The midland journal., 1945-10-05

to see IL there were any stars, or
IL the moon was rising, but the sky
was solid gray lid, not low or
stormy, but withdrawn and bitterly
cold. 1t made her shiver. If there
was beauty and life in Nature,
where had 1t gone? When the skies
were like this they put blight on
the world, and on the human soul.
They galloped along in the gather
ing darkness, the dead rabbit thud-
ding against the mares side.
Nell reached the stables from the
south pasture. She had expected
Gus to be watching for her, but no
one was there, not even the dogs.
She fed Gypsy, unsaddled her and
turned her out. She hung the dead
rabbit in the meat house and walked
slowly and unwillingly down through
the gorge. Physically, she was near
collapse, and she walked slowly and
unsteadily.
AS she approached the house she
suddenly stopped walking. Lights
shone in all the windows and row
of cars stood behind it.
It was one Of those uproarious
gatherings which occur when town
people descend on their country
friends with all the ''makings." The
house was bursting with food and
drink, lights and roaring fires and
human noise and movement. Rob
had brought T-bone steaks. Pota-
toes were already baking and Gene
We've Scott was just putting the fin
ishing touches to two big pumpkin
pies.
When Nell stood in the kitchen
door, dazed and almost unbelieving,
and exclaimed, "Rob!" she was
promptly enveloped in q rowdy bear
hug by her husband, and thereafter
by Rodney Scott and Charley Sar-
gent. She was told to sit down and
rest herself and let her guests do
the cooking and set the table. Nor
ton Harris brought her an old
fashioned cocktail. There would be
nothing for Nell to do, they assured
her, but make her famous dressing
for the lettuce.
"And the mustard and coffee
sauce for the steaks!" exclaimed
Rob.
Gus was concocting the potent
Swedish punch called glogg.
"And / hope" said Bess Clifford,
"that there'n be room in the oven
for these hiscIJitS.
"And we'll be ready to eat at
about eight-thirty," said Rob, "and
until then there's nothing to do but
drink up and enjoy yourself!"
Nell ran upstairs to her room.
Rob is home. He kissed me. He is
here! This very night they would be
together in this room and all would
be explained and forgotten. That
dreadful loneliness-that desolation
lit was all over. An easy breathing
lifted her breast and it was new and
pleasant and free and a great
change-as il, all these weeks, q
painful thong had bound her lungs.
She stood on the threshold of their
bedroom, wondering il he had been
there already, If there would be
some sign, his coat thrown across
the pillow, or his boots standing ar
gumentatively in the middle of the
floor. Instead, she saw the bed piled
high with feminine wraps. OF
course. The girls, and their things.
Well-it would all wait.
Moving lightly and excitedly, she
brushed and groomed and freshened
herself and ran downstairs again.
Rob offered her another cocktail.
SLOWS about another?" he asked
jovially. you've got to catch UP
to the rest Of us, you know"
"Have you been here long?" she
asked, raising her eyes to his as
she took the glass. It was like
speaking to man she hardly knew
but was desperately in love with.
His eyes met hers for split Sec
ond and then fell to the glass he
was handing her. "Oh, a couple OF
hours!" he said.
"And I'm watching you make your
salad dressing!" said Morton Har-
ris. "I've got all the things out on
this table for you'll"
The radio was roaring. Bess Gif-
ford and Charley Sargent were dane
ing in the middle Of the living room.
It seemed to Nell she was floating
on the surface Of a river Of sound
and sensation, that lifted her higher
and higher. Her body was warm
and quick and plant, the pupils Of
her eyes dilated, her laugh rippled.
She sat at the head Of the table
and carved the steaks, putting a
lump Of butter and mustard in each
slice, and a dash of black coffee
and then spooning the gravy over
the meat until all was blended.
When, now and then, the memory
Of the afternoon-of all the days
gone before-came back to her, she
put her fork down and leaned her
head back and wondered If she was
drunk-so unbearably sweet was the
pang of the present laid against the
desolation of the past. It was over.
TIC u,as hare He had kissed her. He