Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1935-05-17
CHAPTER l
And so it began again:


Just can't tolerate a jealous man.
They run me crazy. They do. l
think we better go our ways, honey;
and 1 think we better go now"
She wasn't angry, a fact which
probably had most to do with infuria-
ting him; she was simply serious,
judicial, grave. She looked at him
from across the fine old time-worn
room out of eyes as wide as heaven,
and as full of judgment; there was
q glitter of green in them in certain
lights; and that, with her pumpkin
yellow hair and the way the South
blurred in her voice, had made Robert
Starr forsake his five-year plan of
bachelorhood. He had no business
marrying, anyhow, on an assistant
professors salary. But Lawton Col
lege, as you may know, is located in
Drumgodden, town so lazy and so
lovely that the Aprils there have a
specific sort of treachery in them.
She called him Yank the first day.
She liked him because he was tall
and steel-springed and he had a grave
Northern gayety. "When you kiss
me-" she remarked outrageously the
first time, 81 feel as if somebody had
hit me in the mouth with a red-hot
SNOWFALL" He was shocked and for
two days didn't kiss her again. The
remark seemed to indicate a connois-
seur's adjudication of kisses. He ask
ed her if there had been many others.
"Of co'se there have, honey. Do I
look like some old thing that's never
been kissed? But they didn't mean
thing, just nothing at all. There
was a moon or something and maybe
wasn't thinking about whatever old
boy happened to be with me, anyhow
Maybe | was thinking of you, honey
Bob, the somebody who was going to
come along and make me really and
truly in love-"
The speech was graceful and it salts
fled him until he got back to his room.
Then he wasn't so sure. He didn't
approve, in general of the menage
which Annabelle Lord inhabited. 1t
was dangerous. Old Professor Lord,
mellowed past all capacity as guardian
by association with so much youth for
so long. The incessant honking of
boys cars in the dusty road by the
peach orchard under Annabelle's WIN
dow. There was something positively
scandalous and over-tolerant about
the Lord mansion itself; the big rooms
with their dated and rather dilapidated
furniture, the gusty halls, seemed to
say: We've seen so many come and
go that it doesn't matter very much
what anybody does, where anybody
goes" He had thought vaguely Of
asking Annabelle to marry him in
two years; miracle might, in that
time, give him full professorship.
Now he saw he'd have to marry her
right away, afford it or not. There
were too many boys, predatory young
barbarians, Longing on the Lord
porch Of afternoons.
One night after they had begun to
talk about marriage with desultory
but fascinated young intensity, four
boys from the engineering school
dropped in after supper. A tall, blond
fellow whom Annabelle addressed as
Hinky Bates-the sort of athletic guy,
Bob reflected, who probably stood in
front of mirrors considering his Greek
godliness-announced that he was get
ting his degree the twentieth of May,
but he'd be back in finals the middle
of June.
Annabelle clapped her hands. "Shall
we tell it, Bob? Let's tell it. Hinky
you are coming to our wedding on
June the tenth. That's just before
finals, and We'll set the date then so
you can come"
There hadn't been a definite date
before that moment. Bob bit his low
er lip and felt his face go pink.
Don't you think we'd better an
nounce the date later?" he said so
stiffly that ten eyes widened. cts
possible you'll want to make other
plans after thinking it over"
But Hinky's plans, darling! We
have to consider Hinky's plans. We
couldn't have a wedding, could we,
without Hinky?"
81 think" he said, encased in ice,
"that could easily have wedding
without Hinky."
He turned and walked toward the
hall, plucking his hat from among
the assortment on the battered hat