Show I ATC THE t CURVES by 01 RICHARD HOFFMANN by Richard Hoffmann Hollman V IU Service SYNOPSIS Yellowing renewing hU his t tather s titter blUr slim elim of 01 his ble Idle life lit and the with withdrawal of ot financial Hal lIal Ireland Ireland Ire Jr land Jud only son oa on of ot a banker finds ands practically without funds fonde bat but with the tb of ot a situation In San SaD Francisco which he h. mu must t reach from frera New Nw York within a del time limit He lie takes takei passage with a cross cron- country auto party on n a share bar e ax Ia pas peate bad bul basis With five ate other oth members member of the th party all an n attractive girl Ctrl Derry Carry Trafford middle aged Giles Kerrigan Bitter a nun and an n whom he b. instinctively dislike Martin Crack he b. starts hl hi tourney journey him To 10 Ker Iter Barry Darry reticence annoys annoy he h. takes takei at once but he h. I Is I. unable unable un un- able lobi to shake oft off a feeling teUn of or n. n nei ness He lie distrusts distrusts- Crack although finding anding hl hi bl Intimacy with Kerrigan ripening ripening rip rip- ening and nd he h. makes makei a little tittle progress i with Derry Barry Through a misunderstand misunderstand- lag Ing at t a stopping Hopping place lIal Hal le I. di directed dl di noted to Darryl Barry room instead of his hi own Propinquity sum seems to soften often Harrys Harry's Dar Bar rys ry's and they exchange kl kisses CHAPTER V continued V Continued 10 10 Crack gave Kave an uncomfortable laugh ai as he be got cot out oat and a faint taint blush deepened deep Inee fined ened his bis old fashioned youthfulness I Iguess Iguess guess ruess that pup dont don't like me BO so ver very well he said laid He Ue smiled shyly at atHal atHal Hal Dat as a. If It h hoping half for or some lomo othere other I e explanation from him but then his eyes ere drifted lazily away again audio audio- appointed The morning la lay hot and long ov over r the flat croplands cropland of Indiana and Illi nu note nois A b As sang lang along the road past sat farm and field and farm through brief brick towns noon drowsy and the land kept the character of If things thing It knew the assurance of things thing It remembered nala Hals sense lenso of these quickened sometimes to Kerrigan's Kerri Kerri- gan's gans remark and Implication sometimes sometimes some some- times time to untried appreciations appreciation of or his hll i own not own not BO so much forgotten as never before found ran like an aristocrat crat granting an aristocrat the privilege of metallic song long In the gearbox and a disinclination to compete with low low- price upstarts at a change of traffic light And be before foro Mrs could come to the fidgeting ln preliminaries of lunch hunger the they were crossing the Illinois river Into Peoria Barry Darry saw law the on a cafeteria In a side Ilde street Air Cooled and Con Can And there was a chorus of or grateful exclamation and a struggling into jackets as the chilled almost-chilled draft swept up lip the stairway Down In the bright bustle of or the cafeteria itself Slater Sister Anastasia suddenly sneezed sneered then looked at Barry with a pretty prett Depression halfway between amuse amuse- bent nent and aad apology Barrys Barry's hand band went t ber t her arm her clear face lighted with quick humorous sympathy Kerrigan took the dead cigarette from his lips tips and with an air of awkward courtliness courtliness courm ness lieu upon his hta bulk said laid to her ber Wellan Well all an catch the Russian grippe In here 1 Sister Bister allow me to take you somewhere somewhere some some- where else Oh Ob no no you rou said Sister her eyes eye grateful and still lun amused her diction trying carefully to elude the accent that touched It JL It was waa an enchanting voice voice voice-n In Its Us gi gentleness of grate grace and Inner assurance assurance assurance assur assur- ance that still as u Barry had said kept you yon from using the word humble Hal Ual smiled In pleasure as he be watched her And II since nee Barry Darry would not meet his eyes not eyes not actually avoiding them but seeming deeming to know of no use Ulle In meet meet- Log Lag them he them he had double welcome for foran foran foran an Impulsive tenderness brought his tray of or lunch to the empty place beside beBIde beside be be- side BIde the nun She spoke only when she was spoken en to but the restrained ease of ot what the she said the smooth quiet cadence the she gave to each ooch sentence made It delightful delightful de do- to go on prompting her They talked of or nothing much that Hal remembered remembered remembered re re- clearly dearly how long Jong she had been in America the pleasures and imperfections of crossing tho the ocean the view from the Empire State building build lug ing the world word eminence of American- American cities in de degree ree of summer heat beat And then Hal Ual had an innocent urgent delire desire desire de de- sire lire to see lee her ber blush blush blush-a a little once to see seo what she might ha have e been like lite likeas as aa a young girl with a first r t beau And I he be said sald t I IUan tHare Have Hare you heard beard Sister that California California Cali CaU fornia la is a place where the fruit buno has bu no flavor the flowers no scent cent and the ladles ladies no charm No she said looking at him Urn in guileless Interest I 1 aye are ve not cot curd that thaL la Is It truer trueT I I dont don't kno know surely because Pv Pas Ive never been there there said Hal lIal without I concealing his pleasure In la her Ive tasted oranges orange from there which were sweet and Ive I've been told that their I orange blossoms at least leut have the scent cent the they do in other places AA As for tor forthe forthe the last lut part put of the saying I know bow it will not be true when you and aad Miss lilts Stafford Trafford ord get to California I For aa an Instant Hal Ual was waa afraid aten he ate 1 9 n have han to be b. ashamed of i i Sitter Sister Anastasia glanced quickly away but then he be saw law she ahe was wu looking toward the other end d of ot the table where Dan Barry sat lat her ber head bead turned from them Intent upon whatever Kerrigan was waa telling her The nun nUD turned to him again Iala a contained soft loft smiling in her look It Is I. a long time since I ave are curd anything like that she ba said laid in tranquil simplicity She looked down at her ber plate and Hals Hal's pleasure leapt for tor the faint running up of warmth ender under un en- der her Iler tool cool Immaculate cheeks cheek Then she be said very softly Miss n. n Trafford is I. beautiful inside beautiful-inside Inside too too tooS S e e e e e e Hal Ual was 1141 two places behind Dan Barry In the line at the cashiers cashier's window A fI Bi woman past put her twenties twenties ties leaned JunEd beside It it waiting until the cashier should be free tree again She wanted a spotlight to tone down the heaT heavy mascara on her ber eyelashes the thebold thebold thebold bold up make-up of her ber Ups UP the revealing tightness of her bright dress dress- She watched Barry Darry steadily unwary of or being belag be lag ing caught her resentful eyes moved from detail to detail rapidly calculating ing the composition of each effect her petulant mouth loosely at rest rent Indicated indicated Indi indi- neither approval nor envy Halwas Hal Halwas was watching the womans woman's whole unconscious unconscious un un- conscious interest when Darr Barry paid her ber check cheek Barry looked down at Doctor Call Call- garl flicked his bis leash to start him up then raised her deliberate glance clance to the womans woman's face and smiled Hal Dal could see aee Barrys Barry's profile clear and candid u as she spoke her low friendly Hullo The womans woman's sullen eyes cheered quickly and artless arUel dimples came at once beside belldo her bel efficient smile As All If she recognized Barry Darr she said laid Hello lIello cuteness Hot out said laid Darr Barry Hot not is II right said Bale the woman Keep outa the sun IUn W Will 1 said laid Barry a quiet sort lort of thanks in her smiling and her easy long legged walk took her bel toward thedoor the tho door the womans woman's look following her I lu it eon contented tented approval Now wh why did she do that Hal asked ked himself in fn uninvited consciously unreasonable Irritation n. n Ue lie caught up with her outside the thedoor thedoor door to the street that seemed baked i inot not only b by the sun lun but by bJ a fanatic i furnace Just under the pavement too i Going to to walk alk the Doctor or sit lit Inthe in inthe 1 the car he ho said Walk said laid Barry hardly looking it at him With a single mirthless laugh at the beginning ho ha Bald said Dyon rather I sat Bat BatIn satin In the car till youre you're finished She looked at him as aa If It she hadn't quite caught his bis meaning Come if you JOu Ute like she ehe said laid The They walked toward the principal street treet and turned into It without it-without without speaking Then the restive need to w l t y k iZ Je Jev v r But I 1 Mustn't Love Lova You You Mustn't Lovs LoVi Me clear dear something up to purge something something some some- thing out of his gathered dissatisfaction tion Uon took sudden ludden charge of ot his hi tongue and he said Barry I want to talk to you And the pointlessness of that was apparent to him even before h hal hed d finished All right she said inconsequently What about Not on the main street of Peoria at two o'clock In the afternoon be he said Bald Why not non You know d n d-n n well why not noL Barry Darry looked at him unsympathetically but without anger and her herlow herlow herlow low steady aready voice rolce said laid In the first place I 1 asked If I knew why not and In the second place throwing d ns d-ns ns around doesn't help me understand you rOu Oh h h l 1 said Hal more in vague Tague disgust with lIh himself than anything else That not necessary either she said Barry what's the matter Not a darn dam thing with thing with me she ehe said Oh Oh he said and they walked for another ten tea paces or so ao of silence Then as tn In accusation he said to herIon her ber l You Ion didn't know that Woman that woman tha I woman you JOu spoke to down there Wh Why did you rou speak to her ber DarT Barry waited wafted an Instant stant before she said still lUll not turning to him Because I 1 liked her looks bt because s some lOIre da day I may have haTe to put tip rip with what she has to put op up with and I hope people speak Peak to me without thinking they're smart or m wanting something Barry Dal I said Hal al In the quick authority au au- he ba would have han used for the thed d dolt I l' l 1 VI i S I tints a a ww e said laic Barry Her You Ton asked me eyes anI and brows brow disclaimed responsibility for tor hit his reaction I supposed wanted me to tell teU you yon you said laid Dal Hal with forced I restraint restraint re re- Barry Darry tell me something else elle is II last ast night gone clean out oat o ot of your rout hud head Did It mean nothing to o you yoa with not after Id I'd and left be he added wholly convincing bitterness Dike bitterness an aD Idiot She looked round at him the clean cleaD long ong arches of her eyebrows raised railed Then not as aI a question but Ironically to be sure sure ure that's that what hed he'd said laM she repeated Like an idiot He lIe watched her ber without speaking almost wishing her eyes would at lea least It do him biro the small honor bonor of anger anjer erde or er de defiance ance not stay Itay In their cool remote composure that had nothing one way or the other to do with him Then lust just as some lome change began somewhere hr deep In her ber blue look Jook she turned her lead head and seemed to walk a little faster taster as if It she saw MW where she Bhe had bad to go ga Hal looked ahead too and said laid with dissatisfied assurance I didn't mean like an idiot and you JOu know It it itHe He e thought it was because her ankle had bad started to turn tun that her shoulder came lightly against him But Dut then her hand band caught his hla brought it halfway halfway half way up and ud pressed the hack back of ot It briefly against her ber Jacket over her heart before she gave It back beek to him Mm And still she abe looked straight before her her-a ier a grave grate look at nothing that was in the street ahead In the calm knowledge that flashed into abrupt reckless command of his bis spirit that then Indeed became his bis spirit his hi whole living conviction he be stopped her walking with his bl hand band at ather ather ather her elbow She let her bod body half turn to his hold of her ber but not her ber head That didn't matter she would turn her face to him In another sure lure plain plaiD moment Barry Darry he said laid I love you ron You know that too She glanced down at Doctor Call Call- gar garl as if she fihe were trying to think of something that would show how sorry she was for him And when slowly slow lt ly she ahe faced Hal Dal at last her eyes eres were soft with grieving helplessness I III didn't make you rou say Bay that that she abe said laid quietly I didn't want you yon to I IDear Dear God Godi I wh why did you rou have to sa say that than Because I meant It 11 It no he told tole her ber strength from extravagant stores running run running run run- ning up to help bep him pierce most deeply deeply deep deep- lt ly with the bright rapier of his knowledge knowl knowl- edge Because Im I'm too full fuU of It to wait walt one more second of ot loneliness to tell teU you rou in every sharp desperate way there is that I 1 love you rou Barry Barry love love you rou love you Barry Barry oh oh blast Peoria Peo Pee ria and all its sunlight I l When he be broke off ott she looked looked- down dOWD i at his mouth then back Into his eyes i her ber look wondering Incredulous young in Its bafflement before something not notto notto notto to be understood at once mature In la Its certainty that all aU the pain aln was yet ret yetto yetto to be counted Darling she said softly just to tolay say lay It under his watching Then more strongly r Darling I cant can't love cant love you rOu I 1 mustn't That's true true true even even If reId Id I'd IdId IdId Id I'd Id I'd give my eyes not to have it Ill Til tell you rOU why why truly truly and you'll see But Dut I 1 have to wait walt till I know how bow to tell ten you yon I promise my dearest I 1 Ishall Ishall shall shan know But Dut I mustn't love yon you You Yon mustn't love me She looked at him as a. If she bad had known him very very veri well wel and he were now suddenly going to leave her ber Then quickly her eyes left his hla and she turned around drawing at Does Docs leash We must go back Hal she said Bald hurriedly Please weve we've got to They were on en the shimmered heat-shimmered road again by three a hundred miles from the Mississippi crossing There was a t L current of gaiety which carried I off even the standard post luncheon torpor as if the atmosphere of or the car were Infected by the profligate ate exulting exulting exult exult- ing buoyancy under Hals Hal's own b heart art For Hal Hai could dismiss the conviction conviction tion of or grief griet In Barrys Barry's eyes for his Ms Joy in the small marvels of their passage passage pass pas age in the street the quick touching of her shoulder to his bis arm the pressure pres pre sure lure of her living side against the back of his caught hand band the near near- husky busky enchantment In her calling him darling What could she have bave behind I her blue eyes eres to stand against his In Invincibility In Some fragile shadow of an au obstacle the obstacle the the- fact that he was Frederick Irelands Ireland's son lon or the beckoning beckoning beck beck- of or Hollywood trifles which be could shatter when he be had his time to |