelievable ecstacy with Marjorie, I realize that the woman I really crave is still Kose Kossalin ... . that she is the one who is actually giving me my pleasure. Marjorie is only afford- ing it as a sort of proxy.” “And what are you going to do about itr” I inquired. “Why,” he said, “I hate to tell you this . but ['m going to Hollywood and try to win the woman I really want. VU never be happy until I have the genuine article instead of a substitute.” But wife?” JT. asked. about her?” “Tl know,” he answered... “That part of it’s not so hot. But Marjorie is a broad- minded, understanding person, and I be- léye that once | explain it to hef gne li understand and give me my freedom. I don’t know quite how to break it to her . but There’ ll be a way .. .and lilo mad if I don’t some day hold my real love in my arms. There are bids from the coast for movie rights on my last and Fre Sot a eHance, “IT wish you luck,” I said, crisply. It was a bit too much for me. I called for the check and paid it. “What your novel, well now And now, after all this step-ladder of words leading up to the truly unusual phase of the stery; 1 tind that 1 must condense the events that followed if I am to put them in anything short of a book-length novel. In brief, here is what happened. Gordon went to Hollywood. Marjorie went to Reno. My wife and I had stayed away from them for quite some time and didn't know how the divorce had been arranged, but nevertheless in a few we oO Comicbooks.c© 3}