The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1936-11-28
CARELESS LOVE
BY HarryD
By Harry Douglass

Mary staggered into the bus station
with her eyes swimming in tears. AS she
reeled towards one of the long, benchlike
seats, several people sitting and standing
close by glanced at her curiously. The
bus-starter slim nutbrown youth, eyed
her with respectful slyness. Perhaps be-
cause she was visibly distressed girl of
his race, or because it was his job to as
sist passengers in every way, he strobe
over to her with healthy slice of anxl-
BUSINESS in his manner.
MAY help your" he asked earnest
ly. A lump appeared in his throat when
she lifted her large, tear-flooded eyes to
his
She did not answer, howevr, just
stared up at him a moment, then lowered
her head and began to sob bitterly.
The why of Marys trouble went back
two months. 1t started at Carries place
Carries, beer tavern near Mary's home
at Detroit, was a pleasure and TRUSTING
place for the more sophisticated youths
of the reputable Negro neighborhood.
They gathered here daily and nightly to
dance. to give vent to many of the i'm
pulses frowmed upon by their olders at
home
Like many of her girl friends who
cared little about the value of leisure.
Mary had become frequent rather than
a casual visitor at Carries. She had liked
the gin, had delighted in the cheek to
cheek crawl, and had often gloated mod
estly over her ability to play dangerously
close to the brink of that immodest chasm
her mother had constantly warned her
against.
He, of course, had to come. The care
free gaiety of the place, it's semi-shady
complexion in general, put his coming
into the scheme of things. Quiet, mullato,
handsome and nattily dressed he had
strolled leisurely into Carries one even
ing and had seated himself carelessly at
one of the four tables skirting the front
room. In the room, locked in each others
arms dancing, had been four couples, and
a sleek-haired black boy who was coax
ing a popular scat song from a battered
piano. Mary had been one Of the girls on
the floor. Her partner, local, cheek to
cheek party-loafer of note, had glided by
the newcomers table. More perhaps from
habit than curiosity, Mary had swiveled
her head towards the stranger, and had
gazed down into the dreamiest grey eyes
she had ever seen.
After that six weeks winged by. During
the time, Carries place, though always
fascinating to Mary, had twirled into
virtual paradise. She had usually appear
ed at five. But, after his coming, she had
CHANGED the time to three, for he had
dropped in at three-thirty. Always quiet,
always nattily dressed, and always SEEM
ing to be laughing with his dreamy eyes,
he had just sauntered in and over to
"their table, and greeted:
"Hiya, Lovely!'
Il bet Toledo is a swell place to
live" Mary had ventured one evening
after he had said he lived there and was
merely visiting in Detroit.
1t had been a glorious night. A smil-
ing moon had been out soaring majesti-
cally in the clear blue-vaulted dome of
the heaven. Parked in long jaunty road
ster in the middle of the block near
Mary's home, he had sat reposed, gazing
up approximately at the moon slipping
across the sky.
She had not kept him waiting long.
A few dresses and some indies had been
secretly packed for days.
''Betchu thought I'D back out" Mary
had Tipped prettily, tripping happily
from the walk to the car.
That's another kiss va owe me-" he
had said. "Was just thinking of how
sweet va are"
Getting in the car she had dropped
her purse. It's contents had spilled clank-
ed and rang on the running board.
"Ah! Stickin', eh?" he had asked, re-
ceiving her portfolio-like case.
Gust three bucks" she had said
Laughter had been in her voice as she
fumbled hastily on the running board and
looked searchingly on the ground.
Two hours had brought Toledo in
view. Quiet then, yet it had seemed alive,
a moving panorama of lights in front of
oict- oh od boo L4oroupJ of JorLoacS