Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-08-21

IN TWO PARTS-PART ONE
NHE ROOM was very still. The house
was very still. The world was very
still. The slim girl in the wide bed
lay tensely listening to that dreadful
stiffness. Then suddenly she became
aware of a frightful noise-a loud
thump, thump. thump, shattering that
almost religious silence. Thump
thump thump Now 1t was
all silent again. But no-there it was
growing louder and louder
thump thump thump
Why. it vast was her heart! How
perfectly ridiculous that ones heart
could make such an unholy racket. She
placed a nervous hand over the soft
region where she enormously thought
that organ to be. Yes, she could feel
lt-bump bump bumplty-
bump She became quite en-
thralled by the curious syncopated beat
bump bump bumpity-
bump One could almost make a
tune out of it-like one could make a
tune out of the rhythm of train wheels.
Shed always thoughtVincent Youmans
had written Tea for Two" while listen
ing to the rhythm of a trains wheels
-. Me for-you and
you for me " she hummed
softly, then stifled that soft sound be-
hind a cold little hand.
On. dear. now she had done it! Sing
before breakfast, cry before supper
and her wedding supper! She
lay rigid, facing reality. OF course,
that was i'll No wonder her heart was
racing so queerly. Her wedding day.
She. Barbara Joan Leighton, was to be
married that night. And to a total
stranger. Yes, a total, complete, abso-
lutte stranger. Her small lovely mouth
compressed obstinately. Don't be a
fool, you've known him six months!
said her reason impatiently.
But the small mouth frightened.
l don't care, said her bumpity-bump
heart stubbornly, if I've known him six
years. He's a stranger.
You make me tired, said her reason
disgustedly. You're just a silly, moon
struck kid. It's a wonder to me he
treats you as well as he does!
What do you mean? demanded her
heart Indignantly.
You know very well what I mean, re-
torted her reason. Does he ever laugh
at you, or show that you bore him, or
behave other than a perfect gentle
man?
Perfect gentlemen, said her heart
definitely, make me sick. FloorWalkers
and haberdashers and bus conductors
are all perfect gentlemen. I want
You don't know what you want,
stated her reason sharply.
Maybe you'd be surprised if I told
you, said her heart c~omplacently.
Go on-tell me, urged her reason
which, after all, was only feminine and
therefore the helpless victim of that
feminine vice, curiosity.
I want a man, began her heart shyly,
who is a man. You know-like the
men you read about in stories. Men
who are clever and very, very wonder
full, but who can find humor in ever
silly little things
Like the things you say and do, in
terposed her reason.
Yes, in even the silly little things l
say and do, acknowledged her heart.
That's why I'm SO frightened. He isn't
silly. He's frightfully brilliant, and
he's eighteen years older than I, and
he's SO rich he's seen and done every
thing. At first-when I first met him,
1 meant was all right. He didn't
scare me a bit because l didn't care.
l didn't mean anything to him, nor
thought I ever would. So it didn't
matter what he thought of me.
Whether I was stupid or silly or ignor-
anti didn't matter. And I never
dreamed he'd ever notice me, SO why
squander anxiety and hope on improb-
abilities?
But when he began to single me out,
it frightened me at first. Then 1
thought it was just because I wasn't
any effort. You know was Just some
thing to talk at. Not like Mimi and
Gloria who are frightfully clever and
never let the men with them talk be-
cause they are so busy talking, them
selves. So again I wasn't frightened,
only at times, when I had to be polite
and say 'yes," or mo-" and I wasn't
sure which was right.
Then all of a sudden, I was in deep
water. Yes, I was. He began expect
ing me to express my opinions. He be-
gan to take a certain amount Of brains
for granted. He began to ask my views
and anticipate ar intelligent interest
IN the problems of the day. I was
petrified. But I tried desperately to
live up to it. I even started to m
ize items in the newspapers, but once
mixed a review of a play with a dis
course on religion and he laughed so
| nearly cried. So that was no good.
And then, almost before I knew what
had happened, he had asked me to
marry him, and I was SO startled /
said yes without thinking. Of course,