Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-03
Daily Short Story
'As-It-Must-to-AN'
BY CHARLES McGUIRK

BY CHARLES McGUIRk
THE man awoke coughing.
Il He pulled has legs up under
him and turned or ms side ana
wracked with the >paSm which
shook his body 80 that the bed
ratified.
The woman lying beside him
raised herself on her arm and
looked al him with pain and pity
in her eyes Her hand went out
and rested on his side and her
eyes closed and her lips moved.
But she made no sound.
The paroNySm passed and the
man lay painting a moment. lie
began 10 curse IN voice which
tolled like a deep bell Ills curSing
was thoughtful and so spaced that.
except fer the -uords, it might
have been n prayer. Blu. il was
far from prayer.
II took in the universe. II
began al the day OF his birth and
covered every one concerned in IT,.
II moved along the 80 years OF
his life and touched nearly every
one he ever had known. II
paused and went into details on
that rainy summer night in New
York City when he caught cold
while leading his band in a park
engagement.
He turned ON his back and
glared at the woman. He started
10 speak and then shut his lips
and grinned.
NO. MARTHA. NOT YOU
No, Martha his grin twisted,
"not you. You don't rate
cursing. You don't rate any
thing but prayer because
you're a saint. II there's a
heaven. you'll he In II. You'd he
/. in IL for living IS years with me,
even II there wasn't anything
the matter with me. Yeh.
guess you're what they call
saint
The woman half smiled but her
anxious eyes studied his face and
the upper part of his chest which
emerged from the covers. She
saw brown eyes set deep in q dead
white face. a wide forehead which
merged into thick head of black
hair shot with gray. She saw that
the high-arched nose was pinched
and that the wide, thin-lipped
mouth was colorless. The bones
of the chest were clearly defined
under skin that looked like tightly
drawn parchment.
"You'd better stay home today.
Ben" she suggested, "your cough
Is pretty bad"
9TH get worse before II gets
better" he grinned. land II
won't get better. You and
know that"
Don't say that" she pro-
; tested quickly. "TIl get break
fast" Her eyes went TO an
alarm clock that stood on bed
stand beside the bed. Its $50.
Wen have TO hurry"
She turned and swung off the
bed. reaching for light kimono
which she pulled on over her night
gown. Thrusting her feet into
low-heeled slippers. she moved out
Of the room with the light grace of
a dancer.
That was a funny thing about
Martha. Ben thought as he
watched her every movement.
She hadn't lost the complete CO.
ordination that her years of train
ing as a dancer had given her
And she hadn't lost the beauty
that had set him wild about her
when he was a big Name" band
leader and she was featured
dancer in a Broadway hit.
There was no gray in the thick
blond hair that covered her head
like heavy cap. There was not
q line in her oval face, even under
her long blue eyes. And there was
no less lightneSs in her step. al
though through the years she had
put on about 20 pounds.
He shut his eyes and listened TO
the uneaSe inside his body. A cold
dryness emanated from his bones
and permeated his heart and lungs
and intestines. Especially his
lungs. They felt shriveled and
shredded and he imagined that the
air he breathed leaked through
them and was lost.
After a while, soon now, the cold
dryness would spread because his
body would no longer be able TO
generate heat. And then
ITO hell with that" he told
himself savagely. "You have no
right to pity yourself. You were
born and you had a good life.
Even when that cold you got
grew into something else and
sent you from the top OF the
deck to the bottom. from New
York and fame 20 California and
n piecewOrk job in an airplane
factory.
"What difference does II make
" you are just an atom in big.
noisy plant? Nobody ever got
TO be bigger than an atom, no