The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-06-24

- ~~AV
/ ing the porters aside. He set them
quietly at her place. He passed his
hand over his face that was so gray,
it hurt Chickie to look at it.
She lowered her head against him,
pleading: "Ho, Jonathan, weaken
ing?"
There was a trembling through
him, the rugged chin doubled. But
he raised her face in his hands
that way he always did. He said:
"Ah, Chickie-Chickie girl" and
stopped down quick and kissed her.
said again "Chicl1ie-my
Chickie-pray God-pray Cod"
She closed her eyes-heard him
shuttle down the aisle. Alone-she
was all alone now.
Suddenly she remembered that
they would wait there until the train
was gone and she got up in a panic,
rushed to the platform. Another
look-see them again.
They were DEMONSTRATING their
eyes. They saw her. Jennie cried
out. Both Of them waved-began
to laugh. They kept waving. Choke
blew kisses to them. Jennie took a
little step toward her, called; the
train began to move. Soon they
grew smaller, faces blurred.
| Still they waved-smaller--n
dimmed-now gone-now swallowed
in the dark.
Rails humming; rushing her away:
from them; from all the old. IA
miliar things-into the future.
sts
IL ND she was afraid - yet
IIA smiled above her hammer
III ing fears. Oh, brave-they
said she must be brave-stand up
quietly and battle. Jonathan asked
that Of her-only that. And there
might come to her again beauty
even a richness and a peace; even a
healing Of the wound that ached
and ached within her heart.
| Chickie didn't ask this. Oh, no!
ASK nothing.
She stared now with blinded eyes
into the dark; marked out the lights
of the city. She fancied Jonathan s
hat still waved at her; fancied that
Jennie wiped her eyes.
She peered into this night that
dropped like wall between her and
them, closing her out from that hap
pier time-oh, those thousand days
when she had laughed so blithely.
Finished alp that. She wanted it
so. Finished all joy. Let her go
in quietness with bowed head and
lowered eyes, unnoticed, forgotten.
Tragic thing to ask of life when
one is so young-just twenty-five.
But this was Chickie's prayer.
She lay in her berth that night
wide awake. When tears crept from
her eyes, she wiped them slowly.
Again, when she wondered why che
had been beaten so, why she had
been branded so, she made her lips
smile. Past-all that was past. She
must wipe it out-all Of it, begin
again.
Oh not so hard-going away.
That made is easy-lose herself in
city of strangers. Finally she had
decided on Chicago. No one knew
her there. No one would stare and
whisper when she passed.
She would work. She would make
no friends Only the dog. They
would take long walks.
She turned her face against the
pillow for suddenly Mary stood be-
fore her, then Janina, then Jimmy,
his lips shaking, you don't love me
isn't that reason? But if you
change"
No-never wrong Jimmy like that
and her heart all dead the way it
was
Jimmy passed. Now it was Jake
who came and took her hands
kissed them in that kingly way of
| his
Brave for them. Oh, yes,
she could be brave!
Such thing as they had asked,
Such fight to put upon her-soft,
trusting things; soft, loving thing.
But she got off the train that
sunny morning in the early spring
She raised her head proudly. She
smiled seeing a girl like herself
caught in her fathers arms. But
when a young man rushed through
the crowd. swept bodily in his arms
girl with a baby and there be-
fore everyone Rugged the two of
them again and again when
Chickie saw that she turned away.
She tugged at Wildie's leash and
hurried.
Not so easy, perhaps-not always
| easy
But she walked resolutely. She