Show Trapp Trapped cJ By y 1 Love gy L. L L. L r co eden O en r n M rt CHAPTER 13 Mrs Dobson's preference preference for her second floor front tenant sometimes irritated her other boarders The little courtesies courtesies she showed him the little comforts she arranged for him the smiling acquiescence to his opinions the motherly care she bestowed bestowed bestowed be be- stowed upon him him all all these irked Mrs Dobson's other paying guests but she didn't care she went her own way doing as she chose From the first when John Wallace Wallace Wal Wallace lace had come to her home a battered battered battered bat bat- suitcase in one hand and a worn overcoat in the other she had welcomed him almost as a son Something in his eyes drew her to him some something ing in the tender set of his lips And then as she always said to her friends it was a pleasure to todo todo todo do for tor him he w was s so grateful and thankful Almost as if she were doing for her own son if she had one It wasn't everyone who wa waso was wa wasso so thoughtful as John men John men like Uke John didn't come to her boarding house every day they day they didn't come every year either cither Appreciation He to appreciate how hard she worked to get th the rooms clean how hard she slaved over the stove to produce the simple food how hard I it was to keep peace in her household Although he didn't tell her she knew he knew and from the tho first there was that bond of sympathy between them And he was so jolly around the house yet so quiet when he let himself in at night if he stayed out late S So considerate For instance yesterday yesterday building building the shelves in the garage Why she had only mentioned that she might like them there and here they were But that was the way with JohnA JohnA John If A A nice boy she muttered to Alma the girl who helped with the cleaning and washing up An awfully awfully awfully aw aw- aw- aw fully nice boy Alma thought so too but she didn't say anything Her dreams about John Wallace were her own private ate dreams and she didn't intend in Intend Intend In In- tend that Mrs Dobson should know ab about out them the unless them unless something came of them which she was beginning to doubt for she was beginning to think that John was impossible were a girl was concerned Wanted John Not that she couldn't have anybody anybody any any- any any- body at Mrs rs Dobson's if it sh she those she she could if it she wanted wanted- wanted but b but t she only wanted santed John and he didn't want her At least it it didn't seem at the present time that he wanted her He smiled at her to be sure he kidded her like the other men did did but but nothing ever came of ot It and Alma was used to attention Before she had come como to help out Mrs Dobson the tho attention of an any man suited her but now it was wason on only y John she thought about Her mind was so 80 busy about him that she didn't have havo time timo to consider anyone else As she washed the dishes in Mrs Dobson's Dobon kitchen she was thinking about him Ho g got t another letter r today she he said as she put puta a platter heavily ily fly down own on the sink Fr From m the same same same- girl That's four tour this week A plate piato struck the platt platter r and chipped it She certainly is faithful Mrs Dobson remarked although she wasn't interested in Johns John's Malland mall man malland and nev never r had been If It Alma hadn't reported constantly she harly would h have ve realized that John was hearing regularly fr from m a girl Johns John's love affairs didn't interest her She sure is That's more than hes he's ever got in a week weck Didn't he be ever over tell you her name Alma continued Never I 3 never asked ed him Ask him will you Id I'd kinda like to know knoW to to kid him you know It would be fun I I might some day dayNo dayNo day day- No Success Alma had h had d no success herself herself her her- self in finding out the name of ot the girl She had interrogated John himself and John had done nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing but laugh And the letters were never left in his room Alma knew every hiding place in the big front room he occupied she had been over every everyone one of them many times nearly every day since she had known John for she cleaned his room and made his bed but but she could find nothing Not Nota a a. scrap of any of the l letters that came usually twice a week Not a scrap of anything else eLe that might tell teU her who the girl was Not Nota a picture of anybody a snapshot snapshot snapshot snap snap- shot tucked away in his suitcase At first Alma thought she was careless in her searching but when she became more thorough she had to admit that it was strange strange- not finding any pictures among Johns John's belongings All AIl the other men meli had pictures of their mothers their families sometimes of a a. sweetheart The other men too left their mail mall around which Alma of course read because she liked to dip Into prIvate private pH- pH vate lives That was the way way she knew that George who had the room next to John had been married married mar mar- ried ned and his wife wiCe wanted him to I come come back back- that Coreys Corey's girl had I turned him down that Joes Joe's baby was living with his mother and Joe was supporting them in Cleveland What John did with the letters that came caine so regularly Alma didn't know He couldn't carry them allIn all allIn In Jn his wallet wallet- Wrote Letters And nd he wrote l letters to too In hi his room o m on n the table was paper in a ii box envelopes in a pile which h di diminished diminished diminished di- di and was waS replenished as aswell aswell aswell well as pen and imd in ink Sometimes in inthe inthe I the he evenings he didn't stay downstairs down down- st stairs with the men or go out with th them m to play pool or bowl he went straight to his room and wrote leters let- let ers I Alma had heard the scratching of ot his i pen n for the Mrs Dobson's were wore thin All evening e he stayed in hi his room and arid the next morning on his way to work for for forthe the girl could watch vatch him from th the kitchen window striding along with his easy free tree stride he he dropped a ale aletter aletter le letter ter into the box at the postoffice around the corner Several times Alma tried to be diplomatic Tm Im going Into town John and If it youve you've anything to mall mail mail- But Buthe Buthe Buthe he never had anything to mall mail or orif orif if it he did he s said ld he Never anything in his pockets not a scrap of paper for she went over ocr those every day too in hopes he might leave something that would tell her the name of his girl Nothing in the sult suitcase ase on the closet shelf that shelf that was empty Once he had left his plain white metal watch behind him on the table and she had opened the back eagerly to see if it might contain a picture It didn't and she was disappointed and yet pleased in a away a way Is he still thinking of ot going away for the week end 1 she ahe asked Mrs Dobson John No I I. dont don't think so so-he so he said tonight he thought he Where would he go if It he went 1 Exasperating Mrs Dobson was so exasperating to 10 the girl Her lack of c curiosity about John when everything John did or or planned to do was so terribly vital Not asking him where he was going if It h he went Wh Whom m he was going to sec Lee Alma dropped a acup acup acup cup on the floor and the handle splintered o off and skipped under the stove the second youve you've broken tonight tonight- Mrs Dobson chIded V Alma said nothing but her hr face was crimson when she got up up from under the stove and her eyes were filled with with unshed unshed tears If John went away over the week end the house would be so dull dOll without him There would be no incentive to do anything if he went went went- Her face brightened a little as she went back to her dishes He Hc might not go Mrs Dobson had said he wasn't sure Hes funny she said looking squarely at her employer Hes funny about telling things Sort of mysterious mysterious-If I dont don't think hes he's mysterious Youre You're Imagining things Alma If you'll only get on with those dishes dishes- dishes If Why wouldn't he tell teU you where he was going But child I didn't ask him Well I did and he said he was making a flying trip to the north pole Now is that an answer Stops by Room When Al Alma AIma ia went up to her room an hour later she paused before Wallaces Wallace's door He was there she knew because he wasn't down in iii inthe inthe the parlor with Mrs Dobso Dobson's s 's other boarders and he hadn't gone out Besides there was a light under his door which wouldn't be there if he weren't in his room But she couldn't hear even ve a sound round tonight not not even the scratching of his pen although she stood her ear pressed to the old thin wood panels as long as she dared which was until she recognized Mrs Dobson's footsteps in the hall hail When she got to her room on the third floor she thought he must have been sleeping John Wallace however wasn't sleeping He was reading reading reading-reading reading a letter he had read times since it had come He knew every Jine ine every word by heart but he still read it because it gave 1 him i such infinite pleasure to do it Now and then he lifted the paper which was was was' beginning to show soil to his lip lips and kissed it From time to time he looked from the paper to the unlit candle which Alma wondered about vaguely at times Strange Candle It was with this candle set In its plain holder that he burned Margo's Margos Margos Margo's Mar Mar- argos argo's ar- ar gos go's letters letters' immediately after he had read them The letter he was holding though wasn't a letter from Margo It was a letter from Lucy Prentice Prentice Prentice-he he seldom thought of her herby herby herby by her married and and name and he knew he should burn burnit It as he did Margos Margo's but he c couldn't uld lt He couldn't burn burnit burnit it it and scatter the ashes out the window as 83 he did Margos Margo's letters How he longed to see Lucy To see her not her not to speak to her al although although al- al though that would be e heaven too but a hea heaven en not attainable rj right ht now A heaven too impossible to dream much about A glimpse of h her r would satisfy him for a long longtime longtime time ime to come just as the thoughts of her had satisfied him for two years year Reluctantly he ho folded the letter carefully and put it back In in his wallet next to his union card Then he sat d down wn at the tho table to write a lett letter r to Margo She was Vas right as usual It was rash to to think of Lucy Lucy- Lucy yet Copyright 1935 t for r The Salt Lake Telegram To be continued t tomorrow morrow |