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


sense Of bodily comfort, the things
she had taken as matter Of course
for so many years when she had
been q successful saleswoman, COW
sring her terriJc:y in this same little
cara warm and quiet room with
q bath in a good hotel. maid serv-
ice, leisurely dinner in the hotel
dining room, comfortable chair in
the lounge afterward, and then a
movie, perhaps, or play.
And that's what I'm going TO
Rave tonight" she said aloud to the
December afternoon. And gave the
car more gas and drove rapidly on.
But, Don't be a fool, just be-
cause you're sorry for yourself and
can't take it," warned voice inside
OF her. Remember what you're up
against"
What she was up against was the
fact that the four express checks
for S25 each that she had in her
pocketbook, the car and the two
suitcases full Of clothes in the back
of it we're all she had in the world ;
that she had no real prospect Of
getting a job-nothing but the hope
that she might turn up one in Mi
ami If she was on the ground when
the season opened. And the further
fact that today was her forty-eighth
birthday.
TT was being 48 that was getting
u her down, she thought. The rest
OF it could be changed. She felt
her eyes fill with tired tears. She
had been on the road for four days,
and the whole country, including
Florida, was at its raw, drizzling,
winter worst When she had gone
a few miles farther she turned and
drove slowly back.
And fighting hard to keep up her
ebbing spirits she rolled into the
Southland Motor Camp, was as
signed to a cabin, drove her car
beneath the shelter that adjoineo
it, freshened herself up a bit and
went over to what the proprietor
had called the clubhouse, looking
for good fire and enlivening COM
partnership.
Without much prospect of get
ting either, she thought, glancing
in at the window as she passed and
seeing the single log smoldering
on the hearth and the group of dis
NAL looking people scattered about
the room.
She sighed and went in, an alert,
keenly observing, naturally light
hearted woman, very much down on
her luck, who needed something
warm and diverting almost more
that night, perhaps, than she had
ever needed it before.
A lanky brown boy was roofing
about like puppy in pile of
magazines near the door; POM
pous, judicial person, who occu-
pied the middle foreground, looked
up from his folded hands, then
withdrew the look dismisSingly al
most before it had touched her;
four of the other people in the
room lifted bored, diSinterested
glances; the fifth, a helpless looking
little man with nice eyes. who
seemed about to go down beneath
the waves of silence that washed
about him, stood aside from his
place at the hearth to make room
for her there.
A BAD day to be on the road"
4 N he observed politely.
Martha Tweedy nodded. "And
yesterday wasn't any better"
Have you driven far?"
"From New York City"
A slim blond in a iune-bug green
knitted dress, who sat with cheap,
Broadwayish looking young man at
one side Of the hearth, looked at
Martha and murmured: Imagine
being there and coming here!"
New Yorks all right" Martha
said, but Florida ought to be nicer
at this time of the year"
TOO much grass growing in the
streets any time"
Give it time and it'll get rid of
the grass" Martha said with a
smile
Times all they've got down here.
Time and buzzards,"
ooh, for gossake lay off EN-, can't
you, Leone?" her companion NUT
tered under his breath.
"All Florida needs to do, 1t seems
to me- Martha said, lis to spread
its feet a little wider and stand
on them"
A man who sat reading a little
way off lowered his newspaper and
glanced over at her. Martha hadn't
seen his face before for the paper,
but she liked his rough tweed knees
and compact brown hands. Now
that she saw 1t, she liked his face
too. He had look of gumption and
of competence. She began to be
encouraged about the evening. But
he only regarded her for moment
without speaking, and lifted his
paper again.
Florida is much maligned and
moderated state" said the POM
pouS, judicial looking person. IF
you will permit me to refresh your
memories with a few facts -" and
he began to lay them down solid
and fiat and uninteresting, like
so many coquina blocks, Martha
thought.
CHE got up at his FIRST pause ana
~ went to find the proprietor, to
see if they couldn't have more fire.
She found him in the refreshment
stand that adjoined the clubhouse.
He was serving two telephone
49,.
eating hot dog sandwiches and
drinking coffee. Their leather jack
let's were buttoned up to their chins,
and the proprietor wore an old
heavy gray sweater. Back of the
counter was a small partly inclosed
floored SPACE with three or four