The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1935-07-05
The Signal
By GRANT Nj. SASSAMAN
q. Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service.
yHIHITHFACED and angry, they
wv tnnHad aaob othar ouar Aa


ure at all" Mary Feldon's hazel eyes
snapped fire. but the young man stand
Ing stolidly before her saw they were
close to tears.
Listen. Mary" he said quietly. II
want you to have everything It's pos
sibls for me to give. But you must
remember I'm railroader, and there's
always a certain amount of danger to
face. ! can't be running around every
night to parties and shows-losing
sleep-and then go out on my runs
I'm not the roads president. I'm only
brakeman.
Perhaps you made q mistake In
marrying me. Mary" he said. his voice
slightly bitter. "You were accustomed
to better things. -
Don, I'm tired of all of this" Mary
broke In. Pm fed up with packing
lunches. staying here alone nights
when you're away on two-day run"
I'm sorry, Mary" lump came into
Donald Fsldon's throat. "I didn't real
iss 1t had got you that bad" He turned
and regarded his pretty wife search
ingly. "But II that's how you feel, may
be we'd better call 1t quits. II you're
not here when / come back tomorrow,
I'll understand"
AS long as she could see him, Mary
watched his broad shoulders moving
rhythmically under the blue denim
jacket She experienced, with her ebb
Ing anger, pang Of remorse.
And 1t all had begun with joking
remark Don made about her house
dress 1T makes you look so domestic.
darling" he had said.
They had been out late at a party
the night before. and she had just
fallen asleep when the callboy came
hammering at the door. Then, too, she
had planned to attend Nellie Robbins
dance tonight
She had slipped on an old house
dress. cooked hurried breakfast. But
all the while anger brought on by dis.
appointment and fatigue was tearing
at her. Then Don had mentioned the
dress.
"Domestic?' she had fared. Slave,
you meant That's all I've been for the
past TWO years
i suppose you won't like 1t, DON"
she said to him, "but I'm going to the
dance tonight regardless. I'll call up
Bob Ames. He'll take me-"
Bob Amesf OF course she had gone
around with Bob before she had met
Don. She never had cared much for
him. She knew, however, that Bob
Ames cared for her, and Don knew 1t,
too. From anger and regret. Mary's
emotions swung to the other extreme.
A gnawing fear took hold OF her. Di-
vorce! She didn't want divorce.
Don would realize she hadn't meant
those things, and he'd signal his for.
giyeness. Several times In the past she
had stood here on the porch regret
ting heated words, and then she had
been comforted by Don's signal
It had been a sort of game with
them. The signal sometimes had been
wave of the hand; at other times, when
Don was busy inside the caboose or
watching signals from the far side of
the engine, II was handkerchief tied
somewhere for her to see.
At the nrst sound OF Don's train
Mary was back on the porch. 1t was
fast freight. She gripped the porch
! rail with taut fingers, as the engine
came abreast OF the house. There were
| three men on the head end. Was that
Don leaning against the farther side
of the tender? 1t couldn't be Don
! would be on this side, waving to her.
1t looked like Don, but
Hes back In the caboose" Mary
told herself aloud, as the engine roared
| By and the freight cars became sud
denly blurred. Why give up hope? Don
wouldn't let her down! He would sig
nal her from the caboose.
At noon Donald Feldon dropped
down from the engine cab and waited
for the caboose to come up. Standing
there beside the tracks, he swore soft
ly to himself for having been too stub
born to wave to Mary. He had seen
her on the porch. and there had been
something disturbingly tragic In the
way she had clung to the railing
With weighted feet he swung aboard
the forward steps Of the lazy caboose
when 1t came up The shrewd old eyes
OF the gray-haired conductor, Lundy,
surveyed him.
u saw Mary on the porch as we
came by" he said. did you wave from
the front endf"
"Why-er-"
"Shut up" said the old man gently.
You didn't, or she wouldn't Of been
standin' there like that when the hack
rolled past You two had some sort o.
fuss. saw 1t on your face as soon's
you hit the roundhouse I'm an old
busybody. see everything"
Don sat down on a bunk while the
conductor started for the rear plat
form, muttering loudly: well, / guess
the DANCED thing oughta be dry by
now. It's been hangin' on the rail- ever
aimee we left the yards"
Don looked ont tn saa him tndn a