Evening star., 1941-12-07

Julian laughed. Army HE ROt you. Ou
look as if you were already asleep
But when his body was lax between cool,
ettuce-crisp sheets. Mack could not sleep.
He could only think of Ann, He recalled her
face, feature by feature: the high forehead,
the straight nose. 1t was pretty face but
it was not, he forced himself to admit, earth
shakingly beautiful. She was no prettier than
the ed-haired girl. Why then couldn't he
breathe without thinking of her? She was
Julian girl anyway.
It's Just one of those things and III be over
it tomorrow. he thought, and rolled face down
upon the bed trying 10 shut off the memories
within his brain.
xHAT afternoon. Ann was as pretty in a
bathing suit as he had known she would be,
her legs and shoulders deep gold. But she
didn't swim well, and this surprised him until
she said, 'Oh. I'm just beginner. Dad re-
tired and came down here last fall until then
Id lived in small city in the midwest where
the only water you didn't drink was in the
community pool. 1t was always crowded,
and people we're always getting ear trouble
from going in 1t, so -
Wait until | square things with Uncle
Sam and get back to stay Julian said. But
he did not wait to begin the first lesson. After
watching them for awhile Mack swan slowly
out into the gulf. then back again. There was
dull ache at his heart and he was furiously
angry with himself because of it; yet he could
not shake it off.
And as the days drifted past he knew that
it was hopeless. I've got to get away from
here, he told himself. I've got to get away
before make a fool of myself. But he had no
excuse to walk out before his leave was up
And now Julian was shouting from down.
stairs for him to come on and play tennis.
He didn't want to play tennis. His game
was just good enough to show how much
better was the game Julian played - the
difference between a man who has played
some for fun, and one who has had ample
instruction by professionals. Everything else
was that way too, Mack thought His dancing
was all right, but Julians was more polished
and intricate. Mack was strong swimmer,
but his strokes looked slow and clumsy in the
water compared to Julian's flashing crawl
Even their physical appearance had this diff
ference Mack. slightly the larger, had good
humored. pleasant face that had none of
Julian's sharp handsomeness.
He wondered if Julian had invited him
here to act as foil for his own qualities before
Ann. at the same time incurring an obliga-
ton Mack would have hundreds of chances
to repay at camp. But that was completely
unfair. he told himself; he was louise to be
thinking it. Nobody but louise would fall
in love with his friends girl and then get
dirty thoughts about the friend because of it.
i HERE was rain one afternoon. sudden thun-
der while the sun still shone, then whipping
wind and thick gray rain. Julian snared
against the forced postponement of a tennis
match, tried to read for a while, then went to
sleep.
About twilight the rain stopped. and Mack
went for walk along the beach. The sky
was gray, the wind blew and a gull flew into
the wind. seeming to hang suspended, neither
making progress nor losing until it whirled,
tilted sideways, and went sailing downward,
its raucous cries drifting behind it,
Mack had gone about a mile when more
rain came. sweeping down the beach to meet
him. Ahead of him there was an old PALM
thatched shelter, and after one look at the
rain he raced for it. He and the rain reached
the shelter at the same moment and he pulled