| Show NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY CHAPTER The scarlet shades of the rear rear lamps threw the pit tit of the theatre into red gloom The shadows from the candles on the stage were wavering giants on the walls The building was cold and silent Judith looked uneasily at Eric Stephen Klvana after the first glance at the empty auditorium had stood quietly smiling at one side His cynical amusement drew an angry glance from the girl as she stepped forward to taI take e Erics Eric's arm Its early yet Stet she said Eric shook his head and Klvana proffered an open watch Its Ifs thirty five he said Eric wheels about Dont croak you two This is no time to weaken weak weak- en Judith youve you've got to stand byA by A stooped man carrying a violin emerged from the musicians' musicians door under the stage My men are all here sir he said to Eric The bo boy boy- nodded Better have them practice the tunes once or twice until the crowd begins to come He spoke with a desperate cour courage ge Look cried Judith At one of the entrances Erics Eric's henchmen were ushering In two or three groups groups of people You see she said beginning to come Eric looked grim have I to come faster than that A distant chiming of many bells bens drifted in fn from in-from from the south Dean Browns Brown's meeting is beginning said Eric He turned on his heel and walked away from them The musicians began discordant tuning of their instruments Klvana laughed Spiritless music for or a ared ared ared red meeting he said I imagine this venture will fall through Im I'm truly sorry Judith turned on him Dont ad admit admit admit ad- ad mit you think that Weve We've got to stand by Eric now now He looked at her shrewdly but made no reply They stood together for fot some little time while the or orchestra orchestra orchestra or- or chestra ran over its songs and the admitted a straggling line of ot townspeople As yet there had been only a half dozen students among them Klvana's watch now showed I forty five forty five and the audience might have numbered thirty or I forty Corty persons What are are we going to do lo she whispered to 10 the man beside her As If In answer to the question Eric appeared in the the- wings the wings wings' again He was striding toward them with an Intent frown on his face Well Vell beg begin he said going up to Klvana As soon as the or orchestra orchestra orchestra or- or chestra has played Its opening number number number num num- ber Ill I'll go out and Introduce you Klvana nodded and walked toward a table on which a pitcher of water and a glass were standing Eric said Judith how ow did yo you advertise this meeting He lie answered as though against his will I had a delegate In every frat and sorority that I 1 could trust I spread my hints broadcast without without without with with- out ever committing myself I 1 had them all lined up to strike tonight at the dinner tables all over Pendle Pendle- ton I thought Id I'd picked good men mento men mento mento to marshal em In I 1 evidently picked spineless fools He strode away from her The orchestra swung into a Sousa march The throbbing tread of the music beat strangely upon the great empty spaces and came back In a thousand echoes Judith could see sec Eric straightening his tie as he whispered to Klvana Khana Then both men were stepping out into the center center of the stage and the music stopped Judith could see Eric taking his stand near the flickering fick- fick ering red candles while Klvana stood a little bath back Friends said Eric I am hereto here hereto hereto to introduce introduce- Hi His Hag voice blurred in Judiths Judith's ears She stood in the wings wrings straining her eyes for new newcomers newcomers om rs in inI inthe inthe I the pit She tried to hear his words but they slipped Into one another and rolled away Then the tall tail man behind Eric straightened his shoulders and took tooka a step forward There was a half halfhearted halfhearted halfhearted hearted clapping from a dozen en pairs of hands Klvana began to speak She could hear his rich clear cut enunciation with ith its hint of European precision Emancipation he said and deliverance deliverance deliverance de de- de- de liverance from cant cant cant- There were other phrases beautifully rounded flung from his lips at the almost empty auditorium with a fine disregard disregard disregard dis dis- regard of ot circumstance There was a movement in m the gallery the vague stirring of a stolid audience that finds itself moved against its will But the rows of red looped seats in the pit yawned emptily Judith leaned forward to catch a glimpse of his body She saw him leaning far over the edge of the platform hurling words into space skate the red spots on hi his 3 cheeks aflame And as she 1001 looked ed and listened a faint sound began to weave in and out through the cadences of the speaker It was music far off and the tune was was nameless Judith peered at the musicians under the stage They had slumped over their Instruments and the was asleep with his head hanging back bath against his chair The demon music that she heard was not from them She strained her ears The music Was unmistakably drawing drawing- nearer Klvana reached a glowing period tossed his curly hair off his forehead forehead forehead fore fore- head and stretched out an arm to his meager audience Then there was a clatter at the great central doors which burst open to a fanfare fanfare fanfare fan fan- fare of braying music and the head of a strange procession thrust itself into the back of ot the theatre There were shouts and trampling feet and the dancing light of ot torches and forms thronging In through the doorway led bv by one whose torches were carried by others on either side of him Then she realized that the they were I Ising sing The Marseillaise The de demon demon de- de I mon music was the brassy song of or saxophones and it marched to the rhythm of muffled drums Down the aisle came the tramping tramping tramping tramp tramp- ing procession Arise brayed the saxophones Arise sang a hodgepodge hodgepodge hodgepodge hodge hodge- podge of or tenors and basses an and 1 squeaky sopranos Arise Alse beat t the e drums The day of glory is at hand The music reached higher crescendos crescendos crescendos cres- cres as the head of or the column neared the stage Then Judith grasping for tor Erics Eric's hand shrieked in a voice that reached him only as asa asa asa a whisper Its Will Will it was in the green riding suit hat off orf marching solemnly amidst the capers of his followers flanked by torchbearers and singing singing singing sing sing- ing lustily My fy God said Eric and I It was hard to tell what emotion the words expressed The procession wound Its Us w way y Into into In In- to the front rows filled ed one and threaded through another every member standing stiffly by his chair Tramping shrieking The Marseillaise Marseillaise Mar far the throng throne was filling the theatre pit as rapidly as salt from froma i a a. bag pours into a salt shaker Judith was clutching at Erics Eric's hand Klvana na stood by his basket of ot flaming roses dark eyes glittering gUtterIng in the candle light tight i The Bijou theatre was filling mUng to capacity with a standing shrieking audience The saxophone players in front stopped gasping The voices died down and for a a amo moment mo moment moment mo mo- ment there was wal a. a a heavy silence Then babel broke loose and Judith Ju Ju- lith stood stood-ln the torchlight on the stage e It had been going golnA on for years years- this riot of voices and dizzy dizzy- dizz flickering flickering flickering flicker flicker- ing of lights The road ran by under them like a smooth ribbon of ot steel Winding after arter their car came the cars of others and the taxis they had gathered up on Main street They were all singing each singing each car a different tune I Judith opened her hr eyes from the dze ize He in which sh had hung hunA sus sus- p On her left ft was Eric Placid silent ben his h handsome held over oer the tte steering wheel so that glints glint from the speedometer light caught in his green eyes On the other side Ride was wed wedged ed Will Wetherell He was bending ru ruefully full over his green thigh h. h Damned torchbearer singed m my pants pant he muttered Ruined this suit Im I'm afraid Eric spoke up That suit has has' 1 served Its purpose any vay anyway Yeth ere erel When I 1 used to ra razz z It I 1 never thought it would lead a crusade crusade crusade cru- cru sade to my escue i Neither did I ansWered ver d Will VIII But dont don't take tale too much credit to yourself I got a kick out of the torches and songs Gad How the dean will rage There weren't fifty people at his rally They were turning in now now at the Sigma fraternity house with a along along along long line of machines behind behind- L them Eric threw open the door doo and they found the the- hall swarming swarming with students stu stu- dents men dents men and coeds Poole talked to empty space was the cry that greeted them Someone made a dive for the piano and struck up a syncopated version of ot The Marseillaise Feet began to tap and throats to hum and Eric held Judith close in an an Improvised dance Well Vell celebrate out our wedding tonight Judith he whispered his lips against her vivid hair Well run out to Earlham after the party She made no articulate reply A vague sense of ot discontent tugged at her But she danced close to his heart and smiled up into his eyes The music stopped with a bang bmg just as they neared the great oak table in the hall Ana And Eric with a mighty swing lifted Judith till her toes touched the table top and she sheI I stood high about the shoulders of them all The men began to laugh Give us a dance Give us a dance The pianist was banging his chords And Judith began to laugh uncertainly uncertainly uncertainly seeing only the gr green en eyes of Eric greedily upon her Someone running from the music room tossed a mandolin to her Give up a Carmen Give us a Carmen She laughed again exI ex ex- ex- ex I r f J I She was holding the mandolin awkwardly hesitantly when the front door opened and amid a sudden hush Dean Timothy Brown stood there with a gargoyle face of contorted stone Others were vere behind him i. The dean paused but a moment Then taking in the tableau his lips writhed and he sprang for Judith Get down you shameless hussy hussy- you you you- ou He grabbed for her wrist and Judith recoiled But someone behind the dean had moved moved even even more quickly than he A long arm flashed out and the fist it propelled crashed violently against the deans dean's jaw And Timothy Timothy Timo Timo- I thy fell like a log his head bumping bumping bumping bump bump- ing solidly against the red tiling Once more dead silence filled the room to be shattered by a piercing shriek from on one of the girls To be continued The bridges are burned behind Judith now She is through at Pendleton But she finds her love I and and happiness in in the concluding I chapter tomorrow |
