The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-08-16
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p1Cy MIN. PlC16Q Min 50 GIldG Sic
could not endure the thought Of
letting him walk out of her door
and perhaps out of her life forever.
1t least she called it pity. =.
This impulse, mood or longing,
whatever it was, that had brought
him out to Moonfelds might be but
a passing phase of his adjustment
to his new existence. BERTHE Lou
told herself that he might never
come again.
But what could she do? Rush
out and confront him? Danish all
thought of his return? That was
what it would mean, to reveal her
presence now, she believed. Besides,
she did not wish to talk to him.
Her mind was still in a daze. She
wanted time to think. But how
could she hold Rod until she knew
what to do?
There must be some wayl
Yet she was utterly unable to
reach a solution. Rod went on with
Bessie from room to room while
BERTHE Lou REALISTICALLY searched for
a means to delay his inevitable de-
parture. He did not seem to be in
a great hurry to go. She was thank
full for that.
The obvious thing, of course,
would have been to attract Bessie's
attention and summon her to her
side for a moment and ask her to
obtain Rods address
But BERTHE Lou was too excited,
too bewildered, to think nationally.
She did, however, manage to motion
Bessie to her without being seen by
Rod. A perfectly crazy idea, as she
characterized it, had come to her.
Bessie excused herself and left
Rod alone. He could hear an ami
mated conversation going on in low
tones in the kitchen while he
waited.
In a few minutes Bessie returned
to his side. She asked him point
blank if he liked the house. Rod
said yes, but that he ought to
apologize for having taken up so
much of her time inasmuch as he
feared the purchase of it would be
quite beyond his means.
Bessie did not appear to be disap-
pointed.
How would you like to liye here?"
she blurted out, and BERTHE Lou, in
the kitchen, groaned silently.
Rod looked startled. why
is the house fer rent?" he evaded.
mo, it's not" Bessie informed
him, land the owner doesn't want
to sell it, either. 1t was built to rent
at first and then sh er he de-
cided to sell it. But something has
happened and it's going to be taken
off the market"
Much of this was true. BERTHE
Lou had changed her mind about
renting the place. 1t was after
visit to it, when she had gone away
feeling much to the unhappineSs Of
the past to go on with her plans
for renting the property. Every
time she came to ~MoonfieldS she
was thrown deeper into painful re-
gret.
Instead of erecting house
wherein she could relive, in her
memory, the f1eeting JOY of her
honeymoon, she discovered that she
had built a prison. In it she could
not escape from thoughts of Rod
that were so vivid she could almost
feel his presence in the little cot
tage.
Marco, who sometimes insisted
upon coming out with her in spite
of her protests, noticed that she
was always greatly agitated over the
visits, especially when the house was
nearing completion and the furni-
ture was arriving.
When it was fully furnished at
last and every piece was in its
proper place, BERTHE Lou herself saw
that she had built heart-break-
ing memorial.
On the way home from her last
trip out with Marco she told him
she was going to dispose of the
house.
It was a sudden decision. She
regretted it later, after she had in
serted the advertisement placing it
on the market, but she OVERRIDE her
loathing to part with it and if Rod
had beeen a bona f1de purchaser she
would have gone through with the
deal.
But it was impossible to think of
letting it go now that it had brought
Rod to the door. Unless, of course,
her fantastic plan failed to work
IF only Bessie doesn't tumble it!"
1.-THE owner is looking for care
taker," Bessie was telling Rod whil~
BERTHE Lou agonized over her ability
TO handle the situation.
"Yes?" Rod said politely. He could
not see what that had to do with
him.
"You you wouldn't like the
position, would your" she went on,
and BERTHE Lou Topped helplessly
into blue chair.
Bessie might as well have held up
a signpost to Rod, she thought. Of
fering a stranger a job like that!
But Bessie had surprise in store
for her.
"Of course we'd have to know that
you're a respectable man." she hur-
ried along, before Rod could for
mulate an answer. BERTHE Lou
pricked up her ears. That wasn't so
pad-maybe Bessie wasn't so dumb
after aIl.
'what makes you think I need a
> iob?" Rod asked. He wondered if