San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-09-13
CHAPTER XLVI
FACING THE WORLD ALONE

To be is and alone in the world is
perhaps, hazardous enough for
. young, fiery girl.
a. But to be is, alone and withou
: funds-to be, in addition, pretty ant
: filled with vivid longings; with man!
- imperious hungers; to be all this al
one sets out on the precipitous ad
venture of living is TO fling too sheet
and insolent a challenge at ones
fate.
I'm a sense, it will be magnifi
cent and thrilling experience
Nora Lee jabbed her pen into tn:
inkwell and wrote with burning
speed, but she stopped to read over
this sentence; to fling her head back
and blink; to swallow hard several
times.
If anyone had asked why she was
crying she would have flashed some
scornful answer. But her handker-
chief was rolled in a wet little ball
and she nov sought dry corner TO
wipe her checks.
PINS HOPE ON DANE.
1t was 6 o'clock-raining again.
The rain had finally forced her home
back to the. empty house. The
trees were bowling and the wind
swept the misty rain before it;
dashed the rain off its feet, driving
it upward in gusts that then sped
along gray and distracted ike fright
ened ghosts.
She frowned because the windows
ratified and sometimes the blowing
rushed down the chimney, sending
puffs of black smoke into the room.
Nora Lee sat at Margaret's desk
writing a sweeping cancellation of
love and hope.
She had before her Danes picture
and the ring with its minute chip
was on her finger. Feeling it gave
her q sense Of warmth; made her
close her eyes and smile. Once, no
tieing the strong line of his chin, the
ciean-cut sweetness of his mouth, she
laid aloud :. at viii be all right.
She meant by this that something
would happen-that Elusive some
thing that must happen when one is
young: that must come at the high
call of youth and save one from black
ness, from sorrow and despair; this
Something would reach out like a
gallant arm and sweep Nora Lee 10
happiness: TO the fulfiIlment of all
her brilliant dreams.
MOT COMING YET,
81 hope that you have been i'm
patient, Dane-that you have walked
the floor and torn out your lovely
brown hair. l hope that my beau
toful face is filing nightly before all
your books"
She laid down the pen and covered
her face. He would see through this
he would know that she was not in
this light mood. She went on slowly,
pressing her hand against her lips
But now you must read this quiet
". ] am not coming-not yet. OF
course. l will probably be able 10
come in a few months, but you see
there are many affairs to settle and
! am not certain Of my finances.
have made some mistakes in calculat-
ing. Don't think am destitute. Not
BY any means, but It would be reckless
for me 10 come until / know just
where | am. You mustn't worry, be-
cause ] have this house-quite a valu-
able piece Of property
Nora Lee saw Danes eyes growing
dark as he read this; saw the boy
ish, laughing face turn geriOuE. She
loved these sudden changes in his OK
preston. 1t gave her a sense of pow
er TO play on his emotions. and
fancied him saying: To the
devil with everything fanCied hin
rushing out Of the house, hatless,
swinging 10 a train-eoming TO her.
Love should do such things.
She picked up his picture. glancing
or the speaking lip. Tears rushed 10
her eyes and this time she didn't hide
them selfish thing. She
would even want him to do a reckless.
mad thing and ruin all their happi-
ness. Wasn't it enough that her am
bition had 10 60?
Why, If she we're TO give the faint
est hint-if she were 10 let him know
how truly frightened and desperate
she was, be would come. He wanted
10 be married now, anyway.
She said aloud: "Yes-and be a
craftsman all his life and be eaten
with disappointment. She added
wisely: Later be would blame me-.
He wouldn't forgive IT, We hate the
people who make US cheat our
selves"
Yet with each Of the many pages
Nora Lee found the writing harder.
Life wasn't fair. Why did people al
ways have 10 stop and reckon with
-Can IL ~Dare ~ Why do they
not just leap in and ask all the ques-
lions afterwards That would be the
brave, winning attitude. The world
would have 20 come 20 time Instead
Of the human being fitting himself
into these death-dealing niches-let
the nicheu be built 10 fit the person.