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Show For Love... A SHORT STORY By Richard Hill Wilki nson Doris Fairchild was cursed with money. Literally cursed. She had been born into it. Millions.. Since childhood money had provided her with everything. There was nothing noth-ing she was ted to believe, that money couldn't tauy. There came a time when Doris, reaching maturity, realized that wealth was the altar at which all men worshipped. It was a sad awakening from a fool's 'paradise in which gallant suitors sought her hand for love. She ihecame cynical, skeptical afraid. Afraid that no one in the world would care for her alone. Then she met Hal Clearing. Hal was young and handsome. He was ambitious and poor. He had one passion to write plays. Nothing mattered in Hal's life save the fulfillment ful-fillment of this dream. Then he met Doris and discovered dis-covered that life held something else besides ambition. He wanted Doris more than he ever wanted anything. And Doris wanted Hal. They came to know happiness. It was two weeks after their engagement en-gagement had 'been announced that Doris went over the whole thing seriously. People had 'begun to talk,' to whisper behind her back. She knew they thought Hal wanted her for her money. She didn't believe the gossips yet, she had to know. She sat down and wrote hastily: hast-ily: "Dear Hal: I must tell you toe-fore toe-fore we go any further. Father would rage if he knew I was writing writ-ing this, tout it's only fair that you know. Hal, dear, we are poor. Father Fa-ther has lost everything. It's terrible, ter-rible, .but oh Hal, I love you so . . . This may make a difference. I can hardly blame you if it does. I'll understand and forgive. Doris." She sealed the letter and mailed it. This was on Thursday. . . Hal Clearing faced himself in his bedroom mirror and told himself him-self that never, so long as he had a spark of manhood in him, could he could marry Doris Fairchild while she had money. Well, he'd find out. Hal sat down and wrote hastily: !"Dear Doris: People are talking. And despite the fact that I love you madly I can't let them go on thinking that I'm marrying you for your money. I'm sorry it happened hap-pened this way, hut it never occurred oc-curred to me that folks might suspect sus-pect I had such a motive. Therefore, There-fore, unless you love me enough to live on what little I have I'm afraid it's only fair to both of us that we break our engagement now and spare ourselves the heartaches that might follow. Hal." This was on Thursday. On Friday Hal, chugging along in his ramshackle coupe discovered dis-covered while still three miles from his destination that a rear tire had ceased to serve as a receptacle re-ceptacle for air. The vehicle of ancient vintage was at the moment mo-ment straining every cylinder in an effort to 'break a few speed laws. Hence shortly after the explosion ex-plosion warned Hal of what was taking place he found himself spread-eagled in a grassy field on the opposite side of a fence near the road. He picked himself up and ruefully regarded the wreckage. wreck-age. At the moment a smart-looking roadster drew to a halt in the roadway. Hal looked up to find himself staring into the startled eyes of Doris Fairchild. He hurdled hur-dled the f ence. "Doris, darling, I just received your letter and was on my way over to kidnap you and marry you today. Will you, sweetheart? We can show these gossipers that love, real love, has a meaning all its own." "But Hal, dear I just received your letter and was on my way over to make you marry me whether whe-ther you wanted to or not. You see, it was all a lie. Father isn't poor. He's richer than ever. Will you forgive me?" "Then then you aren't poor?" "I didn't say I wasn't. I said father wasn't I'm going to marry you now- And we're going to live in a flat and you're going to write plays and and I'm so hapy I'm " She paused. Hal's face had fallen. Doris started the motor of her car. "Hal Clearing, unless you get in this car at once and ride to the minister's with me I'll I'll make you walk home'" , "Instinctively Hal looked at the wreckage of his car, turned to gaze up the two mile stretch of deserted road, turned still farther to look into Doris' twinkling eyes, and said: "Miss Fairchild, if you'll kindly move over I'd like to drive this here vehicle. I'm used to coaxing speed out of motor cars. And I'm quite sure I can get us to the minister's a lot quicker than you can." |