The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-17


"That's a wonderful way
to feel, Sam"
"The earth hasn't quit" he
said. "Pretty soon now the Sop
will begin to rise and tn rth
will turn. It will be ready for
new beginning and another
harvest Nature hasn't quit. We
can't because a handful of evil
men have disfigured our gen.
GRAFTON. We can't let their de-
cadence infect u.s."
They kept on talking, Sam
and Teresa. Alison sat in her
cone of silence. An hour passed.
Surely an hour slipped into OBJ
livion. Maybe two hours. She
didn't know. She went on look
ing at Teresa.
Sam said. "The trouble with
us all is that we've been so
blamed greedy"
On the hearth a log snapped
in two. 1t did not make loud
sound to Alison and Sam, but
to Teresa the noise must have
been deafening, shattering, like
the noise of the world coming to
an end. It seemed to crush her
bones and, for a moment, re-
duce her to a misshapen cap.
Her face went to pieces.
Whats wrong?" Sam asked.
whats the matter?"
Teresa seemed partly to gath
er herself up. With great effort
like a person who has to learn
how to walk again she slid off
the chair and stood up.
"Why don't you ask herr"
She pointed at A1ison's drained
face. We'll, why won't you?
Ask her to say something. Oh,
God, make her say something!
She just sits there taring at
met"
"What'e this all about, Ali
son? What does she mean?"
Alison looked at him and at
Teresa. I'm like an animal in
pain, she thought. An animal
who can't speak to tell where
the pain is.
"You see?" Teresa asked.
"She just wants to torture me.
Are you dnnb? Can't you
speak? Say something!"
Alison only looked at her.
Teresa took step nearer.
She's going to strike me, Alison
thought. She's going to slap me
and shake me.
Teresa stood still.
"Tell him! Go ahead and tell
him. I ron't care. I want him
to know. I want to sleep. Tell
him 50 when a log breaks in
half my heart won't fly out. Tell
him so I can have a little peace.
] don't care any more. I really
don't care any more. I'm so
tired from caring too much and
too long"
'Tell me what?" Sam asked.
He had risen.
Alison didn't say anything.
Teresa lifted her head. "Tell
you that Suzy isn't your child,
SAM" ..
Sam stood rooted. His eyes
were suddenly empty.
Teresa picked up her spirit.
eyes. That is what you must
know and it's best you know it
now. Her father was an officer
in the Navy I had closed
out my feelings about men and
marriage. I didn't want TO be
like my grandmother who was
a servant to her husband or like
my mother who married two
paupers. But when I met Carl
my feelings rushed in and
closed over me. He couldn't
come back and marry me as
he would have done because his
orders were secret. He couldn't
even give me an address when
he left. I was your wife wben
he was killed at Pearl Harbor
How could our marriage
succeed when there was so
much grief inside me? And the
night Suzy was born I couldn't
let you know. That night hard
ened me and saddened me :.
I'm sorry you've wasted so
much, Sam"
He couldn't find his voice at
once. When he did, it was clear
and deep and sad.
II might feel that I wasted a
good deal of love-. But do you
ever waste love on a child, any
child?"
Teresa turned away to weep
violently. Alison saw Sam leave
the room. His eyes were still
empty.