The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1944-06-01

fsiki;s;iiis
face drawn. My God, Cherry
he said slowly. 81 don't believe
Pm ever going to be able to for
give you!"
Simon, darling, I can't bear
you to take it like this"
He said bitterly, ''How did you
expect me to take it? Did you inn
agine I'd stand up and cheer?"
Couldn't he see that it was to
save him from unhappiness that
she'd allowed him to keep his
faith in Denise? All the while
she'd been thinking of him? Sud-
denly he began to piece it all to-
gether. what did Jerry Miller
tell you? Was he with Denise at
the time of the accident?"
mo"
'Then but surely, if he were
going away with her, he knew
something?"
''He didn't, because it wasn't
Jerry Miller with whom Denise
was running away. That was
where was wrong. But there was
another man. Jerry knew his
name. He's an American called
Teddy Schenck. He said he'd try
to get in touch with him and may
be he could tell me something"
II see! So you confided in this
fellow Miller things that you
didn't even tell me.
Hot color famed in Cherry's
cheeks. It was all very well, but
there were two sides to every
story. 1t wasn't fair to blame hel
quite so ruthlessly. II didn't NEAR
to tell Jerry. He just wormed il
out of me-"
Simon made an angry gesture
"My heaven, Cherry, just dom
know what to say!"
She put a hand toward him. i
lay on the polished table, white
and small and lonely. Simon
need you say anything? Can't we
Just 60 on as we are? Darling,
love you so. need you so.
do you? Well, I congratulate
you on your powers of wishful
thinking! I'm afraid they are far
better than mine. No, of course
we can't 60 on as we are" Ever
as he spoke these words, Simon
wondered if he were being need
lessly brutal and if, indeed, he
really meant them. He was sc
Mortified at what she'd told him
that he couldn't think ahead tC
any kind of future in which Cher
ry might not be his wife-Cher-
ry whom he'd loved, whom he
still did love so completely. Only
something now had happened to
that love. Until he knew that
Denise was truly dead, how could
he and Cherry resume their mar
ried life together?
Cherry tried hard not to let
him see how terribly he'd hurt
her. If that was how he felt about
things, it wasn't for her to insist
that they should be any different
But it was SO cruel that this
should have happened. 1t seem
ed to her that yet a second time
Denise had taken him away from
her; it was because of Denise that
this breach was arising between
them. "Simon, you can't mean
that"
isn't it the only possible line
to take?"
mo. No, it can't be-"
'I'm sorry, but it seems so to
me-" He pushed back his chair
as he spoke.
"Simon!" Cherry's voice was
sharp with anxiety. Simon,
where are you going?"
"Out. I've got to think this
thing over. Don't worry. I'll be
back in time to drive you back"
He closed the door behind him
Cherry sat staring straight before
her.
But the tears wouldn't stop fall.
ing. What more could she say to
him?
She'd said everything neces-
sary. All that was left to her now
was to fall in with anything he
might suggest. There would be no
point in arguing. If he wanted
their married life to come to an
end her heart contracted.
Even just to think those words
was sheer agony, "come to an end