Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1935-09-19

lou dSkeu me, Sdlu DIRTY. hSI
eyes and brows ,disclalmed RESPONSE
bility for his reaction. II supposed
you wanted me to tell you"
Barry" said Hal with forced re-
straint, "tell me something else. Is
last night gone clean out of your
head? Did it mean nothing to you
after I'd left"-and he added with not
wholly convincing bitterness-"lile an
idiot"
She looked round at him, the clean,
Then, not as a question but ironically,
to be sure that's what he'd said, she
repeated, Like an idiot"
He watched her without speaking.
almost wishing her eyes would at least
do him the small honor of anger or
defiance, not stay in their cool, remote
composure that had nothing, one way
or the other to do with him. Then,
just as some change began somewhere
deep in her blue look, she turned her
head and seemed to walk little faster,
as If she saw where she had to 60.
Hal looked ahead too and said, with
dissatisfied assurance, II didn't mean
like an idiot and you know it."
He thought it was because her ankle
had started to turn that her shoulder
came lightly against him. But then
her hand caught his, brought it half
way up, and pressed the back of it
briefly against her jacket, over her
heart, before she gave 1t back to him.
And still she looked straight before
her-a grave. look, at pothiHg that
was in the street ahead.
In the calm knowledge that flashed
into abrupt reckless command of his
spirit, that then indeed became his
spirit, his whole living conviction, he
stopped her walking with his hand at
her elbow. She let her body half turn
to his hold of her, but not her head.
That didn't matter: she would turn
her face to him in another sure, plain
moment. Barry" he said, Il love you.
You know that, too"
She glanced down at Doctor Cali
gari, as if she were trying to think
of something that would show how
sorry she was for him. And when slow
ly she faced Hal at last, her eyes
were soft with grieving helplessness.
II didn't make you say. that,v she
said quietly. II didn't want you to.
Dear God! why did you have to say
that?'
Because 1 meant It," he told her,
strength from extravagant stores rum
ming up to help him pierce most deep
ly with the bright rapier Of his knowl-
edge. Because I'm too full of it to
wait one more second of loneliness to
tell you in every, sharp, desperate way
there is that I love you, Barry-love
you, love you. Barry-oh, blast Peo-
ria and all its sunlight"
When he broke off, she looked down
at his mouth, then back into his eyes,
her look wondering, incredulous, young
in its bafflement before something not
to be understood at once, mature in
it's certainty that all the pain was yet
to be counted.
Darling" she said softly, just to
say it under his watching. Then, more
strongly: Darling, I can't love you. I
mustn't. That's true, true-even If I'd
I'D give my eyes not to have it. I'll
tell you why-truly; and you'll see.
But I have to wait till I know. how to
tell you. I promise, my dearest, 1
shall know. But 1 mustn't love you.
You mustn't love me-" She looked at
him as If she had known him very
we'll and he were now suddenly going
to leave her.
Then quickly her eyes left his and
she turned around, drawing at Docs
leash. 1--WE must 60 back, Hail." she
said hurriedly. 'Please, we've got to-"
They were on the -shimmered
road again by three, hundred miles
from the Mississippi crossing. There
was a current of gaiety which carried
off even the standard post-luncheon
torpor, as if the atmosphere of the car
were infected by the profligate, exult-
ing buoyancy under Halls own heart.
For Hal could dismiss the convic-
ton of grief in Barry's eyes for his
joy in the small marvels of their pass
age in the street; the quick touching
of her shoulder to his arm; the pres
sure of her living side against the
back of his caught hand; the near
husky enchantment in her calling him
darling. What could she have behind
her blue eyes to stand against his in
vincibi1ity? Some fragile shadow of
an obstacle-the fact that he was
Frederick Ireland's son, or the beck.
oning Of Hollywood; trif1es which he
could shatter when he had his time to
speak, out of the strength which she
herself had unleashed to surge up I'm.
der the single necessity left in the
world.
The time was coming-today, as
swiftly as the hard road under Ras.
putin's wheels. Excitement filled him,
pushed newly in each moment to
escape his chest; and there was room
for no more than a flash of shame
at the niggardliness of his spirit that
had quibbled with his being most val.
fantly in love, for the first-good Cd,
yes, the first real time in his life.
Tho 1itt1o hridoe-sion announcipo