Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-09-18
CHAPTER Nv
When Jerry Gave Up

very quietly, and placed her great fur
small closet. And then she set to
work, with the minutest care and or
derliness, piling together every pen
ciled sketch, every laboriously painted
tree and flower, every anxiously out
lined face and figure that was even
remotely connected with the pursuit Of
Art. When she had it all in one heap,
she wrapped 1t in heavy paper and tied
1t, with stout cord. Then she cleaned
her brushes with painful, painstaking
intentness, closing every bottle and
tube and jar of paint and oil, wiping
them neatly and packing them all in
their boxes. These she put away on
the top shelf of her closet. Last of all,
she released the supports of her easel
and let it down, and then, with a
great effort, managed to shove it into
her bath closet behind the ridiculously
small tub.
Jerry did not know why she did
these things. She did not even wonder
why. She only knew that she must
Danish every reminder of a dead pas
sion-though really Art had never been
a passion with her, but only pleas
ant, luke-warm interest. When easel,
sketches and paints were gone from
her sight, she sighed little YEARLY.
She removed the hame-colored gown
and went to bed.
At ten o'clock the next morning she
went up to Theresa, carrying gaudy
tray, on which she had arranged a
charming little breakfast with that
daintiness which characterized every
thing she did. Theresa, who kept her
door forbiddingly barred to Mimi, and
to all the world besides, after the first
few days of their acquaintance, had
given Jerry duplicate key.
"Come in whenever you like" she
said. You have an easy way about
you that doesn't drive me wild. like
everybody else. But don't knock
Just use the key and come right in
There's never any love-making to In
terrupt here"
Theresa's adherence to knocking
was a frenzy with her. A state of
nerves, Jerry called 1t, but Theresa,
who never acknowledged nerves in any
shape. or form, denied it, although the
slightest tapping startled her to such
a degree that it was physical pain.
"Oh, I'm off In the clouds, and 1t
jerks me down to earth so fast 1t
makes my teeth chatter" was the way
she described the sensation.
There was a huge black and white
sign on her door which read:
For Gods sake, don't knock.
Cough, and I'll let you in. If l want to
see you"
Jerry, with that delicate reserve ac-
CURED in twenty years with Prudence
would not for the world have intruded
so bruskly even when invited to do So
and was always careful to approach
slowly, with slight clearing of her
throat, fumbling a bit with the key,
and then pausing a long moment be-
fore opening the door, to give Theresa
time to adjust herself to company
whether she wished for time or not.
Theresa looked up at her entrance
and nodded briskly In greeting. The
resa never said "good morning." She
held that a nod meant welcome, and a
frown requested your absence.
"Come and eat" Jerry said, without
preamble. "You've got on my con-
science so can't sleep nights. think
ing of you up here wasting away to
shadow, and for no good reason either.
Pm expecting any time to find you've
devoured your easel"
Theresa was thinner, wanner. the
dark circles shadowing her brilliant
eyes deeper and wider than before.
She took the tray gratefully and bal
anced it on her knee.
"You are the incest kid, jerry" she
said. II am hungry. wish could
mess about with grill the way
Rhoda does, but everything comes out
burned, or raw, or too much salt.
haven't the knack for 1t. and 1t makes
me peevish anyhow. The sight of
pan arouses all my evil instincts. /
wish had been born cave man, and
then / could eat my food raw-just
catch bird, and gobble him up"
you're cave man enough" Jerry
warned her. Don't wish for any more
of 1t. Do you notice an improvement
In my cooking7 Rhoda has been show
ing me, and it's really rather fun, The
resa. I'm glad that you don't mind
my practicing on you"
They sat for while In silence. The
resa drinking the hot coffee. nibbling
the crisp toast, with warm apprecia-
ton. The silence was not unusual.
Sometimes they sat for an hour say