Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-03-16

Nh .. OcidHo uIdSSeu CHIT across
the floor and beside the Uttered table
"YOu-why amt you working, ALP
II dunno. hon."
She placed a quick hand upon his
brow.
Its because you amt feeling right,
and you won't tell me. I'm going for
Doc. Tell me, darling, are you having
that numblike feeling up around your
hearth"
Sure amt, Lo. It's spring fever's
got me. Even in my act 1 used to GO
dead like tire when spring came"
Take a little nap, darling. You
amt slept in daytime ever since you
started the carving. Lemme pull down
the shade and fix you for nap, AL"
He was mildly reluctant.
II gotta finish the grapevine design
for them lids, Lo."
Didn't Ben say the minute you gen
working too hard not another job does
he send up from the factory?"
Like it makes any difference. Poor
old gink, he thinks don't know that
If he wasn't in back of us, my little
wood carving wouldn't keep us in
shoe laces."
"Shh-h-h; here, femme fix your pill.
low"
"What'll you do all alone this after
noon If l doze off. Lo? Put on your
little hat, baby, the pink one that Ben
likes, and stroll uptown past the office
SO hit can see you. Don't stick around
here so much, baby"
mo, l gotta clear out that trunk,
AL. All winter it's been standing
around and wanna get at it and get
it down in the cellar and out of the
way"
kiss me, baby, and I'll take little
Snooze. Spring fever's got me for
sure"
She leaned over and kissed his
cheeks where the hollows darkened
them, lowered the shade and tip-toed
out, closing the door after her.
The box-like bedroom, hedged in be.
tween the kitchen and front room
might have been the builders after.
thought. A white pine bed and white
pine table, improvised to dressing
stand, left an area between them the
size Of a door mat. damned between
the bed and the wall, black galva.
nized trunk crowded out the rooms
sole aisle.
The drone of mid-afternoon de
scended. A million notes swan in q
bar Of sunshine which slanted
through the windows and lay across
the black trunk. The two-ten accom-
mediation pulled out of the nearby sta.
ton with great changing and after !,
time whistled back twice from out over
the greenlike prairie. A child throb
bling with freedom ratified his lunch
bucket along the picket fence.
Mrs. Delano tidied the dressing
stand top and with handkerchief
rubbed a speck from the mirror until
1t squeaked. Then she fumbled III q
drawer among litter of keys, un.
hooked small one from its ring and
spreading herself beside the trunk il
the cross-limbed attitude of shah
flung open the lid.
The mnsty odors of the theater
which are as ingratiating as the fumes
of Circe's cup, rose Immediately lik,
steam. Her lips parted and she delved
A red gold wig of spring-tight curl.
lay first and beside it Pierrette':
pointed cap, crushed and soiled anG
with two black pOm-poms dangling b!
thread Farther down a crumplet
rag Of Pierrette's dress, pom-poms also
dangling, lay crushed beneath q
jeweled crown. Next makeup box
daubed over with many cOlors, ex'
uded the grease paint scent of 9
thousand memories. .,
Some cotton daisies gazed up at hel
with innocent eyes from the bottom
Of a battered pasteboard box. She lift
ed one and held 1t against her hair
her throat throbbing. She even
strained over, still on her knees, t.
gaze into the little mirror, the daisy
held at a cocky angle above her left
ear. Suddenly she danced to her feet
hoped about the tiny floor space ir
the fine frenzy of unlocking her dress
up the back. Reflected in the mirror
her face could scarcely contain one
expression for breaking into smiles
quirks, Pushes. She then pinned the
cotton daisy above her left ear ant
like a fash slipped into the ballet
dress of captivating Pierrette, hel
arms outstretched in well-remem
I bered attitude of the dance and the
sap Of spring rising in her veins.
1t was as if something cheeped with
in her and her heart took fight, soar
ing backward through resilient TINT
and space into yesterdays. Fatigue
vanished as rage before Abracadabrf
and Oh-la-la was her song.
"Oh-h-h-h-Lo-o!
She paused, poised on her toes. hel
arms flung in circle over her heaC
and the quick color draining out of hel
face-paused in this tableau vivant al
If caught in paralysis.
LOOP
For a frozen instant she glanced
about her, dragged at the bed covering
as cloak for her fnery, but it cluns
to Its moorings and, abandoning It In
her frenzy, she burst through the
door into the darkened front room.
"Al!" She caught at his hand which
lay atop the rug. 1t was limp and
strangely cold.
At six o'clock Adalai finished ita
day with bleating of factory whistles