Show II CHIC KIE 99 B BcE By cE Copyright Elenore by Elenore rin I Continued from yesterday Jonathan found her there In the dark put dark put his long sinewy arm about her Then he knew that that- she was crying He lie laughed at her Chickie girl you wouldn't really want Mary lary to turn old maid would you Now dont don't go spoiling your pretty eyes for nothing She didn't tell him It was for Jimmy Jimm sho she cried She wouldn't tell that to Jonathan Not for worlds D Deep p In her heart she knew that he would have given her gladly gladly yes yes Jonathan would have tave given her his Chick Chickie ie gladly to Jimmy So she wouldn't let him know knOW nor nor Jennie either It was so lonesome now For ForI days she went about with a forlorn I quiet weighing on her heart ItI It was as though someone sho she dearly dear dear- I ly loved had died She wondered If Jimmy would not bother dropping In any more And tJ they tl y would never go to the Orpheum together again When hen the Tuesday night t they ey al always always always al- al ways went to the show came JImmy Jimmy Jimmy Jim JIm- my was waiting wafting as she got off the car coming from work He caught her arm pinched It hard and I laughed right In her face See ee here you conceited little nut Im I'm not hanging banging on a sour apple tree tree tree- not yet Dont Don't think youre you're getting getting getting get get- ting away with this touch me not Ill I'll melt stuff Be ready at seven- seven thirty I have no car fare so you'll walk I Just as It always had been been been- I darling old Jimmy again nice again nice up grown-up Jimmy and she could tell I him all her troubles and ask his advice One night he said Did mother tell you ou Mary sent dent a wire today Sires Sire's coming back They're leavIng leaving leaving leav leav- ing at once The drug company's company s offered Edward a great job job job- She stood s stock still In the Ule ma- ma madIe madle dle dIe of the street Why that was as vas like the moon coming down and kissing her so wild It made her feel with Joy She hugged his arm she burst out laughing saying J Jimmy darling darling darling-darling-darling- darling oh when oh His face grew white You wouldn't feel like this for me She closed her eyes hard When Mary l came they threw their arms about each other They cried and then they laughed And for a awhile awhile awhile while were closer to cacti otner other before It was wonderful wonderful the the change in tn Mary all Mary all the snappy discontent that goner high look of sweetness on her face She moved about the little flat they took on Dolores street like a young ardent priestess priest priest- ess all aglow with Joy Nearly every afternoon ran in on her way home Mary was wearing her bel soft brown hair hall parted In the middle now and drawn quaintly half over her ears eats This gave her h-er dark face a chaste quiet air that made think of gentle gentle gentle gen gen- tle She watched Mary arranging flowers on a snowy table with graceful tenderness tenderness and and re remembering remembering re- re re-I re this same Mary flouncing flouncing flouncing ing down the napkins and the pepI peppers peppers pep pep- pers and salts when she used to set the table in the old home Chickie burst out laughing laugh I Mary youre you're all like prunes and prisms now You mean with my hair parted pane Edward liked it ft it itOh I Oh Mary Quoting Edward al al- al ready 5 I J suppose you'd hang a wart to the top of your nose if sweet Edward like It et Ill laugh at you yet Oh my yes When pickles grow on a rose That is what I r used to think And all the while I was only waitIng waiting waiting wait wait- ing for Edward to come That's what youre you're waiting wafting for too Not if I know it You do know it Every time you see a man who strikes you OU as stunning stunning stunning stun stun- ning you ou begin begin- to w wonder Is he hethe hethe hethe the one flushed Walking home homeI slowly this picture of Mary Diary l ry radiant In the little white kept I flashing like a warm happy smile But Instead of Mary lary setting Out OutI I the dainty blue dishes In the cozy breakfast nook it was Chickie In Instead Instead In- In stead of Edward whistling through the he hall It was someone tall with I black hair straight across his forehead fore fore- head not head not Jimmy of course course but but someone full lull of grins and big like Jimmy was Dreaming this her I step hurried grew light She laughed glancing about wearily lest lest est someone perceive the shy bright exuberance wherein she walked I i In the beginning nothing marred this picture When hen the four of them went out together people looked at them because they laughed with such a careless glee Old people people people-people people about 30 or so so- so wondered what these young yo ng fools found so delicious and aDd so comical In life It didn't last There came a night when Mary Iary wouldn't go to the show though Jimmy had the four tickets This happened twice Chickie dropping in on one ong afternoon urged impatiently Oh tOh why dont don't you come Mary why Mary why you Just want to stick around here and do nothing Mary had drawn a chair over to the sink and was sitting there heavIly heavily ily lly slicing tomatoes for a salad Please come conic 1 Mary If youre you're going to begin began and spoil everything everything every every- thing thing- Marys larys face turned scarlet I 1 would would would-I'd Id I'd love to I Just dont don't feel equal equal equal- l- l Not equal to going to a show Then Chickie stopped for Marys Mary's eyes ha had suddenly filled Her lips were trembling stood there and stared All at once her heart began I to pound pound pound-pound pound madly r sent a queer hotness stifling through her She saw I 1 Marys Mary's rys ry's eye assenting and she whispered frightened Oh Mary so soon and couldn't say say another word because her throat got dry and tight Mary laughed nervously took up her knife I I t thought ought you OU guessed It long ago Its It's not so soon Why dont don't stand there ther crying about It Im I'm glad Kor fol a long while couldn't speak Then she came over over and leaned on the Honestly Honest ly are you glad Mary Oh I cant can't believe that I Well Ve II you ou dont don't know I But I mean it it-It it It may seem hard and all that that that-I I dont don't care care care- could see a strained white line Une about Marys Mary's lips Her lIer own heart felt like that She managed to say with a little pitched high-pitched laugh Oh well then Its It's all right I suppose But she found It hard to breathe She wanted to hurry away not away not to look at Mary Coming to her own steps she had to blink bUnk sharply make sharply make her eyes I steady So Mary didn't go out with them any more found her in the late afternoons sitting in the living room her feet on a chair the sun streaming over her shoulders She read a a. great deal deal books books that Edward Edward Edward Ed Ed- ward brought I love to sit here and dream she said folding her hands as though she never intended to stir again Chickie was weighted down with Marys Mary's Impassive quietude Often when when she she found Mary Iary moving about with such heavy effort she said Oh sit here Mary Ill I'll throw the things on the stove And she dashed about getting Marys Mary's dinner feeling a wild free Joy In her own swiftness swiftness her her quick lightsome f feet t She went home home winged exulting In each buoyant elastic step Oh It was good to be dashing along light and slim sUm like herself herselt setting blue dishes dishes' on a table for two Jimmy brought her back with a wrench to deeper thoughts He came over one night In a high state of suppressed excitement He blurted out What hat do you think Im I'm Im I'm off to Honolulu Honolulu- Honolulu She stared at him and a pang caught her heart Not for goo good Oh Oh- Oh He Heas was as standing holding her hands looking Into her face No they're No theire putting up a new cannery cannery Im Im I'm going down to give It the once over Say that's a trip a Chickie-a a whole month there there say say well what about It well It-well- well He lie waited waited wafted waited with his eyes ees pulling her like hooks Her lips Ups began to twitch Jimmy dropped her hands Well he said with his back half halt turned Ill Ill Ill I'll come in again again- He went hurrying down I the hall She stood motionless It ItI I seemed as th though ugh her pulses all were stilled Jimmy closed the door softly She he felt that a moment holy and terrible terrible ter ter- ter- ter had come to her It was passed now and might never come like that f again CHAPTER IX On the New Road Jimmy was the the first man who whoever whoever ev ever r asked her to marry him She let him go away let the door close dose softly Yet even as the still hush dropped on her heart she heard in I Its depths a low singing like the ripple of a a. woodland stream Someone Someone Someone Some Some- one loved her loved her ah loved her so sowell sowell I well it made his face all white Loved Loed her her like like that I The elfin Joy kept murmuring awakened In her a a. serene aserene blithe self assurance Jimmy loved her and Jimmy was wag abig a a. a big fine fellow better than nearly any man she knew Unconsciously she was thinking tI this ls unconsciously she was comparing comparing comparing com com- paring others others all all the men who came Into the office with office with Jimmy O Oh they Oh-they they they weren't as tall tallA nor as quick nor anything like like Jimmy was It used to be that when these men stopped at her desk her face would flood with color her hel- hands fidget Janina would mock after after- ward Now she glanced at them quietly Now when they asked her to go out she was not dumb with awe as she had been with Harry Lewis She thought to herself with a u gay Oh who are you ou Little cricket Look at Jimmy It gave a happy dash clash to all her winsome caprice Janina noticed Glad to see you picking up baby Not ot above taking the tips after after all eh I I It was like Uke a spattering of dirty water on a sheer white dress Chickie answered airily Iio Ho You'd like to know my hidden charm Come around some night ni after dark Janina Ill I'll gl give gle e j you ou two and a halt half ounces of my 0 own on n secret potion potion guaranteed guaranteed deadly Io No o man can quaff and survIve Thanks baby Dont Don't Set get et the fat fathead head You'll Youl need the whole dose dose yourself Besides Ive I've lots more In Inthe Inthe Inthe the chest where that came from What does dear papa papa have to say now th that t youre you're stepping out nights winced She could feel Janinas Janina's hand as though It ripped In and ancl tore a bit of flesh from her heart She answered Nothing that tha t you could understand Janina Yet Jonathan was a a. sore problem He had such a way of following her with his eyes from the moment she stepped I Into Mo the house When she was going out he grew silent As she kissed him goodbye he held her hand often for a minute or two and kept his head lowered She couldn't bear that She wanted sometimes sometime to throw off her hat to say bitterly Oh all right then then- then Ill I'll stay home hom forever Because of af Jonathan she she sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times made no dates for foJ a a. wh whole e week weel at a time He went aba about t chuckling full chuckling full of young oung spirit spirit Jilt He read his paper then put out his hands showing the long lung tough n nails Insisting that she manicure them them shine shine them up pink like her r own lIe He lay back in his big biZ leather leather leather lea lea- ther chair exulting this great girl Now arent aren't you ou happy 1 wish you Yes yes you selfish old Jonathan Jonathan- you wish your little sweetness had no feet and no eyes and no senses at all but was Just a big lob of jelly to sit here content night after night Now honestly love cutie do you think that's a bit fair In you He He- gave a snap whether it was fair or not There she was was there there he wanted her He lie laughed But what about your old dad and little lit lit- little tle tie Jennie alone so much f It always made her want to cry when he talked like lice this It took the joy out of things And she was lonely enough with Jimmy gone and Mary married Twice after Jimmys Jimmy's return he asked her to go out Each time as asIt asIt asIt It happened she had the evening promised For a long while he didn't drop in or ask again born Her Then Marys' Marys s son on was whole thought and all her soul were poured out on Ol that helpless little bundle bundle on on that wrinkled funn funny little thing so out of shapEr shape in Chickies Chickie's eyes so soft and perfect perfect perfect per per- In Marys Chick Ie couldn't spend all her evenings watching over little James Edward Continued tomorrow |