The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1944-12-28
FAREWELL
BROADWAY
g
By LENORA WOODWARD
Mcclure Syndicate-WNU Features.

anXi0usly.
She stared at passing fat
man without actually seeing
him. "There seemed to be a lot
Of one-Way tickets south for
sale" she said at last, lightly.
"What time does the train Ieave?"
eat nine-sharp." She controlled
her lips. "And your bus for New
Hampshire"
Ten O'clock" He did not look
at her.
She knew a brief moment of panic.
You won't try-to see me off,"
mot if you'd rather /
Wouldn't, Muriel."
Her dark eyes pleaded with
him. "E can't bear farewelIs.
I And this one" She broke off
abruptly and swallowed the
'lump in her threat.
Il know" he said, having trouble
with his own throat, 'just how you
feel"
"You'll write often, Tom?"
every, day." he promised. His
young mouth twisted cruelty. ct
isn't as if there was anything to
keep me from writing. 1t isn't as
if there was anything to Go or that
dad needed me in the store" he
said, his voice filed with bitterness
and hopelessness beyond bearing.
81 know" compassionately, cts
like that at home, too. Just small
southern town and nothing for a girl
except marriage"
His mood changed quickly from
tterness TO outraged maleness.
g. 'riel, you Wouldn't-not after
what eve meant to each other!"
She shook her head, smiling
little. Anything was better than
that acid bitterness Of his. "You
know won't, Tom. Why, you'll
make some money at home and
you can save it, and then, you'll
come back . -
"And I'll send for you with the
first money I get" he planned al
most happily.
She smiled at him bravely, deter
mined to carry on. Only in the
hall of their boarding house where
they had met six months before
when he was a greenhorn from New
England and she a frightened little
girl from down south did their
forced gaiety desert them. There
they chung together, Wordlessly-
two helpless children who had found
love and happiness in a strange and
beWlldering eity-only to lose~it
again.
Lose that love and happiness which
seemed to them, the most important
thing in the World-a feeling which
all in the same position as they had
experienced at one time or another.
But the "big city" was, once again,
as so often before, and so often
afterwards, totally indifferent to-
wards them and their plight.
1t was almost noon and Muriel
had been riding in the subway since
early that morning, changing from
train to train, her suitcase clutched
in one hand, her bag in the other.
But now she climbed the steps. COM
ing out at that particular entrance
into which she had disappeared that
morning. Then, Toms face had
been the last thing she had seen
through mist of tears. But now
there was no Tom, only people who
did not matter.
From the first she had known
that she would never go back to
Mississippi because there lust
wasn't anything to go back to.
She had only yielded to Toms
persuasions because she knew
that Tom would never leave her,
and because she saw it was best
that he go home for awhile. He
mustn't, she had told herself
fiercely, be allowed to become
one of those homeless men
sleeping on park benches, drift
ing around, hopeless, disc0ur-
aged. And so, she had gone
through the farce of packing
her bag.
Until times were better she would
have his mail forwarded from the
South and there was friend to
whom she could entrust her letters
to him. In her bag was the money
that had been put aside to buy a
one-Way ticket to Mississippi. Be-
fore that was gone, she would have
a job. She knew she would. There
were things girl lo-house-
work, for instance.
She walked DR. e familiar
street toward h harding house
that street viii, Ae had trod with
Tom so man. any times. Some
day, again, she and Tom would
And then, she saw him, coming
down the steps.
"Tom!"
"Muriell"
They stared at each other long
moment. And then Muriel's suit
case stood neglected on the side
walk and she was in his arms,
laughing, sobbing, afraid that if she
but took her hand from his coat
sleeve, he would vanish into tnin air.
BY and by they must yield to
the common necessities of their
condition, but for the present
they could only feel, and feeling,
know that to both of them New
York would be home-always.
And that some way, somehow,
they were to find place in it
together.