The Coolidge examiner., 1931-11-13
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Cin1arrOn
BY
Edna Ferber
Copyright by Edna Ferber.
WNU Service.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
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CHAPTER Xl-Continued
Copyright by Edna Ferber.
WNU Service.

says it's very interesting. Big Elk
has invited me-"
"Your father knows you're 60
ing? Like this?'
"0h, yes" He cast a slight, an
Oblique glance at her hand on the
wheel. Her hand dropped heavily
to her side He spoke to the horses.
They were off. Ruby Big Elk
looked straight ahead She had ut
tered no word. Sabra turned and
walked back to the house. The hot
tears blinded her. She was chok-
ing. But her pride spoke, even
then. You must not 60 the kitchen
way That Indian girl will see you.
They are all alike You must 90
around by the front way. Pretend
it is nothing. All those women this
afternoon. Perhaps | am making a
fuss over nothing. Why shouldn't
he take the Indian girl out to the
reservation and stop an hour or
two 10 see the dances and the
rites? His face His face
when he saw her in that dress.
She bathed her eyes, powdered
her nose, changed her dress came
into the kitchen, smiling.
Theresa Jump proved clumsy and
unteachable Sabra herself mixed
and served the pineapple and
marshmallOw salad. and though this
novelty proved great success, the
triumph of serving it was spoiled
for Sabra. She bundled the girl off
at six, after the dishes were done.
Wearily she began to set the house
to rights, but Yancey came home
to confusion of chairs and
squashed pillows, a mingled Odor
of perfumery and coffee: litter of
cake crumbs, bits of embroidery
silk, and crumpled tea napkins. His
huge frame moving about the clut-
tered sitting room made these fem
mime remnants seem ridiculous.
The disorder of the household irked
him. Worst of all, Sabra, relieved
now of her guests, was free to pour
out upon him all the pent-up wrath,
anxiety, and shock of the past few
hours. Ruby. Gin. Theresa Jump.
PeyOte. Usage. If his own father
allows such things-what will peo-
pie say-nO use trying to make
something of yourself.
Yancey, usually so glib with quo
tations from this or that sonorous
passage of poetry. said little. He
did not even try to cajole her into
better humOr with his fattery.
his charm. his tenderness. Hi, eyes
were blOodshot, his hand more un-
steady than usual. He had been
drinking even more than was his
wont, she knew that at once. By
no means drunk (she had never
seen him really drunk-no one had
he was seemingly incapable of
reaching visible state of drunken
nesS), he was in one of his fits of
moody depression. Those great
shoulders sagged. The splendid
head lolled on his breast. He
seemed sunk in gloomy thought.
She felt that he hardly heard what
she was saying. She herself could
eat nothing. She set a place for him
at the dining room table and
pumped down before him a dish of
the absurd salad, a cup of coffee.
cake, plate of the leftover sand
wiches, their edges curled dismally.
Whats this?" he said.
pineapple and marshmallow salad.
With Ruby gone and all, didn't
get anything for your supper-I
was so upset-all those women
He sat looking down at the slip
perry mass on his plate. His great
arms were spread out on the table
before him. The beautiful hands
were opening and closing convul-
Sively. So a mastOdOn might have
looked at a worm. Pineapple and
marShmallow salad" he repeated,
thOughtfully. almost wonderingly.
Suddenly he threw back the mag
niticent head and began to laugh.
Peal after peal of Herculean
laughter. Pineapple and marsh"
choking, the tears running down
his cheeks. Sabra was angry, then
frightened. For as suddenly as he
had begun to laugh he became seri-
GUS. He stood up. one hand on the
table. Then he seemed to pull his
whole body together like a tiger
who is about to spring. He stood
thus moment, swaying a little.
Actum est de republica.
"What?" said Sabra. sharply.
Latin. Latin, my love. Pineap-
pie and marshmallOw salad 1T is
all over with the Republic" She
shrugged her shoulders impatient
ly. Yancy turned, stiffly. like a
soldier, walked out of the room.
f1icked his white sombrero off the
hall rack and put it on at the usual
jaunty angle, went down the porch
stair with his light, graceful step,
TO the sidewalk and up the street,
the great head lowered, the arms
swinging despondently at his sides.
Sabra went on with her work of
tidying up the house. Her eyes
burned, her throat was CONSTRUCTED.
Men! Men! Gin off with that
squaw. Yancey angry because she
had given him this very feminine
dish of left-overs. What was the
use of pride, what was the use of
ambition for your children, your
home, your town if this was all it
amounted to? Her work done, she
allowed herself the luxury of a de-
liberate and cleansing storm of
tears.
Eight o'clock. She heated some
of the afternoon coffee and drank
80 ~ GIL