| Show THE i FICTION ION CORNER SQUALLS I 1 by MAUD mccurdy WELCH grammas experience in squalls with her seafaring husband prepared her admirably for the role she was called upon to play when nedra and john called off their marriage EDRA had been crying sitting nin NEDRA in her chair by the big window in the living room gramma went on knitting in one quick glance shed seen that the girl had tried to hide the tear stains by an inexpert dabbing of powder around her pretty blue eyes after a minute gramma said casually john left early and not a minute too soon nedra returned quickly sinking deeper into the fireside chair and turning her face away ho so you two had a quarrel gramma knitted a little faster tha than n before no a conflagration an explosion a dissolution a parting of the ways aedras voice was both angry and vehement and a little tearful too As bad as that gramma inquired mildly 1 I gave him his ring its au all over nedra swallowed a sob quickly gramma made a little clucking cguckin 9 sound but she went on plying her needles industriously at last nedra burst out unhappily well arent you going to console me or congratulate me whichever the case may be gramma stopped knitting for a moment looked up you and john have quarreled before they are something like the squalls wed sometime meet up with on the saint lawrence when id made a trip with your grandfather on his steamer he was a sea captain you know well be a terrible lot of noise and wind and then the most beautiful calm you ever saw its natural for people in love like you and john to quarrel once in a while nedra sat up darling youre an incurable sentimentalist john and I 1 are sensible and modern and analytical about love as all young people are nowadays weve had several bitter quarrels since we became engaged so weve simply had to face the fact that were not compatible and that marriage would be a mistake it was sensible of course to face this before it was too late its the modem way nedra said in a small desolate voice but love is not modem gramma observed quietly then she added but of course someday meet the right man the sudden white horror of ned ras sweet face was like a shock therell never be another man never she exclaimed passionately as she rose and left the room two or three days passed one day at noon nedra was lying on a chaise longue in her room listlessly turning the pages of a magazine when gramma burst in excitingly waving two important looking tickets listen darling were going places were shipping on a fruit boat for for she studied the tickets for a moment for trinidad where on earth is that nedra asked indifferently still pretending to be interested in her magazine gra gramma mma lifted her shrewd dark brows my dear I 1 dont seem to have the slightest idea but if we stay on the boat long enough I 1 imagine well find out nedra sat up now look you absurd darling it if youre taking me on a sea voyage because you think my heart is broken out girls these days when disappointed in love dont waste time languishing they go in for careers maybe politics or something its been the desire of my life to travel on a fruit boat gramma said fervently nedra stared at her tor for a moment then yielded in that case well go so it happened that in a very few more days gramma and nedra found themselves on a fruit boat bound for the intriguing destination of trinidad and on their very first morning on deck they both saw a tall dark young man standing at the rail gazing moodily out to sea aedras heart almost stopped she clutched grammas arm and drew her around to the other side so quickly that she almost lost her breath hey what goes gramma asked in aedras own jargon that was john nedra exclaimed breathlessly gramma straightened her neat black toque and got herself better organized then aedras voice came suddenly accusingly and you knew it all the time you did this on purpose she whirled or me rury ot or a thousand ino usand devils nedra dressed hurriedly went into grammas room to find her also dressed as early as it was Is it a hurricane nedra asked shakily 1 I dont know dear I 1 think ill just go and try to find out dont stay long im beginning to be frightened nedra pleaded ill be back in a jiffy theres nothing to worry about at least I 1 think not shed hardly disappeared before there was a loud knock on the door and john came in nedra nedra darling I 1 had to find you I 1 had to tell you in in case anything happened that I 1 still love you and I 1 always will the next moment he had her in his arms and I 1 still love you john the moment I 1 knew the ship was in danger I 1 thought of you aedras voice was a happy whisper he bent his head and tilted her chin which only goes to prove dearest that love is something that escapes all logic and reason and analysis we cant argue ourselves out of it just on the pretense of being realistic we were silly to think we could nedra agreed softly the only reason we quarreled john went on was because of my V X 4 J W 4 we were silly to think we could nedra agreed softly around angrily im going to my cabin and im going to stay there nedra kept her word she stayed in all day even though after shed had her dinner gramma reminded her that there was nothing on earth more beautiful than a moonlit evening at sea what do I 1 care about a silly old moon nedra retorted in a voice that shook with tears TT T SEEMED a stalemate so gram I 1 t ma went on deck alone and soon found john his boyish face looking tired and drawn even in the semi light gramma slipped into the chair beside him and he said un chapply look here gramma a man cant go a thousand miles away more or less to forget a girl and stay on the same boat with her all the way why dont you two youngsters make up we decided that it if we quarreled before marriage wed do the same thing afterward were trying to be logical and modern but his voice trailed away sadly well someday meet another girl gramma said lightly never happen never dont even mention a thing like that johns voice was hoarse with pain but just the same it looked more and more as it if grammas plotting to bring these two stubborn kids together would come to nothing at all it looked plain enough that john and nedra had no intention whatever of making up their quarrel next morning mother nature herself decided to take a hand they awakened to find the ship tossing in a sudden gale thunder roaring in demoniac fury lightning flashing with every split se second abd the waves tearing at the shir ship 95 it possessed absurd jealousy because I 1 love you so very much no nedra contradicted adoringly it was my bad temper john shook his head quickly you have the temper of an angel and well never never quarrel again in the future if there is a future left to us he finished bravely neither of them was aware that the wind had ceased its wild roar and the deceitful sea had suddenly become as calm and benign as a summer day still holding each other in a close embrace they hardly heard gramma when she came back and saw them together just a aqua squa squall 11 she murmured softly as she went into her own stateroom a happy smile wreathing itself around her lips |
