The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1940-05-09

| he started TO MS 1eSC So VlO1Sl1I-
ly she dropped her fork. what
are you trying to make out OF
me?" he cried in tortured voice
/ "a gigolo?"
Berenice's cheeks famed. cts
like you to be that unjust" she
said. "Has it occurred to you that
after I've pounded the typewriter
from nine to five I'm not exact
| ly in the mood to be shouted at
the rest of the night?" she de-
manded.
Bills mouth frightened. MAYBE
you think I'm crazy about com
ing home to this sort Of thing
when I've tramped the streets all
day trying to sell advertising?"
SIS that why you're not so hot
at it?" she asked stingingly.
He picked his hat up from
where he had flung it down on
the Uttered desk. He did not
speak or glance back as he jerked
open the door and banged it be-
hind him. Berenice stood very
still, listening to his retreating
steps. Suppose Bill did not come
! back?
! She had a longing to run to her
mother, to- hide her head in
,, Anne's lap as she had done when
J child if she had had a night
mare or been frightened at
something. She had stretched out
her hand to take up the tele-
phone when it rang. Berenice had
meant to call Anne and ask if
she could come over, but May
was on the wire. meet us down
in the lobby, kid. You and Bill
are riding in our car"
Bill isn't here" stammered
Berenice, trying to conceal that
she was crying. eve had one of
our famous battles and he walked
out on me"
Hell be back" said May with
a hearty laugh. Surely you aren't
going to give him the satisfaction
of staying at home and moping.
That's exactly what he'd like"
Berenice's round childish chin
hardened. Cali right" she said,
GIL meet you downstairs as soon
as I can climb into my best bib"
When Berenice let herself bac''
into the apartment a little after
two Bill was there asleep on his
side. of the bed.
She closed the dressing room
door cautiously before she started
to undress. Her hands were not
quite steady and her eyes did not
focus correctly. That was how she
happened to pull open Bills
drawer instead of her own in the
chifforobe. That was why she did
not at once recognize the stack
of neatly cut out pictures which
lay on Bills pile of handker-
chiefs.
The local newspaper had been
running a contest for eight weeks.
Each day they published pic
ture puzzle. There was a grand
prize of five thousand dollars and
a second of a thousand and a
third of five hundred and forty
of five dollars each. Berenice had
never dreamed Bill was working
at the contest. Yet there were the
pictures painstakingly puzzled out
and lettered in Bills small
cramped printing. Berenice's
heart ached.
He had secured duplicates of
each puzzle so that the set he fl
nally sent in should be neat and
legible. These were the ones he
had workd from. They were al
most tattered where he had writ
ten in and then rubbed out and
rewritten his answers. In spots
the cheap ragged paper had been
worn through in holes from his
patient eraser.
"Oh, poor Bill" Berenice whis-
pered to herself.
For all the pictures were torn
in half and in the waste basket
beside the chifforobe lay a
crumpled newspaper. Berenice
picked it up with shaking hands.
There were the names of the
winning contestants. The winner
of the grand prize headed them
all in huge black letters, the Sec
ond in smaller type, the third in
still smaller print, and at the bot
tom the inconspicuous column of
forty who received five dollars
each.
Berenice's trembling finger ran
down the list. Bill had not re-
ceived a prize, not any at all. His
name did not appear anywhere
on the page. Berenice felt an an
guish Of pity. She knew why Bill
had wanted five thousand dollars;