Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1939-06-17
CHAPTER TWELVE

1T SEEMED to Sarah Anne Mel
ton, sitting on the edge of the white
metal chair in Bob Kennedy's room
at the hospital, that all of her trou-
bles had descended upon her at one
fell swoop. Something like having
the locusts and the black fever and
all the other curses make a COM
bined visitation.
$50 a tornado is coming this
way? she asked, though. "a
blonde tornado who wears a ring
you bought, 1 suppose ?"
bob Kennedy nodded. THE
lady of the picture frame"
will she be here soon"
II don't know. Maybe not for an
hour-maybe in ten minutes. His
eyes were laughing.
But this is seriousw Sarah Anne
said. Its not fun"
''No? But shouldn't a man who's
tied to bed with a game leg be
allowed few sunshine pellets?
After all, We'll find a way"
GO on, laughw Sarah Anne
stood up. Tell her about it. Tell
all your friends. I don't care! I'll
tell them myselfw
"Hey, wait! Who's going to tell
anyone anything? Bernice wouldn't
believe us if we asked her to CO.
operate. She wants to be the whole
works. And why shouldn't she be?
But Jack can't let out the secret,
either"
"It's mess and it's my fault.
I'm sorry-Im a coward and hunt
ed for an easy way out"
But it was just to give two peo-
pie chance to be happy, wasn't
it," the man prompted gently.
"That was pretty sporting" His
eyes suddenly narrowed with sur
prise. "Say, you didn't think 1 be-
heved you really had gone off the
deep end about me, did you? :.
Sarah Anne spoke so vehemently
that the man shouted with laugh
ter. ooh, goodness, neverw
"We'n tell Jack to keep still
around Berrice-that it's danger
Gus ground-and she'll go away
not knowing thing"
The walls Of the white room were
closing i'll. A gigantic needle was
taking an unbreakable thread and
weaving a net, securely and ire
vocably. There was no escape.
Sarah Anne sat quietly, waiting for
q 11cy fa hA -
it's knot. And she had done all of
this to herself. She had not been
honest-but how could she have
been?
She would have had pity from
Jack and Judith, if they guessed,
and pity was objectionable. But
now-oh, now, if they discovered
the lengths to which she had gone,
they would know more fully. In
that moment she wished she was
thousand miles away, that she was
dead, that she never had been born.
She told herself that it was a
desire to shield them that had
started this course, and then she
corrected the falsehood. Pride was
at the bottom of it. She had run
off. Not in miles, but into a mental
retreat. And now
Il have surprise for you," the
nurse was saying. "A lovely, golden
haired surprise, Mr.. Kennedy" The
woman came in, closed the door.
She's in the reception room and
she says she is your fiancee. II
thought :" She looked inquir-
ingly at Sarah Anne, and the man
and girl remembered that even be-
fore the outrageous request Bob
laughingly had passed Sarah Jane
OIL as the girl to whom he was en-
gagged, one evening.
"ShoW her in," Bob said to the
nurse. Let her cherish the illu-
Sion" Then, to Sarah Anne: "It's
my fault. planted the idea around.
But We'll forget about it by next
week. Bernice will just be here a
DAY or two, and when l go awav
people will think you tired of me
by that time old Jack and Judith