The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-06-10
BY
WILLIAM
.CORCORAN
This Man.
In MUIR ~
cooxriobt 1893. by william coreoran NEA Service. Inc:

/ gentle, disarming way she was
utterly INSCRIPTIONS about any
thing she wanted very badly.
That in her obliviOus innocence
She had differentiated between
Tommy Withers and himself only
mt his own arrogant inSistence.
What if he had never interfered?
RE asked her.
but l could never love him
like this, darling" she said in
stantly. "He'S not like you.
You're Il man. you're bigger in
every way. He'd never have I'M
derstood me the way you do. No
body could manage me like you.
He was only another boy. You
knew lots of girls, didn't you, be-
fore you met me?''
And Joe thought: How child
like! And he thought: Childlike,
my eye; it's cunning as sin! And
looking at her, his patience ex-
pired. and he kissed the back of
her neck, and she quivered with
laughter and squirmed around
and threw her arms around him
tightly.
And then. like Us not, after an
interval, silent close interval,
Joe would get abruptly to his feet
out of her arms and say brusque-
", Come on. Let's get out of
here. Wen go see a picture"
And obediently, with that curl
Gus blandly gay air, she would
get her things and come along to
see q picture. And she would be-
have herself pleasantly and deer
cusly until he babe her goodnight
the last thing, and then she would
hold him tightly and make him
kiss her long and hard. little
brutally and tenderly, darby and
hungrily, sending him off shaken
and swearing to himself in the
night.
One thing she never did. She
was the only woman Joe knew
who could resist the temptation
to say, eventually, "Do you love
me?" She never asked him that.
There was art in all her inno-
cent talk and chatter. She never
mentioned Helen any more. She
spoke only of JOY and the future
and never of the past and sorrow
and doubt. And she wove her
dainty, tenuouS, soft web steadily
about him.
1t was Joe Murray who was
weak, who had never been before,
and who knew no way at all to
understand it.
Terry was waiting for Joe late
one afternoon on the street cor
ner where he dropped off the
street car returning from work.
He was wearing old clothes, but
clean, a flannel shirt; he had
lunch box under one arm. He
looked at her waiting, apologize
and gently firm, big brown eyes
full of news and determination.
"I'ye got to talk to you," she
said. Before You come to the
house again"
What's up"
He led the way To confection-
cry store, where he ordered So
das in a booth.
There was another fight
home" Terry told him.
your"
"Me and the family"
Joe glanced at her throat and
neck where her white skin ran
down inside the dress, and her
eyes dropped as she read that
glance.
| "They didn't hit me-" she told
him. 81 stopped them. scared
them"
He grinned slowly. Good for
you, kid! How did you do it,"
Her eyes pleaded. 81 said you
would come there and raise hell
if they hit me again. said you
would punch my father"
! The grin faded; thought went
lickety-split in a dozen directions,
exploring the consequences of
that. For Pete's sake, Terry!
Me-"
who else, darling? You're all
I've got. And they're afraid of
you. They're afraid you will clip
my father on the jaw"