Show blessed are the P poor in spirit 88 by D V FAY mcclure syndicate service j OBY we should be ashamed ill never fort give myself I 1 know that forgive yourself for what toby condor demanded menacingly forgive yourself for what he was the richest man in town and there were girls in newkirk who thought h he e was handsomest in a menacing mood handsome eyes narrowed dark face tempestuous his white teeth a crescent of scorn for giving givin 9 you the idea that you C could kiss you he finished derisively and wrong with that there have been anything wrong last year but now youre engaged is that it engaged to the reverend warren hollis the high spirited reverend warren he loves you hes going to marry you but tonight hes busy he had to carry a glass of jelly to a sick old lady so he lets me take you home the matter with him anyway he know we were engaged once he see anything tonight he lets me take you home look here caroline are you going through life with a solution of dish water disguised as a minister are you caroline darling his dark face came closer closer caroline drew back murmured through a spasm of partial suffocation toby dont she tried to calm herself to talk with something like composure 1 I suppose he thought we were to be trusted toby I 1 suppose he hes too good for this world toby said briefly contemptuously look here caroline his tone changed abruptly youre marrying me you may have other ideas on the subject he pursued superbly but you may as well get rid of them youre marrying me when I 1 go after things I 1 get them you know that dont you caroline dont you toby doubtfully and reluctantly she consulted her sister the next day they were arranging their mothers old fashioned living room for the junior charity bridge club 1 I know im not in love with ith ay toby gwen when im in a sensible mood I 1 keep telling myself that toby condor could drive any woman crazy I 1 any illusions about him but I 1 dont know theres something toby has that I 1 miss in warren warrens so calm oh its exasperating you cant know what I 1 mean gwen warren never loses his temper never and you like volcanoes her sis sister said perhaps better take toby caroline I 1 dont know many bad tempered ministers gwen suppose I 1 were to marry toby suppose you were to gwen stopped dumbfounded she stood there absently pl eating a lace paper napkin its gone that far has it no no honestly gwennie said caroline ashamed 1 I just meant that I 1 dont get a chance to think when im with toby hes so quick oh I 1 love warren I 1 do love him but hes so calm I 1 would like it if I 1 always sure just what warren will do next well no woman will ever be too S ure sure of toby her sister said dryly no no woman ever will caroline agreed you dont know how much easier its made things talking them over with you I 1 could have mulled over them for hours by myself well I 1 kno know w now she said seriously that I 1 im m willing to take warren whatever he does and whatever he is dont you think ill make a nice sweet wife for a mild young minister huh gwennie her sister laughed yes I 1 do but I 1 stu see any more than I 1 could help of the very honorable toby oh I 1 wont I 1 simply wont see him any more hes going to phone phon e today he said well if he does he never will ill again they were silent and then the imperative shrill of the telephone rioted through the quiet well gwen said challengingly quickly and rigid with determination caroline went to the telephone toby she was confused deafened her blood pounded listen to me toby it took me 12 hours to figure out that you did a despicable dishonorable thing last night its going to take me 12 seconds to tell you you arent getting a chance to repeat it you dont understand der stand toby I 1 think you do and in the light of what happened I 1 think its impudence for you to phone me and sheer spinelessness for me to be answering she came away from the phone grim panting satisfied 1 I feel better about warren somehow she admitted 1 I feel almost as it id told him all about it the morning gave place to afternoon carolines bridge club came and went and with the soft spring dusk a wispy summer rain came and danced dain daintily tily upon the windows while caroline was sitting in the fire lit half darkness of the living room the phone rang again she answered it and he heard ard with a ha happy appy tightening of her heir throat the voice of the reverend warren houis hollis caroline she could almost see his serious spectacled young face while she listened to his slow good humored voice 1 I just noticed that its raining be sure and wear your rubbers tonight caroline laughed she would wear her rubbers would he come to supper no he some sunday school boys had spilled ink all over his books the reverend warren said cheerfully he must clean up the mess for goodness sakel sake cried caroline exasperated dont you ever get mad she put down the phone and smiled into the darkness what did she care if he dai int she loved him Caro caroline linel it was her f fathers athers voice with a strange urgency in it that brought caroline blinking into the brightly lighted hall what is it she asked breathlessly sensing something she could not define caroline did you know that toby condor is in the hospital toby dad he tr try Y to to kill himself she asked trembling he did he dad kill himself he eyed her keenly no he badly hurt had his face pretty well smashed and lost two teeth all the front hall dipped and reeled her fathers head swam around in a green mixture full of the front stairs and the picture frames as well as the paternal head who she asked why 9 the reverend warren hollis did it he said and we want to know why his housekeeper says that he called our number this morning and asked for you he listened to you for a few minutes her father continued impressively without saying much if anything after which he dashed from the house and committed this assault upon toby condor warren phoned me this morning in 9 she muttered over a thudding chest with dawning understanding therell be trouble over this caroline the man said heavily oh its awful she whispered seriously but a strange not entirely appropriate joy was seeping through her |