Evening star., 1933-02-08
INSTALLMENT. XIII.

AdppcueQ. Iecl CIedC-
fully because I couldn't t
wire you, but I didn't feel I dared. I
knew you'd be SO worried and it has
hurt nae all day, thinking of your wor-
rylng. / never want to make any hurt
for you and that's because I love you
SO much, but you know how that is, of
course, and how one feels, because you
love me-"
Then she went on to tell of how she
had been warned of danger, and Of geti
ing away, and Of where she was and,
Cnderlining the words, that he must,
writing her, address her as Miss Carrie
the letter with, "And Arch, darling, you
will come soon, won't you, because
need you again, although shall always
need you?"
She left the house then, to find the
fear that was TO follow her for many
long months when forced to venture out,
perhaps to Bears for spool of
thread. or to Wiests' for snap faSten-
ers, or to the Bon Ton for pattern, and
to find, too, the chill of the wet, early
December night and the corner mail
box
In her room again she went to bed
Mr.. Todd whiStled her to sleep, sitting
solemnly on chair that faced the lock-
ed door between their rooms.
She was mercifully too tired to think
Of the future; she could think only
q drugged slowed, Mother, Theresa,
Big Bill. What's he whistling now? I
don't want to play in your yard'-an old
song. OF course he was very old; but so
kind. Arch. Arch would come"
Sleep.
And another morning.
:. y x *
Carroll waited Arch's reply as she
found her way in new and hurried days
and learned a great deal of pricked fin
gers and roughened hands and the per-
sonalities of those who filled Miss Meens'
house.
There was Mr.. Todd, who had been
kind, and given her the writing paper.
Mr.. Fulfey-"third. fronth-had two
goldfish named Hoover and Coolidge:
Mr.. Fulvey's first name was Victor and
he walked on tiptoe in all ways. Miss
Cort and Miss Sands, high school teach
ers, shared the room behind Mr.. Full
vey's. Miss Meens ended the third floor
procession.
Miss Howells, another high school
teacher, had the second front" The
three teachers were always calling one
another to come up or to come down for
the cup of bootleg tea they had regular
ly and in spite OF Miss Meens' eSplon-
age.
They made a rather too-girlish song
Of the invitation-"Ooo," (high) 200.
(low) come on u-pp! You know!"
Giggles.
Miss Mems often found crumbs on
the carpets and sugar traces in bureau
drawers, and the traces of, sugar did
nothing toward sweetening her DISPOSE
ton.
These, who called themselves girls,
shared that fear and diStruSt OF Carroll
that is an innate part of women who are
getting on in years and who never were
very pretty and who become entirely
different persons when anything in be-
furcated garments is within hail.
Carroll, emptying their hair receivers
and making their beds, vowed that she
would always be, all her life, kind, oh,
very kind to any one who served herl
And why, why didn't Arch write?
But-he must be out of town; that was /
it. He was out of town and letters wait
ed him in town.
Arch, meantime, gave 10 long days to
consideration Of what he could say. |
Carroll's not seeing the inpossibility of |
his having anything to do with her now, |
infuriated him The fury was natural.
for when instinct and reason quarrel
there is always combustion. He couldn't
earn anything, he reasoned again and
again, and his mother. naturally, would |
never consent to his marrying any one
like Carroll He would think. he reflect
ed bitterly and constantly. that Carroll |
would see that! That just any one |
would see that!
His mother spent hours telling him,
in New Orleans molasses, moral-point- |
ing voice. what he had escaped.
Mother knew dear. that some such
unspeakably sordid affair was bound to
occur"
"Oh, shut upl" he would think
"And. dear, mother is so relieved to
know that you've had nothing to do
with her for months"
At this, Arch had to galvanize himself
lest he be betrayed by an uneasy shift |
ing and as his mothers tale spun itself
to an unbelievably sticky length he grew
almost fanatically angry with Carroll. |
And that anger, seeking outlet as most
anger does led him to write, weak jaw
set:
Dear Carroll: I don't want to COM
plain about your writing me as you did,
because in a way suppose 1t was nat
ural for you to write me as you did, but
I will say it certainly has upset me.
Why, I've hardly slept at all and I've
lost two pounds anyway and maybe
more. But be that as it may, can't you
see that as things are, everything is
changed? No decent people can over
look this kind Of thing and I guess II
you get to thinking about 1t, you'll real
ize that Speaking frankly, I'm really
surprised you wrote me. Maybe your