The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-10-13
Road To Romance
CHAPTER ONE

FROM THE skies, Nordex Air
craft plant looks like an evil
crouching black spider, caught ir
the center of web Of white high
ways stretching out over greer
California fields. Mary Dexter had
shivered when she saw it first in
a newsreel. Now, as her bus trun-
died its slow way up one Of the
highways OF that web, in the crush
of o'clock shift traffic, her lovely
green eyes brimmed with hot, Bit
ter tears. Despite frantic, desperate
determination, she was being pulled
relentlessly into the black nav Of
the blackout plant. Her small hand
frightened convulsively on the slick,
new pass card it held. Dared she
icrumple it and hurl it from the bus
window and go Blackjack along
the white strand-out of the web
back to freedom?
A strident horn was forcing the
bus sharply to the right. The bus
drivers cursing broke through
yMary's misery and she followed his
angry glare. A low-slung, special
built convertible swung in beside
them, the powerful engine under its
gray and chrome hood throbbing
impatiently, the young man on its
red leather seat now holding down
the horn in imperative demand fee
the car ahead to crowd aside.
you can't get through this jam,
you IDIOT the bus driver explod-
ed. Mary had glimpse Of black
hair waving back from a tanned,
clean-cut face, Of flashing brown
eyes as the young man turned
sardonic grin on the bus driver.
"Who-me ?" he jeered lightly.
He returned his gaze to the road
ahead, and the car was gone-slip-
ping wraith-like through sudden
hole in the clogged traffic.
Mary's eyes stung with fresh
ltears. Irony-what a car, appear
fng the essence Of dreams and then
slipping away again with hooking
elusive speed. She might as well
face it. The kind of a world that
car moved in would never be hers
nor the kind OF man who had
smiled from 1t with the quick,
flashing assurance. Men like this
would always pass her now, just as
the car had passed the slow, care
worn bus-with a pause, maybe
an amused smile.
The bus was slowly edging It's
way to the curb now. Mary pulled
her -brimmed hat forward to
cover more severely the mass of
red gold hair framing her piquant
face. Then she rose to Join the pa
tient, swaying passengers moving
down the aisle to the door. One
pink-tipped thumb moved restless
ly over the pass card in her hand.
Factory worker~ she thought Bit
terly. Just factory worker"
The swing shift was just pouring
out. A torrent OF humanity in blue
denim moving out and a freshly
forming stream slowly trickling in. |
Mary was stopped by an officer
told to stand over in a line.
a llne" cried Mary aghast. |
Tvs done nothing but stand in
lines for three days! thought !
was coming to work today"
She faced the officer, her slim
figure taut with WEAKNESS and ex-
asperation, her large green eyes
glinting with anger. She was we'll
worth looking at, but the officer
had no time to look or to answer.
He was examining another pass.
Ihs surging crowd OF factory
workers swept between him and
the girl, forcing her back among
ths oadgeless group. Anger flooded
Through her, but she managed to
force back her tears.
Presently another officer escort
Cd the group Of new workers into
the factory grounds. At their prop
er buildings, he turned each one
over to the guard, who took them
into their special departments.
Mary arrived eventually in the
huge, high-ceilinged. blue-lighted
room that hous>S the personnel