The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-10-19

now. Do YOU understand why l
didn't tell you? Please do. Please
understand. wouldn't have
waited so long. didn't mean to
cheat--I didn't mean that"
Joan don't torment rneyou
can't mean--JOan!"
She dropped her eyes then. The
red burned her cheeks. her ears.
her throat. She had been so
stepped in suffering for him she
had forgotten this. the shame of
telling of having him know
the ugliness
He began toswalk up and down,
his hand pressed to his twitching
mouth When he spoke again it
was with his back to her, looking
out of the window, into the dark.
$50 It was true. An anonymous
letter to tell me. And / believed
you :" He turned around
and faced her from his corner.
you looked into my eyes and said
it was a lie Joan !.
how could your"
At first she didn't understand.
Then 1t flashed over her, sickly.
He thought she was trying to say
that she had lied about the silly
letter, about the sailor, and come
"oh, that isn't what I'm talking
aboutn'
mo? Something else again
Joan, why have you done this TO
me? Haven't l always been
yes, always good to me--too
good. Curtis. That's why /.
couldn't tell. / thought and
thought. I've been nearly mad
trying to decide. One day I'd
think I should tell you-and then
you'd say something-about low
ing me so much"
She heard him groan.
''And / couldn't bear to tell you
then so I didn't
You lied to me Joan. That's
what I can't forgive. When | told
you about the letter.
*sBut it was lie, Curtis! 1t
wase'
He came nearer. She saw the
flicker Of hope in his eyes, the
hope that he had misunderstood
after all. that she was being hys'
terical over nothing, over nothing
at all
"Oh no. no, no." she cried.
Don't touch me. Curtis! Don
come near me-don THINK IN
imagining things. I'm not RI
never told anyone. Nobody knows
1t was when l was 17--1-I--
He was gripping her arms,
hurting her. hurting her I'M
bearabiy. go on--don't stop
who was it? What was it, /
say!'
"Iust a boy--a boy I knew. We
1oyAd each other, Curtis. never
had any love before. Ny annts
YOU know-they didn't love me.
never had any friends. Not even a
dog. Curtis, or a kitten. There was
a kitten once. 1t came to the house
all black with little
white dot under its Chin, and
little pointed pink tongue
ueeley Heeley killed it
80 Her voice broke.
II don't see what a cat has to
do with it."
mo, not only the kitten. Every
thing. Curtis. The loneliness.
Everything so quiet and echoing
and hostile They We're all so old,
my aunts and Heelcy and the
house. And ! never knew any
one young !. Just read books. and
dreamed.
And then this boy--came- and
we loved each other. So much
that nothing seemed to matter
but that. Do you understand,
Curtis? I'd like you to under
stand if you can 1t will hurt so
much thinking about you not I'M
derstanding-all the rest of my
life | don't ask you to
forgive me, but couldn't you just
try to see how it happened
and why ! didn't tell
you? Couldn't you do that. Cur
tis?''
But he just sat there with his
head turned away from her. his
face in his hands. His voice
came, muffled, Where is he
now"
~ don't know"
Silence again. A long. aching
silence. Joan waited. white and
frozen and lonely. More. lonely
than she had ever been before, for
Curtis was lost 70 her now
Curtis who a few short
minutes ago had loved her