The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-06-08

she shivered slightly. I'm always
either too hot or too cold" she
thought impatiently.
But impotence was such slight
burden compared with the black
despair she had known. She hoped
never again to feel as she had when
DR.. Auguston told her, Your voice
is gone, Miss Borden"
THEY had left her alone. She
Il had asked them to. And what
she had thought and what she had
suffered had blocked out her youth
left her a woman.
She was woman tonight as she
went to find Tommy. She felt
charitable toward him. She might
have lost her voice anyway without
tramping in the dew and being out
when she should have been in bed.
Tommy hadn't asked her to do
that. She couldn't blame him. Be-
sides Tommy had helped her His
need was the price of her nisfor-
tune. Her future should not be
sacrificed for nothing.
Ever since the thought had come
to her that now she could make an
appeal which Tommy must listen
to Beryl had been resigned to the
hopelessness Of her situation. She
even found it a relief not to have
to worry about the inadequacy of
her sweater.
1t wouldn't matter now if she
caught cold. Her voice was gone.
Something in her throat had hard
ened. The voice wasn't coming back.
Her face was little white, but
in her eyes there was a vision of
Tommy-tall and slim and brown
and gay. Tommy as he had been,
not the unkempt loafer he had be-
come. How she hated those blood
shot streaks in his eyes.
He had even talked roughly to
her when she had logged him until
he was exasperated.
Il
1T had happened the night Pol
l. had got into trouble. Pol had
got out of it, but Tommy wouldn't
have. He'd have been made the
goat.
Beryl had parked her car in front
Of Polls house when he and Tommy
came out to get into a truck which
stood in the driveway. Beryl went
over to them and insisted she would
follow the truck if Tommy went
with Pol.
Pol looked at,Tommy. "All right"
he said sharply, well settle this
later, Tom"
"I guess you know what that
means" Tommy exclaimed to Beryl
as Pol drove away. I'm in bad.
Polls had about enough of you'll"
Then quit him." Beryl returned
coolly, land save yourself from be-
ing kicked out of his gang"
Tommy had sworn angrily and
walked away.
Pol was arrested that night. 1t
didn't come to anything, but he
blamed Tommy and thereafter
Tommy had evaded Beryl with COM
plete success except for one acct
dental meeting.
That was three weeks ago, Irene
hadn't written and Beryl had no
excuse to tempt Tommy into a talk.
After tonight she would have no
difficulty in seeing him or she
would not want to see him. For
I'm not going to crawl to him if he
isn't worth it," she told herself.
She wouldn't have planned. test
for him, but this one that had been
thrust upon her would measure
Tommy's character for all time for
Beryl.
To put a soul upon the dissecting
table is not an agreeable thing.
Beryl, in her night of struggling
with her new misfortune, had
grown more tolerant, yet she knew
that if Tommy failed her now she
could never believe in him again.
n II
CHE was not frightened as she
~ might have been for believing
in Tommy was all that was left
to her. The thread of doubt that
ran through her hope was a thin
one but sufficient to make her rea-
lie what she was doing. If she
lost, her life would be barren in
deed.
After arriving at the Larkin
house she sat awhile in her de-
crepit old car and weighed the po-
tentialities of her venture. She
could find nothing to induce her to
turn back.
And no matter what the thought,
there was Tommy. She saw him as
he stood in the middle of the Lar
kins' living room to turn on light.
The shades were up and the glar-
ing light flooded the shabby room
with a hard white brilliance, turn
Ing it into stage for Beryl. She