The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-05-09

of terror. 1t grew large-a
~ stark, live thing. shaking her
pulse with dread. It was the mem
DRY of the night.
She shrank from It. It pressed
down and seized her heart. 1t was
a dark. heavy beast crouching on
her chest. She tried to beat it off.
1t came nearer and blew warm, sick.
ening breaths in her nostrils. Fight
Ing, she had to draw them down.
Again and again. Till even the
anguish within her stifled and was
still.
She lay in this cold abandon, mo-
tionless, afraid to turn. She tried
to sleep. No sooner were her eyes
closed than images let loose beneath
their lids. She saw herself in the
boat, leaning against his knees,
reaching up her hands to touch his
face. She remembered searingly the
wild. hot tumult of her heart, the
fervid sounds her lips had spoken:
Love you enough to die for you,
Oh-and that were an island out in
the ocean and only you and I in all
the world-only us, Barry-every-
one else all gone"
All that-and that was but half
of what she had said
Now-in the whimpering chill of
her spirit she could have slain this
other Chickie; beaten to death the
vain, fevered thing standing before
the mirror putting perfume at her
ears. Laughing at herself, radiant
and excited. Running down to meet
him. Expectant-half aware.
Not she who had done thlsl Not
she, swept helpless in that blaze of
emotion, clinging to his hand, fol-
lowing him up the slope of the
shore. Oh-it was never she She
would awaken soon from this night
Of torture; be glad again; get back
to yesterday; to the morning, lying
joyous in the sun.
But even her thought could not
achieve this; could not leap behind
that eternal moment. Tho past was
gomez shut out irrevocably by this
red, aching wall Of flame. She
could never beat It down. .Cry-yes
smother her head in the pillow
claw her hands against her face
let the tears pour. 1t would re-
main.
She hid from it-oh, she would
get away-push off this thing Of
horror weighing so heavily on her
breast. Be free-be light again.
She hated herself. Turning on
the pillow, her hair fell across her
face. With a violent revulsion she
flung 1t back. Oh this sickening
contact with herself. II she could
only get away from her breath;
that were so cold they ached! If
she could fly out Of this body that
held her fast to the immutable yes
terday.
TOHE pulled the Up to
her eyes, stared at the pine
- trees towering above the
porch; stared fixedly. trying to
freeze her brain against thought.
She said to herself: ooh, so many
stars" And there was nothing
said about that; nothing terrible, but
1t made her cry. And she kept say
Ing: IT never saw so many stars"
covering lower in the bed, pulling
the blankets higher, calling: God
oh, Cod"
When she cried her heart turned
and turned. It was q heavy thing
that moaned and beat its arms. She
crushed her hands about it, plead.
ing: "Don't-oh, stop"
1t wouldn't still. In this with
ing pain she wondered how long she
must lie like this; If this writing
thing within her would ever stop
Moments from the night before re-
turned, stood at the bed. fixing her
like bayonets. When she turned
miserably from one another caught
her. Now it was the flushed joy in
her heart an instant when she
glanced upward to his face. saw it
dim yet beautiful in the dark.
They whipped her-these memo
ries; they brought too stark1y before
her the hot images Of herself. Oh.
take them away-let her blot them
out
At last the moon. riding in a gray,
chill mist, swept over the trees. 1t
fastened itself in a vague white
cloud. 1t put a coldness Of the
night; 1t took the radiance from the
quiet, appealing stars.
1t seemed to Chickie that things
died; that ever torment dulled In this
forlorn d-eariness of the morning.
: She slept. not knowing the relief.