Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1934-12-07
CHAPTER III

Sx1<AG xAxb Al
Descending in the elevator, Merle
Strengthened his tie and came to the
conclusion that the recent incident
was trivial. Hadn't he had moments
almost exactly parallel? Sonia was
much the same sort of person. Will
mer was rather handsome, with a
romantic history. And Sonia was so
scrupulously honest with herself that
she must pause and wrestle with each
fleeting emotional turmoil; nip every
thing in the bud. Perhaps he should
have told her that he, too, had had
similar flurries of instability-with
memories of Mary-Lou.
Perhaps it was an evidence of his
new sophistication that the situation
ceased promptly to alarm him at all.
Sonia was perfectly capable of taking
care of herself. She was, in hard,
bright, clean way, woman Of the
world. His wife to be. Mrs. Bigbee.
Sonia Farman, of course, profession
ally. And she might insist on keeping
her name as symbol Of individual
ity. He wouldn't mind. The world
would know she was really Mrs. Merle
Bigbee-his.
All the way to his twelfth-floor
apartment overlooking the river on
East Sixtieth Street, Merle's emo
tons were pleasantly awhirl. He
and Sonia would sweep forward, two
intelligent beings who knew themsel-
yes and what they were doing, to
Farer and rarer heights. Platonic.
And yet, of course, with love there
real, sensible love, respect for each
other, companionship mutual tastes
Dignity" he intoned soundlessly
to himself, pressing his hands deep
in his overcoat pockets.
But as his apartment door swung
open to the key and he stood mo-
mentarily in the dark, an unreason-
able nostalgia laid hold of his heart.
He wanted. suddenly, his Richmond
boyhood back again. He wanted tho
gable room and afternoons shooting
spa1rows in the dead pine after
moons so hot and still you could hear
the sound of hammering away off
and after the clack of the BIB rifle
a tragic little thud as the pellet
struck the sparrow's breast. He want
ed to see Mary-Lou lying in a ham,
mock with sunburn on her arms like
red-brown gloves up to the white Of
her short sleeves. Mary-Lou quarrel
ing with him lazily about something
or other. He recalled with a vince
Sonia's 81 can't stand a mussed per-
son." realizing he had been a particu-
larly tidy one. He always got fresh
shave for her and saw that he was
immaculate because, well, because she
was Sonia Farman, but in the inter-
walls between seeing her he didn't
take much care of his person. He still
hated to wash his ears.
There was that, too, about man.
aging money. Where did she get such
an idea? And chivalry. He approx
ed Of being chivalrous to women, of
course, in principle, but he recalled
having taken Mary-Lou up one night
on her threat to get out Of the car
and walk home, after long silly ar
gument. It's true he'd gone back and
picked her up, sobbing but not be-
fore she'd walked nearly a mile.
With the lights on it was better.
He was annoyed with himself for hav-
ing weakened, even little. Of course
there would be responsibilities. There
always were when you got away from
childhood and puerile concerns. But
the gain would be so enormous it
would be worth the care he must
lavish on the little details Of his mar
riage to Sonia Farman.
Nevertheless he lay on his back an
other hour in bed before he closed
his eyes, deciding over and over to
get up early in the morning and de-
stroy all his letters from Mary-Lou.
''The end of puppy love-" he told him
self finally, and turned over on his
side.