The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-08-31
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ldSb WOrQ! ne rOAIeu. We JOlo
you what you can do and mean it.
Marry this girl and I'll disown you.
you won't get cent OF. my
money and furthermore I never
want to lay eyes on you again. Re-
member it's throwing away your
whole life. 1t you'll get some sense
knocked into your head and leave
this creature alone you can come
home.
eff you're determined to act like
headstrong fool, go ahead-and be
damned to you!"
The door slammed sharply on
Travers' back. For an instant the
three young people remained in
silence.
A sob from Norma broke the ten
sion. She had moved little away
from Mark. Now he was beside
her again, his arm around her
shoulder.
"Please-I" Mark began. please
don't cry! You mustn't feel so
badly, Norma. Try to forget what's
happened. We don't care about any,
thing Dad says.
There" He raised her chin
tenderly, kissed the eyelids that had
been striving bravely to blink back
the tears. There, dear. Don't you
see everything's going to be all
right?"
CHE let him kiss her, rested in
- his arms while Mark patted her
shoulder as one might comfort a
child. After a moment Norma
Strengthened.
But, Mark" she said in a voice
that was not sure of itself, "this
means"
The words died. Norma could
not bring herself to finish the SEN
tence. There was more tender COM
forting, more murmuring of endear-
ments before she was able to go
ahead.
ut means we can't see each other
any more" the girl said miserably.
"You mustn't come here again."
why, Normal" Mark looked at
her in establishment. Nothing of
the kind! We're going to be mar
ried. Right away! Why, darling,
wouldn't give you up for anything
in the world. Don't you know that?"
"Oh, it's sweet Of you to talk that
way, but we can't. Throwing away
your whole life-that's what your
father. said it would mean.
OT-T ry0OV v-,s4I.
your father over me. He said you
couldn't ever come home. You'll
have to go, Mark"
"But tell you I won't! Sweet
heart, we're going to be married
right away. Tonight! Please, Nor
ma. Won't you marry me tonight?
Oh, you darling-I"
y e
CHE felt his kisses on her lips.
~ her cheek, in the soft hollow of
her throat. His dear head bent to
hers. 1t was a maddening, utterly
unanswerable form of argument.
1t baniShed haunting terrorS that
had been like knives in Norma's
heart. It opened vistas of rarest
rapture. Now, if she only dared
Chris Saunders, feeling her pres
ence neither called for nor needed,
had stolen from the room.
When she reappeared after a dis
Greet interval, she found Norma and
Mark still in each others arms
They greeted her exuberantly.
"Chris-you can't guessl"
tits going to be tonight. Con-
graduate me! Isn't this wonder
full? And don't you think I'm the
luckiest guy in the world?"
You'll have to come with us,
Christ"
The older girl stopped short, sur
veying them. "Am I to take all this
as wedding announcement? Re-
member, I haven't even met the
young man yet, Norma. Do you
honestly mean you two are planning
to be married tonight?"
They chorused assent. There fol-
lowed half an hour of excited, in
coherent planning. Norma and
Mark were to drive to Woodbury.
in the next county to be married.
Chris was to come along.
Mark departed to give the girls
time to dress, to hunt up an &C
quaintance to act as the second
witness and to fill the car with gas.
It proved an evening of surprises.
The friend Mark brought to make
the fourth in the wedding party
was Bradley Hart, Chris employer.
Mark had run into Hart on the
street. There were swift introduce
tons. With a minimum of furry
they were of In the roadster at
last, headed for Woodbury.. Mark
drove with Norma beside him.
Chris and Brad Hart were in the
rumble seat.
BY 9 o'clock they were passing
through the outskirts of Marlboro.
Ahead lay the state highway. The
roadster's speed increased.
Nine fifteen found them plunging
through darkness. At that very
moment, Bob Farrell, anxiously
gripping the receiver in a pay sta
ton phone booth, waited for the
voice to come over the wire.
There was none, Five seconds.
Ten seconds. At last he heard the
operators crisp soprano, "They
don't answer!"
Farrell put up the receiver and
turned away.