The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-04-25
CHAPTER FIVE
UTHEN the 10 o'clock whistle
Wv blew. Miriam caught Mary

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w blew, Miriam caught Mary
Della's arm and rushed her toward
the stairway. Where tor" she asked.
Where can we talk?" asked Mary
Della. I've got plenty on my chest
and I've got to get it off,"
mo trouble" Miriam asked
suspicious.
plenty" replied Mary Della,
and don't mean possibly. Where
can we go?"
eve better go to my room
There's not much to eat there, but
I'll shake up something. Well have
little privacy, anyhow"
Miriam's father ran a farm out
near Wolcott and, except on Satur-
day night and Sundays, she occu-
pied very small and very crowded
room with family on South Main
street.
Why, honey, you look like you'd
been run over by a dump truck.
Here. put on little color"
That's all I've been doing since
I got up" Mary Della declared, &C
cepting the compact.
Il might as well start in now,
Miriam. There's a lot to tell and
I'll go off the bat if I can't get a
little sympathy. I won't blame you
if you don't believe me because 1
can hardly believe it myself. But
it's every bit true. and ter
rible!"
And as they walked down Cherry
street and through Mill and Union
streets to South Main, Mary Della,
told Miriam the story, beginning
with the date with Joe.
And Miriam listened, with open
mouth, too stunned to offer more
than an occasional ejaculation, too
deeply sympathetic to protest
against what seemed to her an ut
ter impossibility.
But you didn't really kiss him?"
Miriam demanded. You couldn't,
Mary Della"
"Of course I kissed him. And I'd
kiss him again, a thousand times
again, if had chance. But you
won't understand that and it's not
important right now. What I'm
telling you now is that the very
instant our lips touched, we drew
back into opposite corners Of the car,
our fists clenched, our eyes wide,
and our hearts pounding like
hammers.
He was the first to find his voice.
my Godv he cried. What was
that?'
was cold all over, Miriam, and
weak. I'll never forget how weak.
ct was a scream I said, my
voice trembling, a woman'S
scream.
DID you ever hear a woman
II scream in the night, Miriam?
Can you imagine how woman
would scream if she thought she
was about to have her throat cut?
You can't imagine it, because
couldn't before. But I tell you, it's
the most awful thing you ever
heard; it cuts your breath short
and runs Up and down your spine,
and makes you sweat while you're
shaking with a chill.
1T Was woman's scream l
told him. and she's probably in
that other car up there
I'VE couldn't see the other car;
there wasn't any room and the sky
by this time was black with clouds.
1t was pitch black. But I knew the
car was there, because I remem-
bered when it had come in and
turned its lights off.
And then We heard the scream
again, Miriam, but this time it
ended short.
Its murder, Bob whispered
F. it was the first time I'd called
him by his name. and, scared as I
was, I got a kick out of saying it.
=. It's murder, Bob I said. as
sure as heaven, and the quicker we
get out of here =
But I'd no sooner said it than
I knew what a coward I was, be-
cause he was opening his door and
crawling out.