Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1938-07-01

and the obvious cities of Western
Europe on the train journey, that she
was going farther and farther from
any world she knew. 1t was all sliding
was the only connecting link with
away behind the train wheels. Gilbert
what had been before.
The Russian frontier, reached il
darkness, with bright lights shining
on the rows of barbed wire and the
signs in many languages reading
Communism will Abolish Frontiers
overwhelmed her, made her feel very
small and inconsequential.
Something like looking at the
Pyramids" she told Gilbert. "Only in
tensified, because this is alive, a force
continuing"
"a force, all right" he said.
In the ornate, badly lighted COM
partment of their pre-war railroad
carriage, she said solemnly: "I'm glad
you're here. For no sensible reason
I'd be afraid, making this journey a.
lone"
He just said: "You look much too
young, sometimes, to be travelling
anywhere alone" But his eyes quest
Toned her.
She could not answer their question
then, but it disturbed her. How lone
ly he looked occasionally, how dis
appointed, for all that he was invari-
ably cheerful! She had taken every
thing from him that he chose to give
her, and gave him nothing but smiles,
and pleasant words when she felt in
the mood to give those.
They had gone about and about,
looking at modern cities and ruins
of cities, buying things, listening to
concerts, seeing plays. What had he
got out of it all, except dreariness,
and a dreadful hurt?
She had never thought before that
if he loved her as she loved Keith, he
must have suffered at least as much
as she.
All their first day in Moscow, Gil
bert thought her mood odd-when
they were what he called proper
tourists, went to the Kremlin and
admired the gorgeous jewel-collec-
tons, and were made a little sad by
the empty echoing cathedrals; when
they went on a tour of new suburb,
when they visited Lenin in his tomb,
looking slightly contemptious of e.
ternity.
She had bright flashes of gayety
and moments Of being so remote that
she did not notice when Gilbert spoke
to her.
Back at the Metropole, she said:
Lets dress for dinner, even if no.
body else does"
We'll be as CONSPICUOUS as people
in tweeds at the opening of the Metro
politan."
Never mind, for once. I want to
celebrate"
What she wanted to celebrate he
could not tell. At dinner she fell silent
did not touch her food, just slipped
the wine he'd ordered, said, apropos
of nothing: "Do you like this dress 2"
He told her that he admired it
in fact, that he had never seen her
look better. That was true. In her
oyster-white taffeta frock, in pale
gray velvet wrap with a white fur
collar high about her throat, all the
delicacy of her skin and the lights
in her soft hair showed.
"Do they call your hair chestnut,
Denise?"
"Sort of. Neither blonde nor dark;
just commonplace" Why should her
voice, saying that not significant SEN
tence, be so tense?
Anything but commonplace, dar-
ling. It's the most beautiful hair I
ever saw"
"You think I'm generally beautiful,
don't you? Most people don't-they
don't look at me twice if Felicia's in
the ROOM"
"She shines like an electric light;
you're luminous like the moon"
Don't be unkind, Gilbert. Maybe
she won't shine so brightly any
more"
He had not meant to be unkind, and
said so.
In voice soft but very far away,
Denise said: "That's all right"
care you tired tonight, Denise?"
mot at all . . was just think
ing"
Of nothing, he supposed, concerned
with him. He had grown used to
knowing that her thoughts were sell
dom about him.
Her blue ewes reoarded him now