Show i l I i i Us USED D TO IO IT i r r I 1 B By Y Shirley Hurley and Orion were friends Nathan I the surface seemed unusual unusual un un- on Sal which the former forme was a because usual eon HV man dwelling on a noisy back city near the heart of a great shopping hOPping street treet looping center and Orion abides abide L in the country on the thc banks of a cool and quiet stream The friendship began in in earl early when the two lived in s a chiI childhood small suburban town The community community com Corn because of its proximity to tc toa large seaport prospered and a rapidly Simultaneously upon grew crew graduated from high school being Nathan secured employment as assistant as shipping clerk in the city employed as Orion became and helper to a wholesale firm that delivered de livered products into the rural districts dis dis- Eventually because of hisman his many man trips into the the country he had bad acquired a fondness for its quiet restfulness Orion gave up his bis job with the thc wholesale house and invested his savings in a small farm Here he settled down and lived comfortably as a truck gar gar- dener Nathan visiting Orion in the country betrayed a certain envy for his friends friend's s contentment and Orion sensing this and eager for I his old crony's company again urged the other man to quit his job with the shipping company and come out into the rural districts to live And Nathan would nod his head and agree Im going to do it Pretty soon now Im I'm going to quit the shipping company and come out cut But the two men reached middle age and still Nathan clung to his job because it paid him good wages and the work was easy Orion continued to talk conjuring ing in the other mans man's mind a 3 picture of peace and restfulness and And one night Nathan lay awake and thought of what Onon Orion Orion Ori Ori- i on had said Suddenly he became aware of all the noise and clatter that was going on about him Outside Outside Out Out- side a street car clanged past from the next room there came the raucous notes of a radio inthe in inthe inthe the distance he h hoard heard ard sounds of riveting The room where he lay i was stuffy and hot filled with scents from the streets and nearby nearby nearby near- near by docks So Nathan quit his job and bought a small place next to He was pleased with his purchase All AU about bout him there was peace and arid quiet fresh air and fresh smells Nathan wondered why he had waited waited waited wait wait- ed so long The first night he ho went to bed early But he couldn't sleep He Hc rolled and tossed and was more conscious of the quietude than h he hd had been of the noise noise Toward midnight he drowsed off oft He awoke early and found that his hi's head was aching The day was hot and and sultry and it was as difficult getting himself in a pleasant frame of mind That evening he sat with Orion on the latter's porch and smoked pipe his his his' pipe and tried to convince himself himsel himself him him- self sel that he was enjoying it But despite the smoke the mosquitoes were pretty thick and Nathan departed departed departed de de- I parted early to get away from them II The da day after that it rained and 1 Nathan spent the time indoors Orion had h d gone to town with a I load of vegetables Nath Nathan n wandered wandered wand wand- ered about bout the house like Uke a caged I animal He felt elt res restless less and an an- noyed The sound of rain on the I roof was oppressive Two nights later Orion called at athis atlis pis his lis friends friend's house and found the place locked up There was a white envelope pinned door with his name written on it The note enclosed enclosed enclosed en en- closed directed Orion Ori n to sell seU the place for fol whatever he he could get He tie Nathan would be out soon to I pay Orion a call eaU as he had been doing for years past Orion was not alarmed He stuffed the he note into his pocket and went home lome He thought he understood Sitting by his window in the stuffy room that had been his home hom for years Nathan drew a great breath of unsweetened air and ex ex- yelled jelled it with a sigh of relief A street car clanged danged by 1 below low him From the next room there came the he raucous notes of a radio the sound of riveting beat a steady ste y tattoo in the distance But Nathan heard leard nothing at all |