The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-08-24

| with that. After that first night he had not touched her again and
 there was something in his control
 hat piqued the girl unuttera bly,.
 She had no chance now to play the sweet, equable, womanly role she
 had decided upon.
 Tonight she was not unconscious
 of looking her best in the plaid
 brown and yellow organdie, the very frock she had worn to the fateful party at the yacht club.
 "I might as we'll get some good out of it," she had told her image defiantly. She wasn't going any place else and it was cool. She had brushed her yellow halo of curls with especial care. Her small mouth was just touched with sacrlet salve.
 Well, this is our last ride to- gether," she told him, smiling, as the car coasted down brief grade.
 She made the effect she had counted on. The young man at her side said with f1attering concern, Why? What do you mean by that?"
 My mother comes home tomor- row." Boots said, with brief flut- tering laugh in which nervousness and gayety were mingled. 'She- she's terribly tussy. She'll think there's something serious about about this. Our being friends"
 He said something under his breath which she dit, not hear. The scent of the cigarets he used clung to his rough, shabby tweed coat. His duck trousers were old, too, and many times washed, but to Boots tonight he seemed eXtraor- dinarily virile and handsome. He was a man, anyway. she told her self, and that was more than you could say for Johnny or even Hardy Whitmore. They were only children. This man had been to Singapore and Port Said and Shanghai. He had shipped as common seaman on fruit boats and cattle boats. Hr had seen the world
 What did you say?" Her flower like face was very close to his. Her small feet, m their shabby black strapped slippers, were planted squarely on the f1oorboard, close to ms DIE DfOSueS.
 q said that was rotten break" Russ told ner slowly. Well, it's been fun and you're a grand little pal and maybe I'll be seein' you. I'm pushing off next week, any how"
 A pang shot through her. She swallowed hard. With dry throat she managed the words, "Oh, where? Isn't this surprise?"
 Not much" drawled the man. I've been gettin', restless, hanging around here. I've got an offer to go down on a cattle place in Chile. Anything for a change"
 Sunddenly she felt that she could not bear it. Why, Russ was her only real friend now. She saved up things to tell him-little things that made him widen his eyes. made him throw back his head and laugh reasonably. On the beach | she'd been sitting near his life I guard station every day now, care less of the curious glances thrown | their way. She hadn't minded Syl- | vias gathering to herself the usual little sycophantic group as long as | she had Russ to talk to. The days | had passed quickly. People had | looked inquisitively at the small, fair-haired girl with the body of | a Tanagra flgurine, talking quickly, i earnestly 10 the squarely built i young man with the life guard sign on his bathing suit. More often than not they had lapsed into a silence more intimate even than words.
 
 were discontented here" Boots stammered quickly, feeling utterly at loss. T thought rather | 
 She could not complete the sen tence. Hot blood burned her cheeks and pounded in her temples. She | must not. simply could not behave this way; it was ridiculous. What | would he think? thing. They were on the out were lights and shops instead of the pale moons of lamps along a country road.
 Russ said simply. easily, Besides, tHeTeS no use me naHSiHS dTOuHu here any more. You'll be going back to the crowd any day now. You won't know I'm alive-''
 She choked on her denial. How can you say such things? You've been peach to me. I don't know how I would have got through this summer"
 Tears rose to her eyes, tears of self-pity and wounded vanity-yes, and something else There was lump as big as a baseball some-