Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-03-06

You amt heard mo pulling no grand kick.
have your
% Then no lifted his head and looked at me-
mean he looked In my direction fxed ana
steady and gentle, but his gaze went r1gns
through me and beyond, out somewhere, ana
he didn't sec me.
i stood In the doorway, rooted. Every
thing inside me bubbied mp into one awfui
silent cry. A little smile came trembling
across his face but still I stood there'
choking, till the dam in my throat bust up
and let the tears torrent down.
''Oh, God, what an elephant amT'
I cried, but my lips were rusty and no
sound came out.
Topped to my knees in the doorway
and crumpled against the sill. Then
tried to pray-thinking that prayers would
help-but / just couldn't. The last thing
I'd ever asked Heaven for was to send them
Kasterkringle kewpies to hell and atop that
didn't have the nerve to ask for nothing
more.
Suipeu uOWu q DiupDci'
Beth, you're-crying marveled Harry,
his pale face lifted keen In my direction.
"Ain't'
II know better" he contradicted soft
"These ears Of mine hear many things,
Beth, things that you'd never guess"
''Do they hear the words In my h-heart,
Harry? Oh, Harry, If you could hear what
it's saying maybe you might forgive me
for butting Unlike this"
"Forgive you? Forgive a butterfly for
resting within my private walls? Forgive
a rainbow for spanning my gray, gray
skies?''
II amt no butterfly, only a hornet-or
no rainbow, either, but just the storm
cloud. Oh, Harry"
TIE REACHED out his hands to me.
IL cropping.
"Dear little Beth-let me find you"
crawled to his couch like the worm
that was and crouched. cringing, beside It.
His fingers commenced to futter over my
head-soft and twittery like little birds that
hover round their nest.
Don't cry, Beth" he said over and over
again. soothing. Then his voice got sterner.
"You can guess now why I didn't ever
want you TO see newly even stopped
phoning you couldn't bear it any longer,
not being able to see you and take you out
like regular fellow"
"a regular fellow" i choked. ''oh,
Harry"
We was silent a long while, hiccups
playing tunes in my windpipe as If 1t was
a stop organ. Then:
do you know I wrote another song?'
he said. gay, smoothing back the hair OF
my cheeks 'And did you know that It
was made for you, or, rather, that you
made tit"
.Howr' asked, mufded.
at was your voice, coming to me some
where from out Of the darkness-just like
a salt ocean breeze whipping away the
fog. Here, how do you like this part?'
He reached up for the piano with one han4
and made little run on the keys. That's
when you're gay and excited" he explained,
'and your words tumble over each other
like circus hoops. And this is when you're
pouty and teasing. And this''-he had me
laughing now-''is when you're on the ram
page. Like It? Well, you'll be able 10
get your copy at any music etand this Sep.
TENDER, Miss Beth"
'They took it," shouted.
yep"
ooh, Harry ~ dubbed I. ''Then you can
rent a nice little place with electric lights,
a real stove and windows where the sun
shines i'm
where the sun shines in?"
"And I'll come and cook and mend and
scrub. Oh, Harry, let me?"
"You cook and mend and scrub! Beth
Beautiful peeling potatoes"
II amt Beth Beautiful! I'm only homely
Liz Hinkleman, with map that would
make a monkey conceited. And l don't
have no beaus or no dances or nothing.
And if I can't love you there won't be
nobody lse-never-never-"
That's what I wanted to cry out aloud,
but didn't. Something inside me held up its
hand like cop and said: "Stop, Liz Hinkle-
man. You're committing murder! You're
slaughtering Beth Beautiful in cold blood.
and the law of love won't let you"
WELL" said I to it in reply, 81 guess
you're right. It's funny world and queer
things happen in 1t. 1t amt for me to
be changing EN-. Here, for instance. God
has took away Harry's eyes SOS / might
be beautiful in his sight And I'm gonna
stay that way. I got to-"
Harry" gulped, "I'll go home. And
I'm certainly glad to of met you. But this
amt all, is it, Harry? Don't you-don't
you ever want to see pe again?'
"See you again! Oh, Beth!''
Harry. l didn't mean but my
words was smothered on his shoulder. Then
his voice come gentle to my ears.
Get up, dear, you must go now. And,
Beth, would you kiss me-good-by?"
His hands searched my face till thsy
found it. Then he framed my two cAssas
and-did it.
''Now, powder your nose and DO orr
he commanded, cheerful.
"Oh, Harryv'.
I'm going to call you up every night.
same time he reminded, gay, that is, IL
you'll always be in. And you will be. Beth