The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1944-01-13
EREE 7UDAY
By JOSEPHINE LAWRENCE

nounced on the house phone a
few evenings later. II offered to
take the message, but it's very
personal" Sarah said cheerfully,
when Candace Thane came down.
'There on my desk - I'll be in
the kitchen, if you need me-"
The telephone conversation
lasted less than five minutes. Mo-
lasses-colored lights cleaned in
Candace's wide, deep waves as
she put her head in at the kitchen
door. 'sThank you SO much, Mrs.
Daffodil. It wasn't so very per-
sonal - a woman I'd never met"
my grandmother's sewing
chair has a soothing effect on the
nerves." Sarah seated herself on
the lovely carved sofa and wait
ed.
Candace's steady fingers light
ed both cigarettes. "I'm not up
set, only annoyed. That call was
from the British workrooms.
They expected me down there
this evening, to straighten out
their files. A Mrs. Graham phon-
ed and she insisted I am pledged
to work two evenings a week."
"So?"
''The simple truth is that I've
refused from the first. Mrs.
Fits asked me, then someone
named Myrtle Ryder wrote me
and tonight this director-in-
charge calls. No one under
stands. Andy says it isn't neces-
sary that they do. Do you think
it is necessary, Mrs. Daffodil?"
Sarah put her roughened hand
over the smooth little palm up
turned on the girls lap. "Do I
think explanations necessary?
Not unless you need to convince
yourselves"
'You have always understood,
haven't your" The quiet, clear
voice did not quicken or falter,
yet heartache and unshed tears
lay for a moment unconcealed be-
hind the tranquil brown eyes.
''There are so many like us"
Candace said. eve are young
now, but no one is young very
long"
That's it, thought Sarah. I've
wondered what it is so different
about them and now I know. It's
their terrible awareness-no 9TH
er generation but took youth for
granted. We assumed it lasted
forever. They don't. A fragment
of verse published in the world
war she remembered, still haunt
ed her, returned to her mind
now: ''They give their youth, God
bless them, as lightly as rose"
But this generation Of children,
Sarah reflected heavily, has
learned somehow what no young
ster should know - how briefly
we are young. Aloud she muir
INJURED, 'You're just beginning to
live, my dear"
eve looked at it from all an
gles," Candace Thane said. 'And
we decided that no matter what
might happen we'd have a few
weeks or months or perhaps a
year of normal happy marriage.
If we waited until after the war"
''We're not at war"
The girl said with a grave GER
tain1y that chilled the older wo-
man, eve shall be. But we fig
ured that if we waited, nothing
could ever be the same. Andy
might not come home at all. We'd
be older and there'd be all the
memories of our loneliness and
unhappy separation. Now al
ready we have had something
that nothing can take away; we
We been happy while we're
young"
ANDY and I don't 60 about
sentimenta1ly signing that life is
beautiful-but we don't take it
for granted, either. Every day
we have together is wonderful.
Just going to business and coming
home at night to each other,
means everything. There will be
plenty of time for me to do war
work. Until Andy goes, we plan
to keep our free time for each
other.''
She had not intended to stay
so long, Candace apologized, or
to say so much. Andy would
have finished his homework and
they had planned to take in the
second run at the movies. 'I
hope you won't think we're a
couple Of softies who like to feel