The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1944-06-08

the real you, is it,"
Cherry suddenly felt all her de-
lenses weakening. NO." she said
quietly, cts not me really" She
turned and looked at him. ''How
did you know?'
"a fellow sufferer"
IT see." They walked on togeth-
er. They were breasting hill
now. Below them lay open coun-
try. A soft breeze blew the ten
drills of hair back from Cherry's
forehead.
"Sometimes it helps to talk"
said John Harrap, cor so I've been
told"
81 can't tell you all of it"
Tell me as much as you can"
81 married a little over a month
ago. Simon-that's my husband
means all the world to me. I
met man at a party. I'd known
him some long while ago. I
lunched with him and Simon saw
us coming out of the restaurant. I
had a perfectly good explanation
to give him but he didn't take it
the way I expected"
"And SOP"
Cherry made little gesture.
"We're not seeing each other
again"
Good heavens! Just because
you'd been lunching with this
other fellow"
She colored. There was rather
more to it than that. I don't mean
that there was anything between
me and the other man. But there
are things I can't tell you"
II see. All right. So now we
both in our own way have our
own little private hell to combat" "
eyes. Until today I've been
managing pretty badly. haven't
been sleeping and I'd lost my ap-
petite. This morning quite sud-
denly I decided I should snap out
of it."
He smiled. II congratulate you
on the way you managed it."
She drew a little quick breath.
''The trouble is, how long can
keep it up?"
II know. That's the rub. I'll tell
you; until you're in bed tonight
and the lights are out and you're
trying to go to sleep. Until you
turn a corner suddenly and see
someone who looks just like your
Simon. Until some nut unwit-
tingly puts on your favorite dance
She glanced at him sideways;
head thrown back, hands dug
deep in his pockets, his young
face lined as if old - John Har-
rap, her fellow sufferer. "We?"
eve might make a mutual as
sistance pact"
eve might, yes. Do you think
that will help either of us any?"
''It's worth trying. When's your
next leave?"
"A fortnight from today"
Good. can get a bit of time
off then as we'll, unless things
warm up in the meantime. Old
Adolf always makes all my plans
little uncertain. But if they
don't, and we're still feeling as we
are today, let's snap out of it to-
gether, 60 to town and hit the
high spots"
In the ordinary way, were he
just any charming young officer
asking her to go out with him and
have fun, she'd say No, because
she wouldn't want to. But with
this man it would be different.
There would be no complications.
They would be helping each 9TH
err.
THANK you, John Harrap, I'm
glad met YOU"
It was a pleasant walk. They
talked of all sorts of things; mus
ic, books, theaters and the time
when everything would come right
for both of them.
I'm going to live in the coun-
try and have a chicken farm
said John Harrap.
'I'm just going to live in the
country" said Cherry.
Valerie opened one eye sleepily
when she saw them returning.
She heard Cherry's laugh ring out
as they drew nearer and Johns
keeping it company.
The two men stayed until late
in the evening. When they had
all driven back to the post, John
drew Cherry aside. "You won't
forget? I'll be running across
you, 1 expect, on the station, and
apart from that, in a fortnight's
time"
'TH remember"
"And if ANYTHING hannenc in