Imperial Valley press., 1937-06-20


II had thought it rather per-
feet" he submitted stiffly.
"It isn't" she said quietly It's
good, but not perfect" Suddenly
her eyes were upon him enquir-
ingly.
You - do this sort of thing
yourself ?"
"Oh, no." said Eric, disclaim-
ingly. And then added, he knew
not why: II paint"
L see." She turned more di-
rectly toward him. oils"
Eric nodded.
oils. Though I'm not so aw-
fully hot. l mean, l haven't had
any instruction. I've just painted
and tried to learn from what
others have done"
She digested this slowly.
That's not such a bad way"
she said. But instruction does
help. Saves time. gives you the
short cuts. And one needs criti-
cism, impersonal and from know
ing sources"
II know" said Eric eagerly.
But I'll get everything straight
this summer. I-you see-I'm 60
ing to study with Jones'"
Her eyebrows went up, Ben
ton Jones? Then you must be
good!" In her eyes he could see a
greater regard for him.
He wondered, with an acute
sense of longing, whether she
would go out to lunch with him if
he asked her. He was mastering
the courage to put the question
when chimes from a nearby
church pealed out.
The girl listened Eleven
O'clock" she gasped. I've got to
fly"
Panic seized upon Eric. In a
minute she would be gone!
Tim going too!" He followed
her out into the cold. The rain
now had changed to a wind
driven snow that came down in
an unending curtain of white.
"I say!' Eric cried and stretched
out a hand to stay her. But the
wind hurled the words back into
his throat, and bus numbering
down the Avenue engaged all of
the girls attention. She went run
ming to get it.
81 say!" cried Eric again.
wait"
But she swung up the steps Of
the bus and it began to rumble
away. She turned on the platform
and waved her hand to him. Her
face came out of the hat, yellow
and gold and smiling. The next
instant the snow had blotted her
from sight.
lie SOUGHT for her. All
II through that month of
March, all through April, way
into May. For he would find her.
With a certainty inexplicable yet
unshaka BILE he knew that. But the
winter had been forgotten, and
the spring had faded to a soft
memory before he saw her again.
It was Saturday, bright and
hot, and his father was doing
stunts from the diving board over
the pool, surrounded by his week.
end guests. Eric stood behind the
dotted Swiss curtains in the gar
dener's cottage and watched. His
father, exhausted at last, went
and stood beside a lone figure.
Eric could not see her face. But
it came to him, in some intuitive
way. that it was for her that his
father had performed.
Abruptly the girl edged over to
the pool. A moment later she
sprang high through the air,
winging, white-armed bird that
dipped and slid in one unbroken,
flowing movement into the water.
Eric drew in his breath. That
a mere mortal could make so
beautiful gesture!
A shout went up from those
about the pool.
"Carlysi Carlys! Do it again!"
Carlys Calender! The woman
whose etchings he had gone that
morning to see! Thoughts came
crowding through his head. There
had been paragraph in a column
of chatter. Once someone had
, even asked him, Eric. A strange
pain came at his heart. He did
not want his father to marry
again, to take someone else into
the place that had been his
mothers.
He turned from the window and
took a path leading TO meadow
with towing, uncut grass. Here
he coul3 work in quiet.
THROUGH the tall grass
| bright head moved toward
him. A face shaped itself, tawny
and topaz-eyed.
"Why, hel-low!" she said.
Eric's heart began to hammer
suffocatingly.
1--WE wondered about you" she
continued.
"Y-You?" he gasped. Here 2"