The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-03-02
III the scurry of putting on and taking

o o~<A4A46
off clothes.
He was making a lot Of money. He
had an amazing knack of selling things.
But the more he sold the longer he
was away, the wearier when he came
home. Coralie reverted to type. She
grew quite unreasonable, vengeful, sus-
picious. Bruce was making big money
but spending it bigger, and taking on
anything happened. He took a years
lease on a handsome apartment and
plutocratic furniture on "easy terms
easy to accept, but to comply with?
If anything happened! Worse yet, he
spent a minimum of time in all that
grandeur and Coralie spent a max
imum Of time out Of it. They used it
mainly only to dress and 90 out and
make money enough to buy new dresses.
Coralie actually grew sick Of new
clothes and of spending money. She
cried out one night:
II hate this Internal prosperity. I
wish it would all fly away and leave
us alone"
Many have asked who or what caus-
ed the Great Crash, the Grand Slam.
Perhaps it was Coralie Jones. Great
financial experts have suggested nearly
every other cause. Maybe the angels
heard Coralie's wish and granted it. It
may have been only a coincidence, but
it was a startling one, for it was in
October, 1929, that she made the wish
and the market promptly dropped like
a broken elevator in a skyscraper and
went slithering On and on toward the
bottom that was always being struck,
only to disclose a new n to be struck.
Whether Coralie was to blame or not
she got her wish about prosperity, but
not about Bruce. He was driven harder
than before; securities we're increas-
ingly harder to sell. The word "secur-
ity" became a joke, but a hard one to
get a laugh with. He tried to stimulate
himself with stimulants. He dared not
let down lest he never tighten up again.
He must keep taut. His furious excite
ment excited Coralie. The air was full
of terror. The most substantial firms
folded" faded" The most unexpect-
ed persons jumped from tall buildings.
Bruce made an epigram about it that
had great success: That's what tall
buildings are for. Nobody ever rents
a in EN- or does any business in
EN-"
Coralie used that a lot. "As Bruce
said, That's what tall buildings are
for"
She still cherished a frayed love for
him. There were little quotations, lit
tie memories, brief resurrections of
tenderness, souvenirs of a love that
had ono been love. But everybody
was running away from something.
People took up vice as an escape from
thought, drink rs an anodyne for dis
may and a preventive of sober thought
at a time when sober thought was more
needed than ever before. They squand-
cred money in a burlesque Of saving it.
They laughed not to weep, danced to
run away from industry. In Bruce's
circle there was a mighty increase in
reckless filtration. There was at least
an imitation rapture to be found in
intrigue. Surrender of dignity, hon.
esty, decency cost no money and gave
a fictitious appearance Of luxury.
Parties, parties, parties. Bruce and
she would accept MIR. and Mrs" in
vitations, then he would telephone that
he had to stay down town and work,
or go to some other party and work
some possible customer. For a time
Coralie would not be seen out without
him. Then she was-often-much.
Bruce wondered whom she was dancing
with. More and more it came to be a
fellow named Newton Marley. Natural
ly Bruce hated him. He laughed.
"Well named, too. A newt is a kind
of lizard"
Coralie did not distribute that cpl
gram. Mr.. Marley was too kind. He
would take her home and stop in to
mix a cocktail. Sometimes Bruce would
find them together. Tempted to throw
the fellow out, he would yield to a tipsy
ideal Of hospitality and join him in
/ another cocktail. He had usually had
several elsewhere, probably at the home
of a Mrs. Roscoe, whom he described
as an invaluable customer. Sometimes
at dances Coralie and Marley would
run into Bruce and Mrs. Roscoe. En-
barrassing at first, it came to be a
joke, a habit.
Finally the only thing that kept
Coralie living with Bruce was that she
had nobody else to live with. Her moth
er had ceased paying dividends and her
fathers business had ceased paying
salaries. They had discharged their old
servants and moved to a tiny flat. They
often implied a willingness to come and
live with Coralie, but she neither loved
nor hated Bruce well enough to propose
that dreadful possibility.
Coralie was spending far more time
now with Marley than with Bruce. Mar
ley had no office hours and no office
He was a gentleman of a leisure mys-
FERROUS in anybody who had not just
lost a job and been unable to get a new
one. His sympathy for Coralie was
boundless. If only she were free, how
he would shelter her! What an idea,
marriage theirs would be! If she were
only free from that beast of a husband
At first she was furious when he dared
to criticize Bruce. Gradually she per-
mitted any denunciation.