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Show Xhe- bA , jiacA" FICTION I QUESTION OF ANGLES LflHtt (JottoCV I By FREDERICK SKERRY liijj; A TRIANGLE? Sure, if you think in geometrical figures. But counting Mary Hill with the three men you'd have a square, wouldn't you? Anyhow, we were on the Wild River bridge job. A nice change It was, too, with Barret Falls Center only mile away; no construction camp in this picture. You could get room and board in somebody's house or you could take a room only and eat out. And the boys who hadn't been too quick in grabbing a room and board took their morning and evening meals at the Elite Lunch that is, those who had got a peek at what was inside the three-sided three-sided counter, I did myself. And Mary Hill was very good for the eyes. Fresh and sweet and cool-looking cool-looking she was in her white rig, even on the hottest day and lovely to look at. I figured she was 28 or 29. That steel crew, though, was a new breed to Mary Hill. A happy-go-lucky bunch, as ready for a scrap as a frolic, working hard and playing hard. One night when I was almost the last to leave Mary said: "I suppose the danger you fellows are in all day makes you gay and light-hearted when you get away from it. Men fall sometimes, don't they?" "Not often." I said. "It looks worse than it is. A man Is careful. You get used to height." By this time the competition for Mary was all but general. I was on - the side lines, you might say. Being field engineer, I was some older than most of the boys not so much, but enough to make mt conscious of the difference. Jack Benz, Clem Sask and Dave Johnson seemed to be favored. Benz, a good-looking, wise-cracking chnp, eventually monopolized mo-nopolized Mary's time. Dave Johnson was the quiet, serious seri-ous kind, and an A-l bridge jack. But, now that he seemed out of the running, he quit coming altogether. Clem Sask and Benz were not talking. talk-ing. Working from both ends, we were now almost ready to Join steel. Jack and Dave and Clem were together on the down river truss. They'd put the head of a strut or a diagonal in place for the riveters, then go down to bolt the foot. Dave was on a hanging platform below when Jack went down, leaving Sask to tighten the bolts, Jack had no sooner stepped on the platform hadn't time to anchor his safety belt when Clem Sask dropped a spanner. Clem let out a yell. But that seven-pound seven-pound spanner was on its way and bounced off Jack's head. And Jack toppled to follow It down to the river. All of him but his legs was off that six by six platform. But that was as far as he went because be-cause Dave had grabbed a suspension sus-pension line and had thrown himself him-self across Jack's legs. Then he reached down the other hand and tock a fistful of Jack's over-all and whatever was underneath It and pulled Jack back. And it all happened hap-pened while you'd be striking a match. An ambulance took Jack to the nearest hospital, a small one in mall town twenty miles away. I guess they felt at the hospital that this Job on Jack was too much for them because they delivered Jack to a big city hospital We put It down as an accident But I wished It hadn't happened between be-tween that particular pair. The news got to the Elite before we did, and Mary shared the general gloom. I Later Clem asked for his time which was just as well. A few days later Dave began to eat again in the Elite. And I quit staying late to look at Mary when she wasn't constantly on the move. A few weeks afterwards we were practically finished with the bridge; half the crew had left. One night I went to the picture house and saw Mary and Dave sitting a couple of rows In front. I figured that Dave was making up for lost time. After the show, while on my way to where I slept, I crossed the street ju.it as a car popped out of a cross street. I got it in the right leg. Evidently a busted leg wasn't too much for that little hospital in the next town; anyhow that's where I landed. Dave was waiting when they'd got my leg set and In a cast. I had been wondering about him and Mary, but he was no talker. But I was sure I'd find out something from Mary, if I could see her. And I did see her the next afternoon; after-noon; she walked into my room not a minute after visit-time began. But is off. He's getting crutches for you. Now I have it all figured out I have a perfectly good house and oodles of room, and nobody in it but myself my-self except when Ann James is there doing housework and that'i where you go from here." "Listen, Mary," I put in. "You've been an angel of kindness. But there's a Ljmit, I know what these small places are. Mary, and I won't have you talked about on my account ac-count . . ." "I see what you mean. She looked down at me, and her eyes were dreamy. "Of course It would be nice ..." I said nothing, and she wagged her head and looked at the ceiling. "My heavensl Did a woman ever work harder for a man?" That didn't make sense. "What man?" I said. "You I Who else, for goodness sake?" "Listen, Mary," I said. I felt all hollow Inside. "Don't kid me not about that." "I'm not kidding anything but." And Jack toppled to follow It down to the river. All of him but his legs waa off that alx by six platform. the only news she let out was that Dave had heard that Jack was getting get-ting on all right but would be laid up for a long time. For three weeks Mary came every day. Then the crew was through with the bridge, and Dave, making a last evening visit, was as dead-pan as ever. That puzzled me, and I banked on Mary being less shut-mouthed. shut-mouthed. AND. thinking of her, I realized that once out of the hospital I'd see little of her. I had that load on my mind when she came next afternoon after-noon looking pleased as Punch. She told me how the gang had bid her good-bye the day before. Then she said, "I had quite a compliment last night Charlie: Dave asked me to marry him." "Congratulations, Mary I" I said. "Dave la a grand guy." And I meant It "Yes, he Is," sho nodded. "He'll make a fine husband for some girl who wants to worry about him while he's climbing over bridges. But I had to turn him down. I'll marry nobody I have to worry about at the start That'i that Now look, I Just talked with the doctor. He says you can leave here in two or three days, but you'll have to go easy on that leg, even after the cast Sho reached out and grabbed my hand. "Charlie, you are dumb! Did ytu think I was a district nurse, or something coming here every day?" "But" I could hardly speak. "I thought well, with Jack and Davo . . "Business, dear," she cut In. "I own the Elite Lunch, so why wouldn't I build up good will with the customers? You never asked me out" "Not because I didn't want to," I said. "But all those fellows, Jack and Dave" She gave a kind of snort "You didn't think a woman would be Interested In-terested in the only man around who didn't seem Interested In her. No. So I had to find out all about you from those others. And you had to go and get yourself hurt for me to get a good chance at you." "Listen." I said, "A minute ago you said you wouldn't marry any. body who climbs bridges." "I know I did," she admitted. "But your climbing days are over, Charlie so Doc says." That stopped me. Still, I could always al-ways have a good berth In the plant or some other plant. My tongue seemed tied, but I managed to make it work. "Would you marry me, Mary?" She was off the chair like a flash and sitting on the edge of the bed, holding my hands. "He's said it!" she laughed. "The dumb bunny has actually said -it! Would I . . ." So after alL you might say that the affair turned out to be a pentagon. |