The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1948-04-10
And Never the TWain...

your lips, but she continued hur-
riedly before you could speak.
she can see it only her way.
the mean and the ugly way. The
way everyone else seems to see 1t
=. Oh. Roy" for moment her
control broke, 'vh, must people
be like that. so mean and mar
row-ninded!"
Inside you the knot hardened
You wanted to hit back blindly
against the wall that was rising
between you And you wanted to
take her into your arms with all
the tenderness and gentleness you
felt for her.
But you could do neither. Her
voice came again, quietly, as from
a distance.
She's forbidden me to see you
again. as long as I am under her
roof Roy, what can I do? -.
She is my mother. -"
You took it quietly. The anger
which you felt briefly had disap-
peared because you realized its
futlity. There really wasn't any,
thing to say You watched the
strand of wire drop from your fin
gers
You'd walked into this thing
with your eyes open, both of you.
Sure, you were both mature and
sensible enough not to let your
self be carried away into some
thing that wouldn't work. There
had been that understanding from
the beginning, that it could go just
so far and no further, that one or
the other could walk out of it as
ii seemed best. Well that was hap
pening now.
Only you hadn't realized how
hard it would be to take. And for
moment you were in doubt. Per-
haps you weren't really being ma
ture and sensible Perhaps you
were only weak and cowardly and
frightened by a snarling society
Perhaps you weren't courageous
, enough to stand up and fight foI
) happiness.
Several weeks passed and it was
Saturday morning again.
You stood inside the door of the
office and deliberately returned the
:, telephone to its cradle. The pale
October sunshine slanted across the
floor and up the wall to the face
. of the clock.
. 1924 her train was late.
She had made him promise no
to come down to the station be-
: cause her mother would be there
= There was no point in leaving 6
= bad taste in your mouth at thu
parting.
You had said goodbye the nigh
before and the phone call thi!
morning had been unexpected. I
;. had made your heart beat fastel
for a moment.
;, But now you pushed the tele'
!, phone away from the edge of thu
: desk with a feeling like despair
. She hadn't really anything to sa.
except goodbye. You had grope'
fat ut
:. break into an academic treatise o.
: the art of going away just to hol
:, her to the line.
The treaty you had made bt
. tween you-after that day in til
stockroom-to call the whole thir
= off and just remain friends ha
:, -eemed like the best solution. YC
:. 1ad agreed not to see each 9TH
~ ny more except where it couldr
- De avoided at work Even ther
- here was to be no more intima
= nterchanges between you.
" But you couldn't help being
:. owe any more than YOU could stt
~ }ating or sleeping. The trea
=. hadn't worked. Soon you smil,
81 1T her again your secret messag
~ And then you'd met again. B
you both knew i, couldn't go 4
like that indefinitely. And. whit
- he urgent call had come from h
sister out on the coast, you agre'
-. ii was best that she went.
~ wasn't really running away becau
her sister did need her.
Hey Royl" That was the S
". perintendent. Saturday, half d
today. Are we gonna get that shi
ment out in timer"