The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-11-18

SWCA6ye
Bells rang, the engines stopped,
the fat ferry bumped slowly into
the slip. "Save ! seat for mel"
(which is our train?" "Oh Cawd,
Elsie's gone and left the ulIe on the
boat" Running, and laughter and
noise. Whistles and bells, and the
neat rows Of waiting trains disap-
pearing down the long, thin tracks.
Sausalito quiet and sleepy then,
and the sea and the hills calling.
All the mixers gone on into the coun-
try in the trains. Just the big ferry
squeaking 1t its moorings, = few
early yachtsmen unfurling sails.
Home! Home again, with the
wind blowing from the bay, and the
sun shining, and the hills sweet
with spring! Here was the shack
where old Captain Homer kept his
boats. "Bait for Sale!" His old
sign, that he had painted himself,
slanting down hill-and he dead
these many months.
Here was the trail, the shortcut
to the high road. No one had been
over It lately. Some small pink
flowers had sprung up there. A
spider had made . web. 49,.
She climbed on, breathlessly,
holding her aching side.
She could see the hedge Of the
old house, and the turrets rising
above it. The lilacs would be in
bloom now. "Oh, why did ! come,
why did GOMEZ"
High up on the hill she sat down
in the grass to rest. But she
couldn't rest. It was q mistake to
come here, there was no rest for her
now; It was oil haunted. Haunted
Here they had found the biggest
peoples, there they had sat to watch
the ferry, far below, coming into
the slip. Every blade Of grass, every
Towering shrub, every whisper Of
the wind spoke Of him !. do you
remember Joan, do you remem-
ber?"
She covered her face with her
hands. "Can I ever forget"
In the city, with al the hurry
and scurry Of city life, with things
moving so swiftly, and people 50
close, you could push unwelcome
thoughts away. You could fool
yourself, and the others -.
But here, all alone, in the salt
wind, and the sun, with the great
expanse. Of the bay spread out be.
low, and the blue sky overhead. here
you couldn't fool yourself moi
"I've done very.hing wrong
she thought uiseTably. "Every.
thing!"
Everything seemed 30 clear now
everything that had been blurred
and dim before. She could see it all
oil the mistakes, piled one on TIKI
other.
She had loved Bill. Would IL
ways love him. She knew that now
Coming back to the hills, withou,
him made her $3.50 clearly-st
terribly plain-too late. It wasnt
spring fever that had made hel
fcome. L wasn't nostalgia for TIL
place that had been home. L w,
the old hunger to revisit the places
where they had been together, x
dream again the Old dreams, thal
would never come true.
u She looked down 81 Curtis ring
. and tho great dawless stone blinket
back ct her, blankly.
; I'm going to marry scmeone
don't love-" she thought, "aud II Il
! too late 70 hack out now. ] have *
much to mako up - him. I've cheat
Cd him 20 Oh, Curtis VIII
, didn't l - Il would b Just another
! mistake, Why didn't ] see-before?'
Il After . while she stood up aui
brushed the grass and the small
!. clinging burrs from her skirt. Care
} fully she straightened her hat, DOW
!. dered her nor. il Was time 20 n
baek-to Curtis.
II She picked her way down tai
, steep path, turning her face ava,
: to avoid seeing the sun-blisterel
ihouse in the hollow, tho house wher'
IBill's mother lived. She couldn'
! help Il II she still loved Bill. Tha
was her hard luck. But she couI.
keep from thinking about him-ana
she would. She must be loyal q
7 Curtis !. Be GOOD to him 1. max
!, up TO him for everything . !.
On down the path Now th,
: bend Of the road shut OF the viey
LOT Aunt Evvie's hedge, benin,
: which were the lilacs, the wet, pur
. pie lilacs the scent Of then
) came to her on the wind
Q do you rs,nember ~. do you n
4 member?"
she ran ths rest Of the w i
; the beak - y.