The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-08-08
BY BETTY WALLACE
CAST or CHARACTERS

MARCIA KISG-Sayy girl. loved
/ flIer.
JIMMY cooPER-Naval flying In
structor At Pensacola.
/ fiance.
CHAPTER "
II seemed to Linda that the
world had receded, that Mrs.
Kings light words. innocently ut
tered in a bantering way, had been
dynamite enough to explode every
barrier she had tried to put be-
tween herself and Jimmy Cooper.
The moment was eternity. Then
his eyes yeered and dropped away.
I'VE must be going" he said heav-
lily. The moment splintered. 1t was
like cold water in her face. She
could be sane again.
But as they had promised Mrs.
King they wouldn't be late for
lunch, and as Marcia tucked in
beside her in the car, leaving
Jimmy to drive, Linda realized
that this couldn't go on. She had
been right when she said TO Mar
cia, II ought to 60 home She
would go home!
Later. after lunch, when she
was alone with Marcia, she'd tell
her. Even as the resolve crystal
liked. she was aware that she
couldn't go through with it with
out wounding Marcia. They had
both said too much, this morning
in her room. What about Marcia's
mother She'd think it odd. In
excusable. To have come 1000
miles to attend this wedding, and
then to turn around the next day
and start back. 1t was sheer mad
ness without an ironclad excuse.
A little wind ruffled her hair as
they drove along, but did nothing
to dispel the uncomfortable
warmth of her face and the way
her eyes were singing.
Marcia touched her hand. Look
at the field, Linda. Just getting
close to it does things to me. It's
thrill every time l drive in, and
I know I've driven in thousands
of times. Isn't it beautiful" Her
eyes said, plainly, that even one
who disapproved must admit its
beauty.
Yes, 1t was lovely. White build
ings under the sun. White, well
kept handkerchiefs of fields. The
blue bay dimpling out there. But
it wasn't beautiful if you remem-
bered that from here boys grad
uated to battlefields.
They passed the sentry, and now
Linda saw that there were hum
dreds and hundreds of planes lined
up this morning. Wing tip to wing
tip, a veritable army of ships. At
the sea wall, huge crane was
lifting an amphibian out of the
water. Linda remembered then
that some naval vessels were sea-
going flying fields. They could
steam far out into the ocean, re-
lease their planes 1t meant
that a naval flyer had to be more
than just a flier. Jimmy must be
tops in his line.
The ones in khaki are the
cadets" Marcia told her. Those
sailors are enlisted men. They're
mechanics and so on. No use tell
ing you all the ratings
IT wouldn't remember" Linda
said absently. At the other end of
the field, a column of marching
men were drilling.
Marcia grinned. That's the new
lot of cadets. All burned up be-
cause they weren't let loose in a
plane first thing. Most of them
can't see what good it does to
learn to forward march first"
Jimmy said, See that ship out
there? The one that just came
down ?"
Linda watched as it TAXED
across the bay. That looks sw-
fully difficult" she said. Some
thing more was expected of her,
so she added, us that student
flying it?"
"One student, plus one instruc-
tor. He gets in a jam, and were
supposed to pull him out" "Oh."
They always do, too. Some of
the dumbest ones have the in
structor in pretty tight spots, /