Show H U Y-P. Y LAST LOVER 0 BY dt 1 rr ih When Richard McFarlane 1 disappeared during World War I he left his wife Julia to raise their two children with the aid of at her father law father law ln-law John I. I McFarlane After a It lapse of 25 S years ears with no word as as to whether Richard is dead or alive e Julia Is beset with new worries when RIc now 27 7 and serving In World War n 11 shows obvious signs of ot inheriting his fathers father's recklessness and Jill JID 26 falls taUs In love with U ut Spang Span Gordon Jill learns from Spang Span that Ric is paying attention to a di divorcee dl di of ot questionable character and goes to camp to Investigate Ric tells her he Is on duty and unable Mable to see sec her However she meets Spang again at the Officers Officers' club dub C CHAPTER APTER VII WI WIOn see On Saturday night you can every officer in this place except the thc poor guys who get stuck with duty Every single one anyway Lieutenant Lieuten Lieuten- ant Stark said and about halt hall the married men Even Old Cyanide Lieutenant Lieuten Lieuten- ant Crawford put In Hes uHe's over there by the window polluting the atmosphere Jill followed the thc movement of Spang's eyes and saw a tall captain sitting alone He had reddish hair turning gray a leathery skin cold blue eyes and a grim mouth under undera a stiff clipped mustache Go easy Joe the enemy is listening listening lis Us Stark warned You mean that captain Who is he be Jill asked His name is Mackey Stark said in a low voice The boys call him Old Cyanide Spang explained because he has hasa a corrosive tongue and you need a mask gas-mask when he turns loose a barrage of language on you Old army man supplied Craw Craw- ford Efficient as hell and just as popular He was a major before Pearl Harbor over in the Islands and they busted him after December December Decem Decem- ber seventh Naturally hes he's sore and he takes it out on anybody who gets within ten feet of him He looks lonely Jill said He Hes s seems ems to have collected a few dec dec- orations Battle stuff Spang said Last war Hed be handsome if he didn't have such a bitter face Jill mused He lie does have a very smart military air The three young men simultaneously simultaneously simultaneously snapped their shoulders back and straightened their ties then laughed together Get hold of yourself Joe she wasn't even looking at y you I 1 1 Suppose I have to break my neck now to get to be a captain They were nice lads with their sunburned natured good-natured faces and the stark white breadth of forehead forehead forehead fore fore- head that marked the line of ot their garrison caps Jill laughed with them waited while they wrangled amiably over the check Spang said Take off you fel fel- lows Ive I've got a date with Jill You really didn't want to catch that bus did you Jill It It isn't terribly important she admitted smiling at him You love me Spang you Spring you know you love me It shows in your eyes Its It's in your voice Stark and Crawford said Good Goodnight Goodnight Goodnight night Miss McFarlane as they all went out into the warm star span night Jill ill Al Meets Mrs AIrs Calvert That captain reminds me of some one she said to Spang but butI I cant can't seem cant seem to remember who it 1 1 is IL v Heydrich or Himmler maybe t Oh no no one like that He 5 hasn't a vicious face He looked a abit bit pathetic bit pathetic to me Youre a soft-hearted soft girl Old f Cyanides Cyanide's as tough as they make rr r a em and the army makes em pI plenty plen- plen en- en 61 ty tough He thinks all the young officers are upstarts and ninetY ninety day daY t t wonders and he resented being sent I ti j here Ive I've been told Y t. I still think there are chinks in his steel armor Didn't nt you have j 1 another engagement Spang Dont Don't t r let me upset your plans I hadn't any plans except to kill another Saturday night And even if I had had they'd be unimportant now that youre you're here So she glowed again and the world was a lovely ace p even with the sodden cloud oft of war hanging over it and dimming all the fu fu- fu- fu ture She would not let it dim the present She said Shall we Just walk around and talk or would you like to do something else Theres the officers officer's club But its it's mostly a II big poker game on Saturday nights I know a little spot out this way where the floor la is pretty good Like dancing Oh Id I'd love dancing The Ike place neon-lighted neon hid its daytime dinginess under a glitter of gaiety Lets try the corners Spang said slipping his arm ar around und her More breathing space there j The dancing did not matter Nothing Nothing Nothing Noth Noth- ing mattered except that Spang's arm m was s around h her the s swings silver wings on his breast close to her cheek her hand curled In his big palm She could hear heAl her iier own heart beating lilting happily because she was so terribly in love Spang pushed her big hat back Cant see your eyes His own were deep and warm and smiling at her His head bead bent close Was he keeping his feelings sternly sternly sternly stern stern- ly controlled because as Julia had said he had nothing to offer otter a woman worn worn- an but uncertainty or dread or grief Couldn't he see that nothing mattered not the future for what was a future if you had a lov lovely ly present to remember when It carrie came Now she had to keep her eyes cool because Spang was looking into them but what if all the aching hunger In her heart welled up into them naive and naked and defenseless defenseless defenseless defense defense- less for him to see So she said quickly Its so warm in here Im I'm Impractically Impractically Impractically practically swooning Lets Let's get something cool to drink shall we I doubt if we can find a table But we can try Spang led her rt 1 U There was a girl with hair like yours and her name was Julia too he said back into the dim room where heads leaned close in every space She clutched his arm suddenly There in a booth his dark handsome handsome hand hand- some head leaned close to a curled and silvered blonde was RicI Riel Spang had seen him too His face darkened and he took her arm to lead her past but Jill tingled and stiffened with sudden anger She marched directly up to the startled pair and instantly Ric leaped up and stood stiffly until Spang made madea a little gesture and muttered something The blonde woman woman she she wasn't a girl Jill saw lifted carefully arched eyebrows How do you do Lieutenant she said smoothly Ric made the the Introductions awk awk- My sister Julia McFarlane McFarlane McFarlane lane Mrs Calvert And may I present present present pre pre- sent Lieutenant Gordon Jill nodded briefly her throat tight and aching as she fought back the young rage with which she had blasted her brother so many times Imes Nice you could get a pass Ric she said coldly even cven if you didn't take the trouble to let me know You were out Ric fumbled I thought perhaps you'd gone home I haven't gone home Ill I'll be here In the morning and Ill I'll Ill expect to see you then I T dont don't know about tomorrow I might be on duty Ric was angry now too At least you'll telephone telephone-me Jill said severely Nice to have seen you Mrs Calvert A 4 Fulfillment Of a Dream Spang made a curt little bow and they walked away Jill was trembling trembling trembling trem trem- bling a little mUe troubled by this silly fury that had shaken her He lied to me she said when they were out in the night again But why do I care Why should It matter to me If he preferred being being being be be- ing with that woman instead of ot me I suppose it its it's beca because se I hate seeing some one who belongs to me doing a cheap dishonest trick Spang you didn't tell me she was pretty Its It's the same one it the It-the the woman you ou told me about Yes that's the one And I dont don't think she's pretty Jill warmed a bit at that anc ancher and her ber tautness lessened They were walking aimlessly now the blare and glitter of the dance spot behind them She Isn't young though she said spitefully been around It Spang said She knows what the score is I But what on earth does she want wan with Ric I didn't tell Mother I Spang Id I'd hoped it might be jusa just jus justI a piece of ot foolishness that hat would I pass I hoped maybe Ric would 1 be shipped out and it would all end and Mother needn't know She dotes on Ric so and I couldn't bear to hurt and worry her when perhaps it was just a temporary folly tolly Ric wont won't be shipped out for a month at least No more quotas coming up But when he gets into officers officer's training he wont won't have any anytime anytime anytime time for foolishness Lets walk all the way shall we Or are you awfully tired No I like walking Im I'm glad slad you came down JilL Spang Spring gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered her arm closer Because I Imay Imay Imay may be leaving soon Ive I've asked for or my transfer to active duty I dont don't like this desk stuff stun Soon Jill repeated in a small thin voice How soon We never know in this army But an older man cah do what Im I'm doing here and things are shaping up fast I want to be in on them You mean you want to fly Im a 8 flier Jill And our air force orce is getting to be a mas magnificent thing hing and I want to be a part of it Ill I'll 11 have to get back into training I I want to learn to handle heavy stuff tuff I suppose it has to be that way Ill I'll 11 miss you Spang I hope you'll miss me a little Spang cleared his throat Ill miss you like the devil But this mess will be over sometime a year or r two I hope Jill wait Jill wait a min min- ute They were on a dimly lighted street a shabby street where a tall billboard made a dark rectangle of shadow Spang drew her ler back further into the shadow bent her head back and kissed her swiftly on the lips Keep that for forme forme forme me till I come back he said husk- husk ily ly- I will Jill whispered quiverIng quiver quiver- lag Ing ng with breathless happiness from head to foot Oh Spang I will willI They were silent all the way back to 0 the hotel but Jill's blood was a tumult a singing This was it Tl This s was real He did care It was wasn in n the pressure of his fingers on her arm In his eyes as they came into nto the lighted lobby in his uncertain uncertain tain ain smile as he prodded the elevator elevator eleva eleva- tor or button call me tomorrow morning morning morning morn morn- ing Ill I'll see you again Not too eagerly Slow Jill McFarlane McFarlane McFarlane Mc Mc- Farlane Do my best he said and nicked flicked a little salute at her as the elevator levator door opened and he turned away way Jill groped into the elevator Through the rose-colored rose fog that enveloped her she was aware of some ome one else standing there That eyed old captain Spang had called Old Cyanide He was looking at ater ather ather her er keenly and when she stopped at t her floor he be got out too and as ashe she he turned to go down the corridor he said Miss McFarlane Jill stopped puzzled You are Miss McFarlane arent aren't you u Yes I am Julia McFarlane I am Roger Mackey Pardon me for speaking to you but I once had some friends named McFarlane in in Tennessee Captain Mackey ackey Asks a Question I live in Tennessee She had been right about him He did look lonely onely and bewildered the hardness hardness hardness hard hard- ness the bitterness the young officers of- of leers had spoken of softened as ashe ashe he smiled at her There was a girl with hair like yours and her name was Julia too oo he said My mother perhaps She was Julia McFarlane She married Richard Richard Richard Rich Rich- ard McFarlane a sort of fourth cousin I think It was a long time ago he said but you reminded me of ot that Julia McFarlane I knew and then I 1 heard your name spoken so I took ook the liberty of speaking to you Your mother is quite well Oh yes she's very welL And still very very young and lovely looking we think Ill I'll be glad to remember you to her Captain Mackey I doubt t if she will remember me It t was all a very long time ago Before the other war in fact But she was one of those women you do not easily forget Good night Miss McFarlane Good night Captain Mackey He reminded her of some one why couldn't she think who it was She liked him He wasn't grim at at all But she forgot him quickly and It was weeks before she thought of him again because she was In love and Spang had kissed her Life Lie was was was' wonderful Thin tinted lemon dawn was creeping into the east before beor she fell asleep Jill waited Awaited all morning wanderIng wandering wander wander- ing around the room frowning at atthe atthe atthe the telephone but neither Ric nor Spang called She grew more im patient by the moment though she knew that military duty for officers or enlisted men gave little thought to personal desires and little freedom freedom free free- dom during the day But this was Sunday Ric was avoiding her of course And now she would have to go home borne and make up some vague comforting lies for her mother moth moth- er and old John I. I would look at ather ather ather her with eyes like jet augers and probably corner her somewhere l later lat ter t- t er and ask her what was going game wrong with Ric TO BE CONTINUED |