Show t I I II I SHE HANDS MACK VIOLETS VIOLETS- 4 By DONALD A. A KAHN KAHNT U b by Short Story pub Co HEN Marcia MerIdeth came W WHEN West with her newly acquired A. A B. B degree to work for n a masters master's vat nt our university and to assist the rhetoric professor protessor In reading our themes the whole class including the professor promptly fell In love with her She was twenty she was pretty she was clever she wasI was I witt witty witty and and and she knew her business The Junior prom at our universIty university sity is the one big hig social function so naturally at nt the start all aU the fellows aspired to take Miss 1 Merideth l to the prom But nut It proved that the pretty reader f found und frequent occasion to cite LIndsey 1 Murray's Murrays s grammar and to recommend the the dictionary which was not only dl disconcerting from a scholastic scholas scholas- tic standpoint but tended to throttle our natural al e eloquence Ono One cant can't talk freely ely when he la Is wondering about his diction Only two of the boys seemed to stand any show at all Jack all Jack Jamison and Mack Macic McAllister Their Their- themes were royally received They boasted I not only uniform I A grad grades graded 9 but favorable marginal comments as well Emboldened by scholastic success Jack Tack often otten essayed to take Marcia driving and Mack to show her the wonders of his birch birch bark bark canoe Four months after school started these two alone remained In the lists The rest of us Including the professor retired retired retired re re- re- re tired in their favor But even the fact that the professor had been vanquished alon along with us was Vas small consolation Tuesday and Thursday afternoons Miss Merideth he held d consultations inthe In the flie rhetoric room for for or the benefit t of those who might wish to consult her about their work Regularly each Tuesday Mack Macle put In an nn appearance Thursday was vas Jacks Jack's day Like sensIble sensible sensible ble youngsters they had made this equitable arrangement The Tile visitor wo would ld manage to arrive about two-thirty two and someway Miss Merideth would he be kept In consultation consultation consulta- consulta tion lon until an hour past the set time She would be asked to discuss everything everything every every- thing and anything except anythIng except rhetoric Then at five live he whom the day favored ored would escort her to her sorority house home But neither for several months skillful and persuasive e as ns both undenIably undeniably un un- un- un deniably were had been able to gain MarcIas MarcIa's acceptance to an Invitation to the pr prom m She was much to too busy with her studies to think of preparIng preparing preparing ing to go o. o she said Although he did his best to avoid the subject Marcia one Tuesday Insisted upon discussing with Mack his rhetoric rhetoric rhetoric rhet rhet- oric work For reason enough Mack l tried to dodge the subject Jack Tack In exchange for sundry mathematical services wrote all nIl Macks Mack's themes for or him Mack though a fluent talker simply could not write I lOr lOras was as much taken with the last paper you rou handed in Mr McAllister remarked Marcia The subject was cleverly erly handled Mack gazed Into her wide deep soft violet eyes eJes and lowed Thanks he Ile muttered huskily Your short stories especially are always exceptionally good continued she yours and Mr Jamisons She looked at Mack expecting manifestly some reply Jacks Tacks better at It than I am responded Mack Mack honestly honestly enough He lie has no trouble selling his stuff The Tile editors Just Jump at It Dont you er c ever sell sen yours asked aske Marcia Mack shook hoole his head Jack Jacl gave Mack only class rights to the stories He lIe reserved title to the manuscripts manuscripts manu manu- I scripts and later marketed them under undera a nom de Im best at nt argument and exposition exposition exposition exposi exposi- tion Marcia told him but Id I'd much rather write fiction Ive I've always wished I could do stories when know Stories are easy you how 1 Mack assured her Im certain you Jou could learn Th They're a regular to to to em em pipe lead pipe cinch cinch Do you yon want to do something for fr forme forme me Mr MI McAllister she asked arch arch- ly Iv Looking into the wide deep soft violet Jolet c eyes es Mack fervently felt that dying for Marcia would be he n a mere pastime Write a stor story for me right now right here so I can watch and see sec how you do it she requested Maybe I could learn that way Youre You're such suel a master at It For Tor a mome moment t Mack scratched the edge of his ear thoughtfully and tilen then a n ghost of ot ota a grin lurked in Il his features lie Tie knew Jolly well he never could write a n short story story even even for Marcia Merideth Why Whey Ill I'll tell you he started to o explain laugh I know It Its s funny But Im I'm a queer sort of ot cuss I T cant can't write unless the hc shades es are half halt drawn Just up tIp enough to give a hazy kind of ot U light ht and everything everything- ng- ng I cant can't t dom do shadoWs shadows you jou know And can m myself justice unless I have haye a bunch the desk of t violets In front of ot me on And d I cant can't work unless Im I'm alone Inthe inthe In Inthe the room It Interferes with m my m my artistic temperament I. I Funny lunny my artistic my-artistic Isn't It Marcia Marcin regarded eg rde 1 Mack l with positive admiration She liar had known hosts of ot otI but Mack Macle had others had Marcia I them Iem all easily beaten With difficulty she suppressed 1 n a smile I Violets Violets How would these do from her belt aI a 1 drew I she Rhe us asked 1 eu and nd I desk had hidden Alack r k bunch that tha the I II I I wished b he e had made It chrysanthem- chrysanthem urns iras You can arrange the window shades just as you like them she abe continued And lAnd Ill I'll leave you here heren In n the room all alone Sho She looked full ll at Mack and smiled quaintly So your artistic temperament wont won't be Interfered with site she added d. d When youre you're through bring your story Into the Ule outside room Ill I'll bo ho waiting for you there She left him So soon as the door was closed Mack Hack whistled several bars of ot a popular lor lar ar waltz dan danced the beginning of or a pipe horn-pipe and then grinned at his predicament He walked over to the open window not to adjust the shades but ut to peer out Mariners stranded on ona ona ona a floating plank have ha actually been rescued thought Mack Why give up hope One glance Ilance at the passing throng showed Mack that luck was with him Jack I ho hissed Jamison outside stopped dead still in his tracks dropped cigarette In his surprise and looked up to where Mack was leaning out Where you going asked Mack Post office replied Jamison Just pounded out a lulu for tor Hamiltons Hamilton's magazine Its It's a bUnger blinger believe me fellow meets a girl and falls faUs dead In Inove inlove inlove love ove with her her real real affinity business Turns out that she's the finished edition edition edition edi edi- tion of a baby he rescued from om omIn In front an approaching trolley when they were a couple of kids Lots of heart Interest Interest interest In In- terest and a a couple rip snorting love scenes Robbie Hobble W. W Chambers Is boundIng bounding bound- bound Ing ng up against a rubber fence beside of me Ought to bring at least fifty bucks jucks and the Lord knows knon's I need the lie mone money stated the author with becoming modesty Give de e I ordered Mack Hack his voice nicely fixed between c command and entreaty I r need It In my my- business old man man Ill I'll bring It back to you tonight Remembering a double assignment of trigonometry problems to be handed In on the morrow morrow morrow mor mor- row and cognizant of ot Macks Mack's ability as a Juggler of figures Jamison mutely mutely mute- mute ly y surrendered his precious manuscrIpt manuscript manu manu- manuscript script and on Mack assiduously assiduous assiduous- sly s- s ly y set about to copy the story In a hour half he appeared before the pretty reader render with the story story and and anda a smile Its rather punk he lie apologized apolo apolo- apologized tendering her his copy of ot Jamisons Jamison's masterpiece but I rather rushed It through Didn't want to keep you waiting longer than was necessary necessary necessary sary k know He assumed an easy pose while Marcia read Jamisons Jamison's story He noticed that her bewIlderment bewilderment bewilderment bewilder bewIlder- ment Increased as she read and won won- dered Pretty fair he lie suggested genially genial genIal- ly when the girl was through the thelast thelast thelast last sheet Your love scenes are perfectly charming she declared Her fair bro brow wrinkled In perplexity She bit bither bither bither her Up cruelly troubled that she had been been able to doubt him Then she slie con con- lessed I dont don't know why but we suspected suspected suspected sus sus- the themes yOU you handed In were not your own work said ald she and Professor Haughton asked me to test you this way way way-by by asking you ou to write write a stor story extemporaneously It was Professor Haughton's suggestion suggestion Ill Ill I'll have to explain to him how wrong he was Im I'm awfully sorry that I doubted you ou Mr McAllister 1 I feel terrible about It Will you forgive me please Mack looked Into the wide deep soft violet eyes eyes and and forgave her Will you go to the prom with me asked Mack following his advantage promptly Id Td just love to take you I I dont don't feel hard at lit all Gladly she accepted Im grateful grateful grateful grate grate- ful that youre you're not displeased with me Pretty fair writer write that Jamison thought Mack But hes he's no diplomacy no diplomacy I He never would have forgiven her If she had doubted him |