| Show I TELEGRAM I Spite Marri Marriage I FICTION By By KATHARINE BA HAVIL TAYLOR HAVILAND-TAYLOR TAYLOR AND SYNOPSIS The death of ot Marsha Moores Moore's parents parents par par- has sent her to live with her hex spinster Aunt Gertrude Ten yean years with Aunt Gertrude and her harsh regimen have made Mar Marsha a Into a ahard ahard hard pleasure loving young woman who has strewn the town with her discarded suitors Then Bob Powers arrives from Mexico and Marsha finds she can not drop him so easily Unable to hurt Bob she has allowed him to give her a ring and now she is 15 calling on his old fashioned old charming charming charm charm- ing mother CHAPTER CHAPTER NINE I wish said Marsha that I were nice enough to belong belon in this house She realized it had been long since she h had d d done me more than to laugh althe at al atthe atthe the word nice unice and now she had said it seriously and her eyes had brimmed But dear you do belong in this houes and to us usi Bobs Bob's mothers mother's assured assured assured as as- her She added in an aside to Bob A little nervous and she added to that and more loudly Bob will you be so kind as to ring for tea Marsha had all Bob laid laida a hand on her shoulder as he moved toward oward the belL They were both anxious ious bus that she should shoud be happily at ease with them and beyond feeling nervous while within their reach Oh dont don't she thought dont be beso beso beso so kind The tea was patently a gala af af- fair air the best of all the good porcelain porcelain lain ain was upon a huge gleaming silver silver sil sil- sil ver tray which Bartholomew Bartholom brought broughto ht to o set on a solid table before Mrs Powers Mrs Powers measured from froma a caddy tea that had come from China Bob sat staring at Marsha Marsha tried to speak easily casily but she could not Answer to Questions At dinner that night Miss Gertrude was rarely loquacious She had the that thrives in n persons without imagination to reveal spiritual spirit ual toes upon which questions may tread I am frankly eager she a admitted admit admit- It- It ted ed with an acid smile to hear of your adventure of this afternoon I could not conceive the the let let us say say say- melange It was waS a bit strange Marsha an an- She stared a little ly b y at the silver which having come from such proudly respectable ancestors ancestors an an- had always made her feel teel more than ever the Pariah she knew she he was How did Mrs Powers impress I you Miss Gertrude probed on She impressed me as a woman who had gone into caps at twenty twenty- seven even Marsha answered pertly and I know she knits those thore scratchy wash cloths that are arc wrapped around the he soap that smells like a dog being being be be- ing treated for tor mange and I could see her giving the amalgamation to the servants with servants with advice Is my description description de do- adequate or do you require more That was Marsha's old manner but sh ho had lost her way to the music and she he could but chant the words with witha a new bitterness Even Miss Gert rude ude who saw little beside her own noticed the change I presume you ou will break it fl oil off she he queried I presume I shall Marsha agreed greed She added It has been done before I I think perhaps Miss Gertrude commented that it will be the most heartless and wicked thing that even evenou you jou ou have ever done Well not quarrel about that Marsha larsha stated I feel as do you No io thank you ou Alice I dont don't care for or any sweet She rose then If J you'll be goodenough good goodenough goodnough enough nough to excuse me Aunt Aunt- Well Weilt Miss Gertrude murmured as Marsha left the room sh She had never thought anything could l touch uch Marsha and Marsha was obviously touched But it wont won't last it cant can't last ast she thought triumphantly Marsha nervous in the drawing room oom room wanting to move this that knowing mowing she dared not as each object object ob ob- had its sacred wondered spot spot wondered Whether Geoffrey had telephoned while she was out perhaps She wanted to see him needed to see ee him No Calls She wanted to be taken back to him ilm to the ground where one stood careless of at others' others hurts to the ground round where one thought only of at killing ones one's own drearily stretch stretch- lag ing ng time She moved toward the dining room oom Alice she said her voice quick and sharpened by strain did Mr Tarleton telephone this afternoon after after- noon icon Alice answered with UN No 0 Miss Marsha Miss Gertrude smiled without raising raising rais rais- ing lag her eyes from her plate her smugness sang The way of the transgressor is hard bard and Marsha aw saw saw through her that Pharisee who thanked his God that he was not as other men She could not stand much more she he felt as she stood by a window of or the drawing room to trace the cars by their gleaming lights that followed allowed the avenue Years it had hadeen been een since she had suffered thus from rom her aunts aunt's smile and its cation Why must she turn back to the younger heart helIt that could suffer What had made her turn What could she do about Bob It was Geoffrey she wanted Geoffery Close lose to three weeks now he had been in Ito town and without sending a word to her She puffed deep on her to see in the blue floating smoke Mrs Powers saying But dear you do I belong in this house and to us She belonging in that house Why couldn't she laugh at it She had hat sneered at nervous breakdowns Was she to suffer one She mustn't i cry and she wanted to cry all the I Urn time e. e Doubtless Mrs Powers will be re rea re- re said Miss Gertrude who ap pea red to pursue the theme but it will seem hard to the young man for tor fora tora a time although I presume he will live Uv to thank you That stopped Marsha's impulse to tears But youre you're simply too fond of at me me Aunt Marsha replied You think everyone must love me as you do dol dolIt It silenced Miss Gertrude She glared and making her angry helped a little Alice appeared to say The telephone Miss Marsha Marsha's heart beat hard but it was not Geoffrey who had called her It was only Bob Yes she said wearily after his short charged heavily and eager cager Dear She could not keep it up much longer she knew tI tl was actually actually ac ac- ac making her ill Is It a Game November had frozen and thawed again and again the last of its weeks was held for the most part in a fog tog which turned the river and harbor craft clamorous and that made old scenes strangely and eerily new Miss Gertrude was loud in her descriptions de do- of the deaths from influenza influenza enza which was creeping over the city to paralyze it she shook her head and gloated a blue-blooded blue ghoul who called her fascination for tor the morbid my ready sym pathy Marsha forced her and dwelt upon those lines of Housmans Housman's which have to do with dressing and washing and eating and thinking and God knows why She tried to fill ill her time and she tried not to think She thought a great deal and she could not fill her time Youre so strangely and unhappily unhappily restless Miss Gertrude complained com eom over her solitaire cards and her never ending games It was a relief relie when Marsha realized real red Bob knew He came the last evening of November Alice admitted admitted admit admit- ted him in her grim and silent wa way Marsha up from the book which was with all the rest shed she'd read lately so dull dum to see him standing in the doorway that led ledo to o the hall halt and seeming to fill it I She appreciated his silent entrance it t was novel and like himI himI himI him I I didn't hear you she said Come in in- in H He moved across the room wIthout without with out speaking and with the long stride of a tall man whose waist has hashe he been een en thinned by work outdoors and whose shoulders have been broadened broadened broad ened by it Marsha looked up at him I I think youre you're not very glad to see me she said God help me I am he answered answered an an- his voice was roughened and he breathed a bit unevenly She rose to stand by him he had evidently been walking coat open and blowing Little beads of mist were vere on his waistcoat his st stiff t shirt was pock pockmarked He looked more ruffled Jhan han sh she h lad had d dreamed he who vho was vas vas' so so o contained con could look Why vh the Paavo Nurmi feat on a night like this she asked she knew well enough but anything to get it over Theres a lovely dew dewon on your shaggy fierce eyebrows I do like them Bob You really are as gentle as a lamb and as innocent innocent innocent inno inno- cent as those old maids who serve on committees for the suppression of vice but you can look so alarming He said nothing staring down on her Well she went on the day has been een dull Get at it Youre You're going to o ask me whether its it's all been a game arent aren't you ou To be Continued Copyright 1934 by K Haviland Haviland- Taylor Talor |
