Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1936-08-21
FIRST INSTALMENT

her spellss!" exclaimed Rod o.
Rorke, qurning with smiling eyes to
the girl at his side as the car came
to a sudden stop. "Well, I'll soon
fix her" he added. Then he pulled
his long legs from beneath the
wheel and swung himself over the
battered door.
cts a wonder you wouldn't get
a new car" Maris Trevor replied,
an unexpected edge in her tones.
This old things always falling to
pieces"
That red-haired giant, Rod,
opened the hood of the car, and
hen let it fall as he took a step
toward the girl. "You know why
I'm not buying any new car, Mar
IS" There was a hurt look in his
seablue eyes. "You used to like to
help me fix Dulcie."
"Oh, we'll, a girl gets tired doing
hat I'll the time" Maris replied,
Ignoring the pleading look in his
eyes, she took out her compact,
Calmly, she powdered her small.
straight nose, and, with her lipstick.
accentuated the lovely outline of
her soft lips.
whats come over you, sweet
hearth" asked Rod. Don't you love
me any more?'' And he imprisoned
her soft hands in his.
"Oh, don't Rod, your hands are
dirty!" She quickly pulled her.
away.
Rod laughed. "There's only {
little grease on them. You didn'1
used to mind a thing like that, no,
if you got your own hands black
l can't understand you, Maris dar'
ling"
The girl laughed. 'You should
she answered, and, as her glance
met his, the tenseness in his fac
relaxed. But when she added
Hurry up and fix the old bus"
troubled look game into Rods eye
once more
He bent over the engine ane
tinkered with spark plugs and feee
line. At this point, a look of an
noyance spread over Maris' fair fac
while she took a tiny eyebrow pen.
Gil and touched up her straight
brows so that their darkness accen-
tuated the golden sheen of her wavy
hair. Then, with moistened finger
tips, she curled the long, dark
lashes that tringed her big, brown
eyes.
Adjusting the tie of her smart
print suit, she slipped her compact
into her handbag and closed it with
a sharp snap. Then her eyes restec
on Rod. Beads of pe%rspiration dot
ted his cheeks, while a black streak
furrowed his forehead where hi:
greasy fingers had pushed back thu
lock of curly red hair that persisted
in falling across it.
A frown or annoyance darkenee
the girls face. Why did Rod in
sisr on hanging onto the old car;
He could afford a new one if only
he weren't so crazy about Ris radio
invention, which cost him SO much
At first it had been fun COINS
out with him and fixing Dulci'
when she became balky. 1t gav'
them a chance to stop, and ther
Rod would take Maris in his arms
kiss her tenderly, and tell her of hi
love.
The girls eyes softened as sh'
watched Rod. She loved him
She'd loved him from the very frs
day she had met him. In spite Of
his red hair, or perhaps because Of
it, he was a handsome young man
He was tall and lean, with flashing
sea-blue eyes and tanned cheeks
He held himself like a Viking Of
old, she thought.
In the rapturous days that fol
lowed their first meeting, Mari
told him a thousand times sh'
didn't care if he hadn't much
money. He had ideas, and as a radio
engineer he would surely cash in Or
them presently. But lately tina
wonderful future had seemed so ia
away, and now as her eyes rested or
Rod she saw him no longer will
the alteration she had lavished or
him at first, but rather with a crl
teal eye.
There" Rod exclaimed, wipin,
his hands on a bit of waste, 'gues
Dulcie will make it all right,
Sliding his long legs over the sid
Of the car, he seated himself ono
more beside Maris.
II hope So" she remarked I'm