Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1937-12-18
CHAPTER "a

AFTER MY talk with Aunt
Mary about love and romance,
went upstairs to write a letter te
Mimi, 1 could not wait-I wanted
to pour out my heart to her.
The room was cold, so
wrapped myself in a warm robe
set my lamp on my little table
and propped Minis card against it
it was a charming thing, illu-
mined in her colorS, green and
blue and copper.
I wrote pages which I tore up,
I wrote other pages which ]
copied. 1t was not to be, had
decided, love letter. Mimi had
asked for my friendship. I would
assure her of it's eternal quality.
l. would be her friend though the
heavens fell. It took IL sheets in
which to tell her!
1 heard my father come in. He
and Aunt Mary talked for time
and then the house was silent.
And in that silence, I read, at
last, Lioneps letter. had not
heard from him or from Bernice
since 1 left st. Louis, although 1
had written them.
He said that things were not go
ing as we'll with him and Bernice
as he had hoped. Mrs. Barry had
forgiven them, and Mr.. Barry was
making them a small allowance.
He, had not been willing, he had
told his daughter, to entirely sup
port her husband. He doesn't
realize" Lionel complained, that
a little help now would do the
trick"
He wanted me to come back.
He and Bernice were to leave the
hotel, where they had been staying
since their honeymoon, and to take
an apartment. They would be
glad to let me have room, and
he and 1 could go on with our
work. 81 need you to tell me l can
do it, Jerry. We are a bit hard up,
but we are not regretting our
marriage. The game is worth the
candle, and having Bernice is
greater luck than 1 deserve"
1--WE are all expecting the news
Of Minis engagement to Fuller.
He is rushing her no end. So far
she has held him off. But you
know how her mother feels about
it, so it is probably only a question
of time. She called me I'D this
morning to ask your address so
fancy you'll be hearing from her.
wish you had Andy's money, old
chap. I'd tell you to go to it, and
cut him out"
Money, money, MONEY! 1 had
none to lay at the feet Of the won-
an l loved. And of what use to
daily with a friendship which
must end with her marriage to an
other? Why should she torture
me with the offer of it? To see
me f1utter like butterfly on a
pin?
tore the letter which 1 had
written her into bits. l opened
the window and flung the scraps
of paper out into the night-they
went whirling off on the wings of
the wind. The wind, too, buffeted
me, and blew the hair back from
my face. Yet 1 did not feel it.
The only thing 1 felt was the
sharp stab of the thought that
friendship with Mimi would be
futile-I wanted more than that
should always want more.
So my answer to her overture
was silence. l know now that it
was the most potent reply l could
have made. Had my letter gone
to her, she would have rested in
the certainty that 1 was hers for
ever. Failing that assurance, she
thought Of me, wondered, made
Andy no promises.
l wrote to Lionel, and told him
Twas doing good work, and should
stay with my father. 1 sent news
later of the acceptance of nv
story. hoped that he might
pass the news of my little triumph
on to Mimi. But did not ask him
to do It.
l wrote, too, to Olga. But got