Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-02-07


cause ="
According to her plan book.
Harriet Robson had six min
uteS left before the language
period began. And there were
the arithmetic papers, half
graded, name in the upper left
hand corner, title in the center.
date in the upper right. Shir-
ley's was next.
Appeared With Shotgun
1t was 1924 am. when sud-
denly the man they all knew
appeared in the doorway. But
he wasn't the man they all
knew. This man had a shot
gun. So.
Had anyone really known
Leonard Redden? Could any
one really have known when
his torment began?
Had it begun during that
nightmare in 1945, on Leyte.
when Leonard Redden's patrol
was wiped out except for two
men? The other survivor lost
both legs. Redden lay bleed
ing from the mouth, shrapnel
in his neck, in his shoulder, in
his leg.
Had the first signs begun to
drift up to the surface, like
tiny strands stirred up from a
dark bottom, when he returned
from war? When he appeared
just a little more suspicious of
people than before, little
more prone to see the worst,
not the best. in them?
Only Hazel Redden noticed
this much in her husband. But
she didn't dwell on it. The war
had done much worse to others.
A Different Man at Home
To the end. people in town
continued to see what they had
always seen in Leonard Red
den. A, man of substance,
principal of three grade
schools, devoted hush and,
father of two, home owner. pill
lar of the church. A handsome
man with dark, slightly CRAVING
hair, a friendly man, quiet,
mild, gentle-never a nasty
word about anyone. A man
who showed no bitterness, al
though he needed side jobs to
supplement his $500 salary
even the SO he earned collect
ing tickets at football games.
That's what the people in
town saw, but Hazel Redden
had sensed something else. 1t
was last spring that she felt
the first real tremor.
Her husband began talking
about gossip. What kind of
gossip? Well. just gossip. About
whom? Never mind. He chung
to the generality. His wife
persisted, finally pinned him
down.
People are saying that you
and I aren't getting along. well, :"
he said. They're saying I'm
interested, Economically. in
Harriet Robson. It's not true,
but they're saying it,"
Hazel Redden knew instinc-
lively it wasn't true. She knew
her husband and she knew her
marriage. She knew Harriet
Robson, who was 50 and gray
ing and one of her best friends
they had been sorority sisters
together.
. Small Amount of Gossip
Had there really been any
gossip? Hazel Redden investi-
gated, asked around. Yes, there
had been a tiny amount, just
a remark or two, just beauty
shop talk" out of a careless
mouth and unthinking mind.
Hazel Redden told her hus-
band to forget it, to pay no at
tention to a silly, isolated re-
mark.
In town, the gossip had died
at birth. In Leonard Redden's
mind. it began to grow.
when I couldn't make him
see how silly it was" Mrs. Red
den recalled this week. Il told
Rim to stop thinking about it..
I tried to discourage him from
talking about it,"
For a while, he didn't. But
then, in a few days, he re-
turned to the subject and for
whole evenings would talk
about nothing else. An obseS-
sion was growing in a mind
that cried out against it but
strangely seemed to welcome
its growth.
1t was growing and growing
like cancer. and, in its path. be-
gan to devour fact and reason
Last fall, Leonard Redden re-
turned to school reluctantly. He
was talking about resigning
Why? Because of all this Cos
sip. But there is no gossip. Oh,
yes there is, yes there is.
II need your help" he said
to his wife one night. He
seemed to be pleading des-
perately. She offered to seek the
advice of their minister or the
school superintendent.
II take care of my own prob
lems." Leonard snapped back
suddenly. Il don't want out
side help and don't you tell
anybody anything"
Away from work during
Christmas, Leonard seemed to
relax. But then came the last
week end of the holiday. The
Reddens had just gotten into
bed that Saturday night wher
he started again, on the same
tortured refrain of imagined
gossip.
Leonard was now talking