The Coolidge examiner., 1933-09-15
PetrOnella
By DREW SHERRARD
g. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service

out through the street door. A
moment she stood. every sense alert,
listening. Voices inside; they had
not missed her, escape was possible
There had been a brief April
Shove. an hour before. and as she
hurried across the lawn and through
gap in the hedge, her slim. silky
legs were spattered and her velvet
shod feet soaked through. How she
hated wet feet all manner of dis
comfort for that matter-but she
hurried on, trusting to an mate
sense of direction to guide her out
of this strange neighbOrhood. She
/ had come here in cab. with Roger
Maybury. but that was out of rhe
and by devious ways and unfre-
quented streets. She could not risk
| the brilliant streets downtown, con
| spicuous in her dew-drenched love
| illness.
From the first she had known
she could never be happy at Mrs.
Warley's. Roger. whose mother had
befriended Mrs. Warley during her
lifetime. and who had himself with
characteristic kindness financed her
when she set up her select little
boarding establishment, had thought
IL Just the place for Petronella. But
Mrs. Warley. though the soul of
kindness, was incapable of under
standing how Petronella felt about
the whole thing. She never sus-
pected Petronella had spent her
three days at Pleasant Cottage rest
lessly trying to evolve some plan TO
get away to Roger. And then, at
the last. there had been no plan at
all. simply overwhelming impulse.
PetrOnella was going to Roger TO
stake everything on the attempt to
make him see things as she did.
Roger Maybury was perhaps a
strange person to have influenced
her so. A bachelor, no longer very
young. wealthy enough. socially de-
sirable. just what was his attraction
for Petronella? Probably she was
first drawn to him because OF the
way be spoke to her, indulgently.
whimsically. as II she had been q
child. She wasted no time In reas-
oning why. she had quite simply
known that he was her man. that
she belonged % him.
Ont night when she had been out
with her young companions she had
seen him. and slipping away from
them, she had followed him home.
He had been kind. but firm. He had
not LEI her In. Instead, he had In.
vented some excuse for going out
himself. and then he had taken her
back TO her friends and left her.
She exulted voicelessly as she
pattered along the wet pavement
Strange. sinister purlieus. be-
draggled woman holding out a de
tanning hand; man. starting up
Ju; of shadows; saying words. A
clock doomed twelve, ana suddenly
she ,eli little stabbing thrill at
its familiar tone. The clock on
hoger's street
policeman came around a cor.
ner toward her. She shrank back
into the protecting shadow between
two houses. A wooden gate marked
'rradesman." Yielded TO her slight
push. and she darted inside to
crouch breathlessly till the heavy
tread passed by.
She dared not face the street
again. She stole around back OF
the house and crossed back yards
till she reached the place she
sought She looked up al the house.
dark, solid, respectable. at the third
story window of Rogers room, al
ivy on the walls. She put a foot
upon its twisted trunk. and in an
other moment her 1.-THE body was
drawing itself up the leafy ladder.
The ledge gained. she looked down
and. in the instant of that down
ward glance, almost lost her hold
She cried out involuntarily. Inside
the dimly moonlt room, she saw
Roger rise from bed. reach for a
bathrobe and come cautiously to-
ward the window.
"PetrOnella -
Disregarding his outstretched
hand she crept over the sill and
jumped lightly town TO the floor.
He pressed a light switch. She
curled up in a cushioned chair and
regarded him through half-closed
lids
"PetrOnella. is this the way to act Z
Don't you know you are making II
id difficult for me?'
What were words? She knew bet
ter ways than words for working
her will with this man. Slipping
GOWN she crossed the room with
delicate, almost mincing steps. Go
ing up close TO him she leaned her
self against him. making little soft
sounds of happiness and love. He
stood it for minute then caught
her up TO him. pressing her slender
body against his breast. Petronella
laid a velvet cheek against the sat
isfying roughness of his bathrobe