The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1942-05-15
Rapid Transit
By GENEVRA COOK
Mcclure Syndicate-W NU Service ,
Lorna Williams left tie

M/ HEN Lorna Williams LETT tie
tiny apartment in the row IF
orlck houses in Brooklyn, she car
Ileo under her arm the newest cory
Of Love Tales Magazine" with
gay girl in red and white padding a
graceful red canoe across the shin
ing cover. Every morning for three
monthS-slnCe she had come 10 New
York 10 wOTk-LoTna had read
Love Tales" or "Cupid's Arrow
or "Throbbing Hearts all the way
from Borough Hall to Times Square.
and back again at night.
This morning the picture or the
bright new cover vas Of the girl IN
me first story Rapid Transit
Lorna slipped through the hUrrylng
crowd INTO a corner Of the subway
Ger, and buried her WIstful blue eyes
N the magazine
Il was a wonderful story Marl.yn
Naridaie- the girl on the cover
lived IN world of freedom ard
safety and romance. She was stay
ing for the summer i'm a charming
rustic cabin on the shore Of sap
phire lake set in the deep woods.
Every evening all of the boys at
the summer COiuny-tall, DrCuZed,
strong gathered on her porch. They
laughed and danced and sang to-
gCther
Dmly through the echoes Of the
dreamy music Lorna heard the
voice of the subway guard Tween
ty-third|' She turned d page
But amid all this loneliness
and mcrriment, there was only one
man whom Marilyn Marldale loved.
And she had only met him yester-
day! His name was Gordon. One of
the boys told her that he was en-
gagged to a girl back home. Mari
Ilyn believed him, but Lorna suspect
cd he was jealousy
pennsylvania" called the guard.
Now Marilyn was out for moon
light ride on the lake with the man
she loved-who belonged to some
cody else
Times Square,"
Gordon was bending over her, his
eyes looking into hers.
Sorry, but isn't this your stop"
With a sickening thud, Lorna
came back to New York and dashed
cut Of the car.
All day Lorna watched the clock
At half-past five she would find out
# the other man had been telling
Marilyn lief Gordon really loved
her after all-if he would hold her in
his arms and tell her he loved her
and why the story was called Rap
I'D Transit"
At 5:35 Lorna pushed her way ca
gerly through the long intriCacieS of
Times Square station. She made her
way to the edge of the platform;
while she waited she would read.
Behind her the crowd milled i'm
patiently about, and a strong young
subway guard on his way home, his
gray eyes resting shyly but hope
fully upon her, waited for the train.
Lorna opened the magazine, and
at once, obliviouS to the restless
people, the noise and rush of trains,
she was breathing the cool night air
of the pine-Scented woods, was drift
ing with Gordon and Marilyn under
Ia golden moon. Suddenly from shore
came a weird, wild shrek. Marilyn
jumped up in the canoe, 1t rocked
violently, tipped to one side, and
rolled over. Gordon came up, gath
cred himself for the dive
She leaned breathleSSly forward
Someone in the crowd behind gave
push, careless but forceful Lorna
felt herself going going
She drew a deep breath. She had
not dived into cool water. She had
sat down very suddenly and not very
gracefully in the bottom of the sub
way, right in the middle of the
tracks,
There were shrieks and shouts
and a shrill whistle. And was that
the rumble and roar of an approach
ing train? Suddenly someone was
bending over her, had seized her in
strong arms. She was flung bodily
up on the platform, was aware of
arms reaching down. saw her res
cuer dragged up to safety, sprawl
ing in his Slue uniform on the plat
form beside 'her-and the express
train sid into the station.
At the quiet dinner which they
had together she learned that his
name was Gordon Bancroft though
of course it was only the first name
that mattered,-andt that he had
come to New York because he was
looking for something wonderful
and exciting" and had found work
as a guard in the subway He had
watched her every morning come on
his train: Thought you d never look
my way" he told her. you were
always reading a magazine"
When. later, they came down the
stairs into the subway together,
there on the track was what was left
OF the tattered cover of Love Tales
Magazine" There's all that's left
of my story" she said, laughing up
at him. 1T was called Rapid Tran
sit.
"You won't need to read that stuff
any longer, will your" he asked her
softly.
Lorna looked up at him, smiling.
s'Whst are those initials on volIr