Show S t 1 6 I When Richard McFarlane disappeared during World War I ho he left his wife Julia to raise their two children with the aid of her law Ln In law John I. I McFarlane After a lapse of 25 years with no DO word as to whether Richard Is t 1 dead 01 or or alive Julia Julla is beset with new worries when RIc now 27 and serving In World War II n shows obvious signs of Inheriting his fathers father's recklessness and Jill JiU 26 falls In lovo love with Spang Gordon Jill JiU learns from Spang that RIc Is paying attention to a divorcee dl di of questionable character and androes goes roes to camp to Investigate RIc tells her he is on duty and unable to see sec her now However ever she meets Spang again at the Officers Officers' club I CHAPTER CHAPTER VII VIII I On Saturday night you can see every officer in this place except the poor guys who get stuck with duty Every single one anyway p Lieutenant Lieuten Lieuten- ant Stark said and about half the i married men Even Old Cyanide Lieutenant Lieuten Lieuten- ant Crawford put in Hes over there by the window polluting the atmosphere Jill followed the 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 listening lis lis- Stark warned 1 You mean that captain Who is isy I y he Jill asked His name is Mackey Stark f said in a low voice The boys call him Old Cyanide Spang e 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- December 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 seems to have collected a few dec dee orations Battle stuff Spang said Last war Hed be handsome if he didn't have such a bitter face Jill mused He does have a very smart military military military mili mili- tary air a The three young men simultaneously simultaneously h snapped their shoulders back 4 and straightened their ties then a S laughed together u y U ue nom hula 01 or Joe doe sue she I wasn't even looking at you I II Suppose I have to break my 3 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 fore fore- 1 head that marked the line of their garrison caps Jill laughed with a them waited while they wrangled amiably over the check J Spang said Take off you fel fel- fel- fel lows Ive I've got a date with Jill You really didn't want to catch that bus d did you Jill s d It isn't terribly important she admitted smiling at him You love loves s Mme me Spang you Spang-you you know you OU love me It shows in your eyes Its It's in your voice Stark and Crawford said Good Goodnight Goodnight night Miss McFarlane as they all I went out into the warm star span night Jill lillA Meets 1 Mrs AIrs Calvert r That captain reminds me of JI some one she said to Spang but I 1 cant can't seem to remember wh who o it t tY Y is 15 1 Heydrich or Himmler maybe I Oh no no one like that He f hasn't a vicious face He looked a bit pathetic bit pathetic to me Youre a soft-hearted soft girl Old Cyanides Cyanide's as tough as they make em and the army makes em plenty plenty plen plen- ty tough He thinks all the young officers are upstarts and ninety-day ninety wonders and he resented being sent here Ive I've been told I 1 still think there are chinks in his his steel armor Didn't you have another engagement Spang Span g Dont Don't 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 place even with the sodden cloud 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 yo u like to do something else Theres the officers officer's club But its it's mostly a big poker game on Saturday nights I know a little spot out this way where the floor floo r is pretty good Like dancing Oh Id I'd love dancing i The place neon-lighted neon hid it its s daytime dinginess under a glitter o of f gaie gaiety ly Lets try the corners Spang Span g said slipping his arm around her More breathing space there The dancing did not matter Nothing Noth Noth- ing mattered except that Spang's SPang s arm was around her the silver silve r wings on his breast close to he her r cheek her hand curled in his bi big g palm She could hear her own heart hear t beating lilting happily because sh shwas she e I was was' wasso so terribly in love rt Spang pushed her big hat back Cant see your eyes His own were deep and warm and smiling at her His head bent close Was he keeping his feelings sternly sternly sternly stern stern- ly controlled because as Julia had said he had nothing to offer a woman woman woman wom wom- an but uncertainty or dread or grief Couldn't he see that nothing mattered not the future for what I was a future if you had a lovely present to remember when it 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 r. r 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 handsome hand hand- some head leaned close to a curled and silvered blonde was Ric 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 some some- thing 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 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 Nice you could get a pass Ric she said coldly even 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 expect to see you then I dont don't know about tomorrow I might be on duty Ric was angry now too At least you'll telephone me Jill said severely Nice to have seen you Mrs Calvert A Fulfillment 0 Of a Dream Spang made a curt little bow and they walked away Jill was trembling trembling trembling trem trem- bling a little 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 be be- ing with that woman instead of me I suppose its it's because 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 isn't it the it-the the woman you told me about Yes that's the one And I dont don't think she's pretty Jill warmed a bit at that and her 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 Spang said She knows what the score is But what on earth does she want with Ric I didn't tell Mother Spang Id I'd hoped it might be just a piece of foolishness that would pass I hoped maybe Ric Rie would be shipped out and it would all end and Mother needn't know She dotes on Ric so and I 1 couldn't bear to hurt and worry her when p perhaps it was just a temporary folly Ric wont won't be shipped out for a month at least No more moxe qu quotas tas coming up But when he gets into officers officer's training he wont won't have anytime anytime any anytime time for foolishness Lets walk all the way shall we Or are you awfully tired No I like walking Im I'm glad you came down Jill Spang gathered gath gath- ered her arm closer Because I Imay Imay Imay may be leaving soon Ive I've asked for my transfer to active duty I 1 dont don't like this desk stuff Soon Jill repeated in a small thin thin- thin voice How soon We Ve never know in this army But an older man can 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 flier Jill And our air force is getting to be a magnificent thing and I want to be a part of it it Ill I'll have to get back into training I 1 I want to learn to handle heavy stuff I suppose it has to be that way Ill I'll miss you Spang I 1 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 two I hope Jill wait Jill wait a minute min min- ute They Were vere on a dimly lighted street a shabby street where a tall billboard made a dark rectangle of shadow Spang drew her back further into the shadow bent her head back and kissed her swiftly on the lips Keep that forme forme for forme me till I come back he said husk husk- ily I will Jill whispered quivering quivering quiver quiver- quivering ing with breathless happiness from head to foot Oh Spang I will They were silent all the way back to the hotel but Jill's blood was a tumult a singing This was it This was was was' real He did care It was in the pressure of his fingers on her arm in his eyes as they came into the lighted lobby in his uncertain uncertain uncertain tain smile as he prodded the elevator elevator elevator eleva eleva- tor button call me tomorrow morning morning morn 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 flicked a little salute at her as the elevator door opened and he turned a away way Jill groped into the elevator Through the rose-colored rose fog that i v viv ia uta uca anu ut c Welt vas aware 01 VL- VL some one else standing there That eyed cold-eyed captain Spang had called Old Cyanide He was looking at ather ather ather her keenly and when she stopped at her floor he got out too and as she turned to go down the corridor he said Miss McFarlane Jill stopped puzzled You are Miss McFarlane arent aren't you Yes I am Julia McFarlane I uI am Roger Mackey Pardon me for speaking to you but I once had some friends named McFarlane in in Tennessee Captain ill Mackey ackey Asks a Question I UI live in Tennessee She had been bleen right about him He did look lonely and bewildered the hardness hardness hardness hard hard- ness the bitterness the young officers officers officers of of- had spoken of softened as n tn 4 1 1 Q 01 There was a girl with hair like yours and her name was Julia too he said My mother perhaps She was Julia McFarlane She married Richard Richard Richard Rich Rich- ard McFarlane l a sort of fourth cousin I think It was a long time tune ago he said but you reminded me of that Julia McFarlane I knew and then I heard your name spoken so I 1 took the liberty of speaking to you Your mother is quite well Oh yes she's very well And still very young and lovely looking we think Ill I'll be glad to remember you to her Captain Mackey I uI doubt if she will remember me It 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 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 L Life e was wonderful Thin tinted lemon-tinted dawn was creeping into the east before she fell asleep Jill waited all morning wandering wandering wandering wander wander- ing around the room frowning at atthe atthe atthe the telephone but neither Ric nor Spang called She grew more mor impatient impatient impatient im im- im- 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 freedom free free- dom during the day But this wa way Sunday Ric was avoiding her of cours course And now she would have to go home and make mak up some vague comforting lies for her mother moth moth- er and old John I. I I would look at nt ather ather her with eyes like jet augers and probably corner her somewhere later later later lat lat- er and ask her what was going wrong with Ric TO BE DE CONTINUED |