Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1927-07-21

thought If l got there just in time for
supper I would have to ask her to eat
with me. I didn't think could stand
talking to her, 80 I stopped at
restaurant.
"Son, don't know that can make
you understand 1t, but might just as
well have had something strong to
drink. The food made me feel 80
queer; like blowing ahead at someone
or something I took little walk,
and then 1 said to myself that now
I'd only got to get It over and then
I could take the nine o'clock train
home-and that would be all Of that.
'aThe hotel wasn't far from the sta
tion, and it wasn't very handsome, !
guess, but it was finer than any I'd
ever been In. l asked for Polly by
her own name, only saying Mrs. In
stead Of Miss. It was her own idea.
She didn't wish to have anything like
talk about us. I said I was her hus-
band. The woman called up and told
me Polly would be down in a minute.
1.-THE parlor was full Of people, but
nobody I knew. I sat down and
waited, and while I waited that hurry
and rush of excitement inside me kept
UP. 1t was hard to sit still. WANTED
to walk about and talk, but held my
self in. looked at the people who
came In, and they all seemed the same
kind of red-faced, common people. No
body knew.
"Then I heard a voice near me say:
well, 50 it's YOU I looked up and
there was Polly"
Claude glanced at Ned, who, his
eyes shaded with his hand, seemed to
be listening intently.
wish I could make you see just
what she looked like to me. I'd never
seen her in right clothes; just house
dresses and apron things. There, be-
side me, was one Of the prettiest
girls I'd ever seen in my life. She
was dressed all in black-mourning
for her uncle-and it set off her fair
skin. 1t made her red hair look like
autumn leaves, kinda flaming and yet
soft. I'd mostly seen that hair bun
died up in busting cap Well, l
guess l gawked at her before I rose
to my feet, and Polly was confused,
too, and kept looking away from me-,
ave can't say anything private
here she said. Maybe you'd better
come to my room
Il told her L guessed that would be
all right, for I'd said was her hus-
band when I came in.
"tOh,' she says, did your Then
it's all right. Come along
ave went up and she opened the
door and 1 went into her room"
Claude's pipe went out. There was
silence in the room as he filed it, but
Claude did not feel it. He had for
gotten that he was telling the story to
Ned. He had forgotten everything
that belonged to himself in the pres
ent. He was back in the past, seeing
the shy, awkward Claude Dabbs Oh
the threshold of that girls room. He
remembered that already 1t looked
different from the rest of the house.
She had flowers in q vase on the
rough, cheap, pine dressing table.
She had spread clean towels on that,
on the bureau and on her trunk, dis
carding the dirty-looking scarfs that
had adorned them. They had been
too shy to look at each other. He had
stared out Of the window.
Every time Dabbs brought his eyes
around to her, he caught her looking
at him, and finally she laughed.
1t was wonderful, that laugh. 1t
made him feel young again. He had
been feeling like an old man, with
weight of sorrow and care ON his
shoulders, but that girls laugh had
made him feel his own age. Her
laugh was young and spiced with
deviltry. Back of it all was the new
strange feeling the girl gave him.
He saw himself solemnly giving her
the papers. He watched her while
she put them carefully away In bag,
and counted out the rest of the
money. There had been q moments
awkwardness over that, he remem-
bered. He had made an involuntary
movement of his hand, to give it back
to her, but she as involuntarily,
thrust it back at him. Then he
laughed, folded 1t up and put it away.
But he did not CO.. He had known
that he should, but he. could not. He
sat down beside her, and they began
talking, awkwardly enough at first.
Then suddenly they were no longer
the Claude and Polly of the boarding
house days, but two young things who
had lots to say to each other, and en-
joyed saying it.
She told Claude of her plans. She
meant to travel and study and see
everything. She was fond of reading
Indeed, she had read and planned in
q way that seemed remarkable to him