Evening star., 1941-05-15

mary, ClllQ, WIldt WTO!lS
Mary came rushing into the house.
you're crying!"
Nothing. mother" She few up
stairs to her own room, tears smart
ing on her burning cheeks, What
II it had been the truth, why had
she blurted it out to Ricky? Court
would probably never speak to her
again now. And these past few
days she'd felt he'd been more than
Just friendly. 1t had been so much
fun being with him, doing those
homely tasks which were to make
things mere pleasant for him. And
she'd grown to adore Lucy. Shed
forgotten that she had ever thought
Court snobbish. They'd been on an
equal footing-friends. He and she
and Lucy had laughed together and
had fun. Now it was all spoiled.
And it wasn't as if Courts false
pride and his inability to face Gym
thia's disapproval really changed
her feeling for him. She loved him
In spite of it.
Now he might even go away.
Shed never be able to face him
again, anyway. Shed been so stung
by Ricky's patronizing air, that the
things shed said to Ricky had burst
out almost before she thought. They
were directed at Ricky himself more
than Court. She hadn't dreamed
that Court was listening.
Sees Cynthia Kiss Court.
She walked to her window and
stood gazing out across the fields
toward the Dollover farm. Cynthia
and her friends were just leaving.
She saw Cynthia kiss Court, and a
lump came into her throat as she
turned away.
But during the months that fol-
lowed, Courts manner toward her,
to her relief, seemed unchanged,
except that once or twice she caught
him looking at her with an express
sion she couldn't translate,
The way he worked about his place
during the sweltering heat Of July
made her recall with even greater
regret those remarks she'd so fool
ishly made to Ricky.
The truth of the matter was that
Court had become fond of the farm.
It gave him a strange, warm feel
ing of contentment to know that it
all belonged to him and Lucy, every
stick and stone and growing tree of
1t. The thriving chickens in the
acres back of the chicken houses
and brooders made him feel not a
little proud. And he shared Lucy's
rapturous excitement over the pro-
fusion of vegetables in their garden,
and the ripening peaches and apples
In their orchard.
There was one thing, however,
during that month which vaguely
irritated Court. And that was the
knowledge of Ricky's sudden warm
interest in Mary Crews, his fire.
quent presence at the Crews place,
and the sight of him taking Mary
for drives in the car he borrowed
from a garage in Parsonville. He
told himself repeatedly, as if to con-
vince himself, that he was not jeal-
Gus. How could he be, when he was
in love with Cynthia?
He found himself, however,
thinking more and more of Mary
Crews in spite of his efforts to put
her out of his mind. While he was
working he'd catch himself remem-
bering the sound of her laughter,
the little way she had of pushing
the tumbling curls back from her
face, a certain way she tipped her
head.
Cynthia had not been out to the
farm again. Court had got hold
Of a secondhand car, and he went
Into Parscnville quite often to see
her. She kept ceaselessly at her
efforts TO make him realize that he
didn't belong on the farm. but in
her fathers office; an innuendo
here, a subtle suggestion there.
Court saw through her easily, but
the pressure was like water dripping
on a stone. He knew Lucy would
be unhappy enough to leave the
farm when fall came, much less
TO give up the adventure now.
However, he had begun to feel
bit disillusioned, for some reason or
other. He wasn't aware that per-
haps the sight of Ricky and Mary
Crews together was at the bottom
OF 1t. Cynthia, grasping intuitively
et the fact that something was max
hg him unhappy. renewed her cam
paign with vigor. She decided, one
day in August, to surprise Court
with another visit to the farm.
Mary Crews was there that day,
preserving peaches in the kitchen.
Mrs. Crews had suggested the ar
rangement about the preserving. If
Court would pick their fruit and
vegetables, as well as his own, help
with the peeling and so forth, she
and Mary would put up his as well
as their own.
But what do Lucy and I want
with lot of preserved stuff" Court
had demurred. He started to say
that since they wouldn't be there
during the winter, there was no use
In stocking the shelves with food,
But the words stuck in his throat.
He knew Mrs. Crews had come to