The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-06-08
CAST OF CHARACTERS
JOE MURRAY-liked new

JOE MURRAr-lIked new
places, new jobs, new girls
HEI EN-fen IN love-hsrd I,
TERRY MALLoW-f Ound
love-and kept It!
Yesterday: Joe eliminates Tom
nv Withers but in so doing he
Ia, drawn Terry closer. She now
h,nys on to him for dear HE.
CHAPTER VIII 49, -.
.Joe saw, of course, the obvious
little tricks she used TO persuade
him 10 make a second visit after
that first one. a third after that
and fourth-all the artlesS wileS
She practicrd TO flatter him and
interest him. But who could
mind? They were so obvious.
When any child plies you with
artful tricks and phrases, you are
tickled and flattered and pretend
10 know nothing about it and give
il what il wants. That was the
way Il was with Terry.
Then ne got 10 wondering which
might be true: did she innocently
suppose she was foOling him right
ND to his face; or did she know as
well as he that ne was not fooled
at all, but merely .indulgent, and
was she still producing her pa
thetic little bag of tricks nonethe-
less because in deep. subtle WIS
dom she knew they were irresist-
IDLE in their very transparency !
He did not know the answer. and
he watched her and wondered
MANY. MANY times. and could
never quite make her out entire
" for all her simple artlessneSS.
Ii was altogether unprecedent-
ed. and in no way resembling in
the least the terms of the bargain
Joe thought he had made with
Terry. hut il was there, unan-
swerable. She needed him. He had
taken q lob on himself. assumed
responsibility. II it weren't so
downright serious, he'd probably
rebel. on principle. And paradox
ieally, il it weren't at the same
time so pleasant and beguihng
and amusing. watching her excit
ed and thrilled and rapt and en-
loving herself unbelievably over
the triflingest pleasures, he'd
probably have drifted soon in
sheer WEAKNESS of responsibility.
He did not. He did not want to.
"You crazy kid" he old her in
marvel as he beheld her incOher-
ent delight at the rush and roar
OF the giant roller coaster out at
Merlin Park. Weren't you ever
on one of those things? Where
you been all these years? how's
the lunch: settled? Come on,
well take 4 ride
And they rode &. and imagine
Joe Murray riding OF roller
coaster, with child of woman
alongside. frightened 10 ecstasy
and hanging on to him, elutching
him. trying fren2iedly to get into
his very pocket in the mad Jour
neyi Joe did that and loved it
8. ami Joe himself couldn't
imaglne il for the life Of him!
IL was queer, upSidedown eX-
iStence. But it was something 10
do, something with Significance
and meaning. How it would all
come out he had no idea. They
were two equally lonely souls who
found il convenient TO pretend a
great Importance TO each other,
Co combine in partnership against
the almost irreStihle pressure of
h5s. and the ending was of no
consequence beside the peace of
the moment.
They went to Merlin Park sew
eral times that spring. They went
for Sunday excursions on the
river boats. They went to moving
pictures and To chop suey restau-
rants and saw the circus and
heard a hand concert in Graham
Hall They went to the dances at
the political club to which the
older MurTays cleaved. They
rented little car of nights and
went out to Magnolia Gardens,
which was noisy little roadhOuse
on Paramount Turnpike where the
orchestra played st. Louis Blues
at frequent intervals because it
so. suited their peculiar talents and
the prevailing mood.
You will be curious to know
how they did all these things in
the face of the grim Mallows.
Joe was curious himself. There
had been q tussle at first. They
had set their face against him
rigidly but he had ignored them.
blandly if with frequent suppress
sion sof temper. and worn them
down. When he WAS out with