The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-27


birthday. My forty-eighth. I'd like
to forget it tonight If could. And
I can't do it alone. But If you'd
help me, maybe we could pull a
nice little party. l noticed sea
food place that looked good back
up the road about a mile or so, and
if you will all be my guests I'll hop
into my car and drive back there
and see If they won't serve dinner
to us here"
They were naturally bit taken
aback; but they met it with suf-
flcient show of pleasure. And
within the hour the dinner was
being served there at a table drawn
close to the hearth. Clam chowder,
broiled sea bass, fresh green beans
and boiled potatoes. The coffee and
pie came later from the hot dog
stand of the Southland Camp.
THO everybody's surprise but Mar
Il tha's the affair went off we'll
Martha I'D q Jected it to go WELL
She wa to making
things go. She '5.a,,, / fact, ma
tural born mixer. Not the hearty,
hands all over you type, but she
liked people and had a natural tai
ent for putting them at their ease
When they finished eating, the
judicial looking person arose and
made congratulatory birthday
speech; the blond woman in the
june bug green dress sang one of
Helen Morgan's blues songs at her
companions suggestion, and when
they encored her she sang another
in which he joined; the lanky
brown boy rolled out the old victrola
from the corner and unearthed sew
eral dance records, and everybody
danced, even the man in the rough
tweeds whom Martha liked better
than any of them, but who, while
he had been entirely polite, had re-
manned curiously de,ached all the
evening, more an onlooker than a
participant. Then they played sew
eral hands of bridge and said good
night.
Warmed and treasured by the
pleasant, casual comradeship and
her ability to turn, what had prom
ised to be boring evening into a
cheerful one, Martha walked briskly
back to her cabin.
When she closed the door aid be-
fore she turned on the light, the
voice of the slim young blond came
in to her as ghe and her companion
passed.
-. spending all that money on
lot of people who would rather
have been let alone"
"Oh, pipe down, can't you? 1t
was hell of a nice thing to do and
a damn nice little party"
Hardly worth the 10 or Is bucks
1t must have cost her, if you ask
me" the husky voice replied.
Something like this Martha had
been holding off at arms length
all the evening. She had known
she couldn't afford what she was
doing. She had been aware of the
SLOTS it was costing in the very
fibers of her body. But you couldn't
go on forever just buying food for
your stomach and a pillow for your
head, she had told herself vehe-
mently. Your spirit should have
something to live on. But-"peo-
pie who would rather have been
left alone" A painful color .suf-
fused her face.
CHE moved heavily across the
~ floor, lifted her arm as if it we're
a weight. and turned on the light.
Slowly and heavily she sat down.
She dropped her hands into her lap
She clasped them tight, one rolled
inside the other. Her face was bleak
and old in the light of the unshaded
electric bulb. All her As years were
upon her.
I've not only been a fool" she
thought miserably, "but a public
nuisance as we'll"
May I come in?" some one out
side called; and when she opened
the door it was to the man in the
rough tweeds who had been so aloof
all the evening.
I've been looking for you," he
said, and came in and stood just
inside the door, his hand on the
back of the only other chair in the
place except the one behind her.
for six months or more" he add
ed amazingly, with a smile on his
keen, intelligent looking face.
She stared at him in surprise.
do you know some one I know"
she exclaimed. who on earth ever
told you about me?"
Nobody ever told me about you.
but I knew you must exist I'm
just about to launch compare
lively new sort of enterprise, a
thoroughly equipped cottage hotel
with twenty pleasant cottages scat
tered about among the palms and
live oaks, where guests may stay a
day or month or the season
through If they like-and 1 hope
they will find it attractive enough
to hold them that long. My wife
will be there with me, but she is not
we'll enough to assist me- But from
the way you picked the situation up
tonight and carried it off, you seem
to me the very person I'm looking
for-if you happen to be free and
would consider it, after you've looked
the ground, and me, over. Do you
think" he asked earnestly, you
could manage it?"
Her heart beat in quick hard
strokes against her side. Her throat
was full of her excited breath. Life
swept through her again like a
strong keen wind. She nodded, and
as she looked at him light flick
cred up and began to burn in the
depths of her steady gray eyes.