The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-06-07
BY
WILLIAM
CORCORAN

I forthwith.
But Terry sprang to him, to
hold his hand, first hard, then as
she felt him waver, soft and gen.
| tie. please. don't" she whisper
cd. - '=------
Joe studied her, her face and
her big eyes, and he put a hand
on her hair, stroking it roughly
! and gently and puzzledly, and
then he took her in one arm and
pulIed her to him and held her.
| She came quickly and put her
head against his shoulder and left
il there, eyes closed. They were
not in immediate view from the
the rear. They stood so a minute,
and Joe looked down at her so
ouict and silent and peaceful. and
ne was puzzled :. puzzled.
He stayed in the Mallow parlor
an hour. They sat at either end
/ of the sofa, looking at one an
! other. Joe asked questions, num-
bcrlcss questions, all about her
and her life and her ways OF
thinking. In a hushcd way she
became gay and vivacious and
talked at a great rate, her big
avcs luminous and beautiful in
the lamplight. You'd never think
She had a worry in the world. In
effect. she hadn't right then; she
had nut every other thing aside
for the enjoyment of this hour
II is not everybody can do that.
II is not everybody has had to
! learn how. ,.,,, !, an
ber when he thought it was better
to 60. "You stick It out. lou IL
! come right side up. But stay away
from Papkc's and Tommy With
ers." ., .,o
asked.
Certainly .r
"Will you help me-? VIII you
come and see me again! men
won't have to"
! He grinncd. She was so enid
like so transparent, like an open
hook. "Sure, I'll come again
some time. You've got a pretty
tough outfit of a family. but I'm
a little tough myself !
"No boy ever stepped up and
faced m ygrandfather like you did
before ~ she told him ammiringly.
ale didn't know what to say.
"That's all there is to it. It's
push-over. Get the jump. Get
'rm specchlcss. The rest Is
simple" ~
cit is for YOU" she said. but.
7 have 10 Stav here afterward.'
Little flecks of anger lighted
mompntarily in his eyes. He
suueczcd her hand. "fou do as
tell you. and you'll come out on
top. Stick it out. Don't let them
stampede you. II can't 70 on for
ever. and there's limit to what
they can do. How old are you!
Seventeen"
you'll soon come of age. Then
Won can tell them to go climb
pole"
She smiled and shook her head. !
"You don't know"
"All right" he said. But Will
YOU promise to do what l tell you.
and well see how it comes OUT
al promise" she said with sim
pic willingness.
And that was how it stood from
there on: she had promised. and
he had to tell her what to do.
Joe had no idea what a bargain
this would be. He was more than
willing to help the kid, by advice
and suggestion and encourage
ment and the occasional bulwark
of his presence-even by clipping
any likel yjaw that stood in need
of such salutary treatment. But
he was figuring on Terry's fam
lily, on Terry's boy acquaintance,
on the external things of Terry's
life. He failed to include in his
calculations Terry herself.
You see, Terry Mallow had a !
strength. II was not such a (
strength as you find in the usual
person: in Terry the usual things,
her Weaknesses and her strength,
had grown in different directions
entirely. In Tcrry's life, you did
not get something you wanted
terribly by being good and wait
ing for it. You studied it out, and
took it if you could get it at all,
and then hung on like grim death |
no matter what happened, and
then maybe you'd end up in pos
session of it, deserved or not, out
of sheer exhaustion. ....
Joe came to sense little of
that as he knew her better. She
had cast about, got what she
thought was something of a hold
on Tommy Withers, and she would
have hung on to hi mfor dear life
if anybody else but Joe had or
dcred her to let go. Joe's orders
were different, for the simple rea-
son that he was so patiently super
ior to Tommy Withers, so much
more awesome and admirable
and she let Tommy go, to catch
hold of Joe Murray, and without
him even knowing it. to start right
in holding on for dear life.
Ito be continued)