Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-11


! v of that for two rapturous weeks
III be just lazy" Carla told
herself.
fragile cup of black coffee steamed on the
table beside the bed From a tin Carla poured
a twisty stream of yellow cream. No sugar
though. When you were 26 and exactly the
right weight you had to be careful. She nib
bled at thin slices OF Drowned toast and 1ustled
the big pages of the morning newspaper under
her fingers.
At the front page, laden with cable dispatches
from half the capitals of the world, she glanced
only casually. Carla knew no one in London
or Vienna. But she did know plenty in CHI
Cago. Nice boys they were, too; boys with good
jobs who could take her to Vienna honey
moon. There was Jerry Wade. Soon he'd be
junior partner in a loop firm of lawyers, and
probably at SO he'd be Senator. But none OF
them Rod Carver.
She read through twice the critics review of
Alice Darbells new film. Rod once told her
she looked like DARRELL. Carla slipped from bed
and gazed at her reflection in the mirror.
Some one had said that no woman looked
desirable at breakfast. but where she was con-
cerned, Carla decided justly, that was untrue.
Carla yawned. pokng at smooth lips with
the back of hand, slipped into bed again, and
to her paper. After while she'd dress and go
downtown for some shopping before meeting
jerry Wade at lunch. Not much left to read
in the paper now. Only these want ads and
COMETHING in the gray pages of agate type
- caught her gaze and dragged her attention
down to the small print She could hear her
heart humping rapidly as she read.
WRAT'LL DOL DiH pay SIS for the
Lark recording (serieS $685. OF the Gerald
Comb orcheStTation OF "WhdtU Do?'
Must be in good condition without scratches.
IT you haze this record, telephone Lake
Park 2311
It had been their piece-hers and Rod's!-
Neutrality-suspicious. how many years? Eight?
Yes-eght years ago this Fall, when she was
q sophomore and he was 8 senior at the uni
versity. The newspaper whispered through her
fingers and ratified to the floor. Carla'S eyes
were misty and unseeing as she lay staring at
the apartment ceiling
IT can't think about it, Carla murmured,
standing up suddenly. Il can't let myself. 1t
hurts :"
~I won't look at it," she whispered. Wont
read it again. . 1t couldn't be anything
like I've been thinking-just couldn't And
besides if it was Rod I wouldn't want to see
him. He'd be changed with all that money.
and probably I've changed, too And I'm just
not going to read it again. Just not"
But she did. She sat in the wicker chair
by the opened window and while a VAIN cur
rent of air from Sheffield avenue flowed into
the room she read it again and still again
The ad was not in the personals column, and
that was one reason Carla thought it might be
Rod. In the want-to-buy column it appeared.
Who but Rod would pay SIS for an eight-year-
old record? Who?
"Oh lots of people," she argued, rising and
going toward the bath. And anyway she
added definitely, I'm not going to phone"
She was long time in the tub, lolling lux
uriousy while the water Tapped her shoulders.
For so weeks in the year you took quick
morning splash, dipped into the water and then
out so that you wouldn't be late to the adver-
Using Offices of the Peter KruSt Agency, Inc.
Then in August they gave you two weeks of
with pay and you read ads about song that
had been your favorite back in college.
Carla hummed the notes The sad, sad notes
DANCE in the women's quadrangle on
n Fall night of blowing rain. 3O-piece
orchestra had come out from Chicago to play
Carla was very young that night-oh. very
very young. And slim and gay. "WhatH
Doo-o-o :" sobbed the saxophones with the
moan of wind soughing along the roof Of
house that has died. 'Whatn I Do?" Cara
echoed closing her eyes she danced. What
with love aching at my lips until they are
numb :"
Rodney Carver's hair was the color Of bronze
and he had a sort Of high courage-the strange
Rallantly Of jazz music, with valor and cynicism
and dolour all mixed together
"Carla" he said, that's our piece. Whenever
7 hear it I'll think of you, and whenever you
hear it YOU must remember this dance. And
nothing very terrible can ever happen to us
now for we will always have this night ;"
And then the dance was over.
Carla wrapped her body in an orange dress
ing robe and stole into the living room. The
portable photograph sat on the library table
She sank to her knees and burrowed into the
black stack of brittle records At the very