The Wilmington morning star., 1943-09-16

ulIlIlS, SllC od1O. Ao q 11dIeSA
of fact. I've given such advice
myself during my newspaper
work.
But never to yourself, l take
it,"
No"
We'll, you should have" tn c
doctor said with emphasis. "You
should have advised yourself te
get away from so much writing
about the ways of the world, ro'
mantle and otherwise, and live
some romance. You should have
advised yourself to go some place
where you'd meet a lot of attrac.
tive men. where you would be
wide open to Cupid's darts"
well! Of all the silly things!
Imagine reputable physician
talking about Cupid's darts - at
tractive men-romance-"
I'm sorry you feel that way
about it, Miss Leigh" the doctor
said finally, struggling as he did
so. But you asked for it. That's
my advice-and it's up to you to
take it or leave ie."
"And 1 won't take it," she said.
The idea!'
She had stalked out, her head
held high, thinking that it was
money thrown away, money that
might as well have been tossed
into the nearest gutter. But she
was terribly in need of rest, and
she wanted to be where it was
quiet. 1t would be fun, she had
told herself, to come to Linville
and slip back into her old place
among the crowd with whom she
had grown up. But things weren't
that way. All her old friends were
married; Aline and Carey. Bill and
Susan, Ken and Hope Randolph,
Morton and Mary. They had
homes, and maybe agreements
also, but at least they had each
other. And they all treated her
as though she were something diff
ferent, the hometown girl who'd
gone away and made good. They
admired her, thought her clothes
were marvellous" and all that
but sometimes they appeared
little awed when they reuemberd
that she had gone places in the
newspaper world, had even been
with the two Dorothys, Parker,
and Thompson. And she didn't
like that attitude a little bit. Even
Adam North, although still sin
gle, treated her like all the rest,
as though she were different,
something set apart from the PEG.
pie there in her home town. OF
course she had spent lot ot time
in New York, and travelling about
to many exciting places, while
Adam and the others had conferred
their lives right there in Linvillc.
But still
She reached Mrs Platt's front
gate and opened it. AS she did so,
the thought came to her that she
was probably the loneliest person
in all the world. Not a relative.
not beau-just a fairly successful
newspaper career, and a big, emp
ty old house on the outskirts of
town.
Hello, there." said a mascu.
line voice as she started Up the
walk.
She turned to see Adam North
coming through the gate. Hello,
yourself!" she said.
Adam join,ed her and took the
outstretched hand. Lets go over
there and sit in the pergola for a
little while and have smoke
he said. ITS early. and the oth-
es probably haven't come yet.
I've been devilishly busy at the
factory, and 1 need to get my
wind before l listen to Mrs. Plat
talk about the play"
Il could use little extra wind
Brenda smiled. I've
been working devilisilly hard also
on the play manuscript" They
across the lawn that was
gradually taking on a winter-time
rets, SO you'll have to share
II forgot my cigar
yours" she said.
GLADLY" Adam held out his
package. Then when their cigarets
were lighted, he said, Say, this is
like the old days, isn't it? Remem
Der when Mrs. Plat used to let
us have her lawn for our Sunday
school ice cream suppers??''
Brenda nodded. I'm going to
write about things like that" she
said. That's one reason I decided
to come home for my rest, in
stead of going to a resort. There
too much being written that's con-
temporary. like stories that have
a nostalgia effect-that carry
folks back to times when Ii f c
wasn't SO terribly hectic"
Adam looked at he closely I
But that's what you wanted. II
thought. Excitement-rushing mere
and there! If I remember rightly,
you laughed at ice cream socials,
Sunday school picnics; that is, as
you grew older. You thought them
dull-wanted to travel and be able
to write about far-off, exciting cit
les and countries" He patted her
hand. Anyway, it's good to have
YOU back home again, even if it
;e ;,,s+ for rest, And now that