Show II I S ILl IH IE ILY Y I IES Kathleen Norris Norris KATHLEEN O NORRIS SERVICE THE TUE STORY THUS FAR FAB by Sheila Carscadden blue haired and 21 21 loses her Job In New York offering useful but ut unwelcome ome suggestions to her boss Typically feminine she shei chooses that time to show her n new ew Purse which purse which she bought at a 8 secondhand second store to her i cousin Cecil Cecilla a Moore The revives memories of met et th the i purse a 11 boy she had At home nr previous ous s sUmmer a b boy y whose first name all aU she remembered was Peter her that 5 evening waiting for her are her mother Joe her brother and Angela find finds crIppled J sister teri Joe too has lost his 3 job b- b During Dring the not not happy so ha evening Angela fifty dollars SK-nv SK s in In a secret pocket in ta Sheila's Purse They are both happy at the be discovery only to be disheartened when hen Mrs Carscadden tells Sheila the money must musti is i returned TJ to the e Person whose Initials and street number are on the purse Sheila Shella win will going J to return the money dressed In an ancient outfit Then she feels the owner reward h her when r liberally She looks upon the escapade as a lark She feels fels different she enters P the magnificent home for the occupants prove to be the Me Mc Cann family old Mc friends now wealthy of Sheila's father And there she sees Peter her acquaintance e of th the L previous us summer I Sheila Shella finds that Peter Is Judge Me Mc Cann's Canns s 's her hor son Both Peter and nd his brother Frank are soon to be married Frank offers to take home and 11 Peter secretly places a slip sUp of paper In her hand The paper Is a message asking her to meet Peter at at the library the next day CHAPTER IV Continued IV-Continued Continued 5 57 Toward morning mid Sheila was wanted at the telephone This was wasa a quite unprecedented occurrence Nobody had ever called Sheila before before be- be fore bre it was a custom not encouraged encouraged aged in the office She went to Miss Me Mc Cartney's desk with her heart beating fast It must be Peter Pe Pe- ter er It was not Peter It was Frank Mc Me Cann who had calledAre calledAre called U Are you doing anything this afternoon afternoon afternoon aft aft- Miss I Carscadden Sheila was bewildered Her wits deserted her completely I I I mean my mean my young lady has an engagement this afternoon Frank said in his easy self-confident self way The are giving Gert and I Peter a big out blow-out up the country country coun- coun I try ry somewhere and of course we have lave to go But I have several I hours free and thought maybe you and I could go to a movie She felt a few minutes later that she need not have been so brief in declining After all he had meant it well After all he was the oldest of the Mc Me Canns Cairns and the Mc Me Canns had lad suddenly become to Sheila the most important family in the world well But But well it didn't matter Frank Mc Me Cann didn't matter What did matter supremely was was was' the eternal question was she going to meet Peter in the library or not CHAPTER V Still she did not intend to go to the library She couldn't go to to- the library anyway anyway anyway any any- way because Joe as was usual on Saturdays called for Cecilia and it was natural that they should all walk out into the cold streets to together to- to gether Joe took them to the drugstore drugstore drugstore drug drug- store counter and they had toasted three decker sandwiches and coffee It t was then almost half past three 0 o'clock clock and Sheila was a long way from rom the Law Library on Broadway Then it seemed that Joe wanted to see a man in Brooklyn about a job Cecilia said she would go too and they could stop and see Aunt Teresa Joe as always when he was with his girl looked darkly radiant radiant ra ra- ra diant Cecilia was as usual composed composed composed com com- posed and quiet under his atten atten- At twenty-five twenty minutes of four Sheila found herself alone in the cold dirty dark street Snow was threatened the sky was ominous and low the air had a cool fresh rush She hesitated walked a block east No she wouldn't keep this date with Peter She turned and went resolutely westward and into the subway hood She was going home Resolutely Sheila changed to an express train was whirled north under the thundering streets She got out at One Hundred and Forty- Forty ninth Street as she always had done mounted to the sidewalk level loitered at the bakery window Coffee Coffee Coffee Cof Cof- fee cakes Ma loved them Little chocolate layer cakes with holes in inthe inthe inthe the middle The girl was sticking tiny clean signs into them To uTo- days day's special 25 cents The store drug-store clock said three forty Suddenly breathlessly Sheila had turned had crossed the street to the downtown subway had plunged in her nickel and pushed through the turnstile She took a Broadway and Seventh Avenue train Instantly she was rushing southward She was on her way She would be late No matter he would wait A great relief inundated her heart Sheila had given in No use fighting it any longer she had to see him The Law Library was on the fifth Land and top floor of a dark old rubber- rubber scented building whose mahogany- mahogany boxed elevators tottered on their way up Everything looked grim grimand grimand grimand and smelled of dust The closed doors of all the offices they passed were of dull old opaque glass dimly lettered in chipped black Peter was not in sight Sheila stood hesitant with shame and self- self contempt in her heart But after a along along along long minute he touched her on the arm he had come quietly up behind behind behind be be- hind her and was smiling at her Good girl he said in approval And Sheila was instantly sorry that she had come It was giving in hi to him he had known that she would he was taking her for granted You look swell he said evidently evidently evi evi- dently surprised at her smartness Suddenly everything was flat and dull Oh Uh I was sort of playing a part that night she else explained Ha Sa did of r bp be her bec because use ho ha b was leading the way through the room toward a sort of large alcove at the back In the room were old shelves lined with books a long table with a worn black leather cover held in place by nail-heads nail two or three old chairs a library ladder Besides the books bookson on the shelves there were many more piled in neat heaps on the floor Sit down P Peter ter directed her He lighted a dangling light Listen Listen Listen Lis ten he went on I f I had to talk to you Listen why didn't you ever write me Sheila vas was across the shabby topped leather-topped table j her I linked hands lying before her Her heart softened this was what she had ex ex- ex I didn't know your name You p heard ard it Yes I heard it it that morning when we met each other But I didn't remember it I couldn't find you he lie said You had my address Yes but listen That paper was nothing but a piece of pulp when I tried to read it A pause I wouldn't want you to think that I could talk like that and just just just- just be fooling Peter said awk awk- But then then then-then then you see I got engaged Oh that was all right Sheila assured him vaguely and politely and they were silent again You see see well well were we're getting married on Tuesday 1 Peter explained explained explained ex ex- ex- ex youthfully ully I know It seemed to her that all life was a long blank ahead of her Not that she wanted this particular particular particular par par- man or any man It was just that everything was dullI dullI dullI dull I had to explain it to you I tried to find you I Oh that was all right she said again with a little effort No uNo but hows how's everything he asked out of a silence Fine And that girl who was with you hows how's she Rose Rose Foley She's fine Peter watched her intently across the table for several long seconds He was handsome in his blue suit with gold arabesques in his dark- dark blue tie His eyes were blue too pale Irish blue and the pink of his shaven clean-shaven skin in agreeable contrast contrast contrast con con- to the silky dark wing of his black hair You see Gert Keane has lived in our family since we were kids he offered Sure a we a-we well a-well well l she's a great girl Peter said Its all right But I didn't think either one of us were were was was were just fooling she said presently in her soft plaintive voice Peter cleared his throat I wasn't fooling he saidI saidI saidI said I waited for you that Tuesday night Sheila admitted in a si si- si lence He winced I HI thought you would Im glad Sheila said hesitantly hesitant hesitant- ly that you didn't want to to-to to to throw me down The homely phrase expressed her meaning at least He caught at itI itI itI it I never threw anyone down in my life he said looking at her seriously serious serious- ly across the table Somehow with the suddenness of ofa a shock her feeling altered The words the tone in which he said them awakened her He was acting act act- ing ing-a ing a little He was enjoying this this this- just a little Sheila felt giddy with witha a revulsion of feeling She wanted so much to like him she him she had dreamed dreams about him for so many months I Now it was as if he were disintegrating before her eyes Her cheeks grew red She continued continued continued con con- to look at Peter steadily but there was discomfort in her feeling feeling feeling feel feel- feel feel- ing now She wished she had not come to meet him so impulsively this man who was to marry another girl in less than a weeks week's time Listen how it all happened began began began be be- gan Peter I go off for a beach picnic picnic picnic pic pic- I nic nic with a couple of fellers dont don't I And I meet a girl the girl the girl Perhaps there was really no change in him But the change in herself was so sudden and so shocking shocking shocking shock shock- ing that Sheila was quite unable to todo todo todo do anything except gravely nod her head say I walked with you to your cabin when you changed after we swam Peter needing no encouragement was continuing Right I did But all those cabins looked alike I couldn't find it the next day There were thousands of th them m ml 1 AU All right eight This girl and I hit it I off he began again with gusto we like each other We Ve have dinner dinner din din- ner nor together and we dance together er and along about midnight I find myself telling her that I love her herget herget herget her her- get me And it was true too tool I Isaid Isaid Isaid said to that girl You and I are going to be married Sheila Im I'm coming to see you Tuesday night and meet your folks and just as soon as we ve get ready to tell them them- Yes I know Sheila interposed scarlet But ButWell But Well I I come back to town own I Itry Itry try to find my girl it cant can't be bedone bedone I done Peter summarized it rapid rapid- ly lYe For a while Im I'm all off my feed I feel rotten I get to walking up and down strange streets looking for her her no no goodWell goodWell goodWell good Well all the time Gertrudes Gertrude's right in the picture see Just like one of my sisters sisters sisters-I I mean Peter interrupted himself speaking more naturally I mean Ive I've always liked Gertrude And she's always liked me It was Mother who tipped me off We were going to Forest Hills for the tennis one day She said Now dont don't you break Gerts Gert's heart hearton on her Peter Gert got as red as a beet Ah Ab I thought is that the way the land lies Well we fixed up everything that day and everyone everyone everyone every every- one was glad My father got me a ajob ajob ajob job and everything was fine No he had talked himself out of her heart It had been done quite simply in the kindliest possible way She was not losing him she had never had him no one had ever had the Peter of her memories because because be be- cause there never had been such a a Peter Looking at him the actual Peter as she decided this she was conr conYes conYes con- con r r r S M Yes I know Sheila interposed scarlet of a sense of light headed ness Youre terribly pretty he said and Hand lots of fellers will fall for you But I wanted you to know that- that well Im I'm not the sort that says things things things-things things like I said that night to to a girl and doesn't mean em That was the first thing I thought of the other night at home when home when I saw you you you- Well a lot of fellers wouldn't have thought of that They'd have thought it was a long time ago its it's over Not me I had to see you I told Gert and Mother you know You told them She was startled star star- tIed out of a musing dream star I that had carried her miles away she was thinking that she might get Joe a tie like that for Christmas Christmas- I told them Id I'd met you last summer summer summer sum sum- mer and I thought you were fine and that Id I'd no idea that things were so bad with you He smiled at Sheila and she smiled back She felt humiliated and cheapened somehow she wished herself miles away but he must not see it After all it was of no consequence for in another five minutes he and she would part and they would not see each other again So that's the way the whole thing came about he said rising How much more he would have thought of me if Id I'd paid no attention attention atten atten- tion to his note and hadn't come here today Sheila thought standing standing standing stand stand- ing too Peter reached up ready to snap off the light glanced at his wrist Gosh its it's after five he exclaimed exclaimed exclaimed ex ex- claimed shocked into complete naturalness naturalness naturalness nat nat- for the moment And I Iwas Iwas Iwas was to go to the tailor for a minute minute minute min min- min min- ute between half past four and five and I have to meet Gertrude at church What do you know v about that that four four minutes past five His hand was on the door Sheila following him saw his expression change curiously Why he e ejaculated simply its locked Its stuck Stuck nothing Its It's locked They investigated Some fourteen or fifteen feet below them was a dirty cindery roof root just the depth of one of the stories of the old building building build build- ing in which the they were trapped A fire-escape's fire railings curved up over one edge of this roof there W was JS a tangle of chimneys tanks other roof root levels about and below We Ve couldn't drop that Peter j I speculated nervously beside her her at atthe atthe atthe the window Wed break our pur legs Gosh he ejaculated off for another another another an an- other feverish inspection of the room My mothers mother's waiting for forme forme forme me now I know it Im due at att at a party at seven the boy muttered He had returned to the door It ItI I was a high door set deep-set and unpromising un un- promising It had been built in that long-ago long time when solidity and permanence were considerations in architecture Even to the pressure of Peters Peter's body it yielded not a er Peter kicked it it did not stir Gosh Ill I'll bet there arent aren't ten doors like that in New York he exclaimed bitt bitterly The uThe doors in our place well place well throw a silk stocking against them and they rattle Sheila observed Peter gave her a resentful glance Its all right for you he said But Im I'm in a hole Oh well we'll get out she stated All right well we'll get out But how Well Vell she hesitated But you cant can't imagine our not getting out she offered Ive got to get out There doesn't seem to be a telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone phone- Sheila remarked thought thought- fully His glance explored the entire place suppose they open up the library nights They might Saturday might Saturday night They dont don't he said in despair If we could just bust into that next room he began again after a pause in which Sheila having opened the the- window upon the bleak |