The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1934-09-07
Scoop
BY THAYER WALDO
g. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service

THE phone bell clattered with rauc-
! Gus insistence. Collins hunched up
on an elbow, swearing vaguely, and
squinted toward the clock. It's lum-
inous face showed 2:1O. Another jan
gle. He stumbled across the room,
and picked up the instrument.
The voice in his ear was crisply
energetic: "Hello, Collins. This is
Barnes. night city editor. Say, we
just tuned in on a police call sending
a patrol car to investigate Z woman
screaming, and it's right in your neigh
borhood. 500 Franklin. How about
hopping over there, quick? Might be
real story In It,"
'All right-all right" Collins re-
piled, wearily.
Three minutes of fast moving had
him dressed and headed out. The
fourth building from the corner had
$50 in gilt letters across Its glass door,
with: Berkeley Arms" underneath.
Collins went up the short walk and
tried the knob. 1t didn't turn. He
moved across the grass past the build
ing's front corner. From the unlight-
ed side, fire escapes zigzag skeleton
loOmed. Suddenly, from somewhere
above, come woman's brief, low cry.
Swiftly he went forward, stopping
beneath the fire escapes lowest plat
form. A swing, a jerk and he was
standing on the iron Stats.
With swift quiet, he moved on, up
the steps to the third floor platform.
Here only curtains screened the win
dow. Beyond it, the gloom was un-
broken and no sound reached Collins.
He started for the stairs ahead-and
then pulled sharply back. From just
within the room, a little spot Of
orange had glowed and gone again. A
man spoke, low and intense:
Mary, listen to mel I'm sorry
frightened you, dear. I didn't dream
you'd be asleep, or I'd have knocked
instead of using my key"
A woman's voice, soft and q little
breathless, said: "Oh, it's-it's all
right now. But this isn't fair of you,
Tom. You shouldn't be here. told
you the other night"
Passionately, the man broke In:
"Oh, know what you told me-that's
why had to come, as soon as / knew
that your-that he'd gone to the sani-
tarium. Mary, you can't do this thing
do you hear me? God, It's not as If
l were pleading for something that
was mine alone! It's been all that
mattered in life for both Of us, and
everything that can ever count is gone
If we don't carry 1t through as we
planned. You know that!"
An instant's silence, in which the
cigarette lived again. Then the wom-
an answered: "Tom, it's hard-so ter
ribly hard | wanted to tell you all l
felt and thought about-about US, and
why we couldn't 60 on. Somehow,
though, l knew 1t wouldn't do any
good; that I might as well just say 1t
and not try to explain. But now
oh, darling '-her voice was cloudy
with tears-"I do love you SOP
A pause Then she went on, more
calmly. II just know now that must
try to make you understand. Tom, l
can't leave Martyr, because 1t would
kill him. Oh, 1t would be different II
he were-were normal. But don't you
see, he'd believe / did 1t because Of
that. l loved him, Toni think did
when we married. How could he
ever understand that his accident has
nothing to do with the change In my
heart? Every minute of his life, every
word he's written, In these last i've
years has been for me. When he's
away, for these treatments, all he
seems to think Of is my happiness.
Each time he returns with some plan
or surprise to please me. Tom, do
you see now why I can't go away
from him?"
"Yes, / see. Everything you and
visioned for each other Is to be
scrapped so that Martyr French may
go on living tranquilly-go on giving
his novels to the world"
Collins whistled soundlessly as the
name was spoken. The woman said:
mo, Tom! It's not his career; It's
his life!'
"Well, guess there's nothing for
me to say, except-good-by. III think
I'd better 60 at once"
Abrupt movements and the sound of
a doorknob turning. A shaft Of light
fell suddenly across the bed, and Col
Inns saw her.
Then the latch clicked shut and be-
yond the window was black again.
Collins Strengthened and turned toward
the iron stairs.
Home, he lit cigarette and dropped
in chair by the phone table. Star
ing ahead at nothing in particular. his
face was speculative. At last he tore
sheet from the memo pad beside
him, took out pencil, and scribbled
across 1t:
Lover Visits Prominent Woman
AS Writer-Husband Absent.
An instant's thought; then, under
meath:
"Wife of Martyr French. Well-Known
Invalid Novelist, Surprised
In Secret Rendezvous"