Newspapers / The Alleghany News and … / July 18, 1946, edition 1 / Page 7
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CHAPTER IX “I am but a servant, Miss Win gate. Don’t you think that it is ip to you to make the decision?” * * * “dronda Moore married!” iJlh kept murmuring to her self, half in wonder. “Dronda Moore married!” She hadn’t believed sister Jen ly at first. How could she know way out there in Kansas? But the answer to the telegram she lad immediately dispatched had .eft no room for doubt. ‘‘Of course Dronda is married. Ask her about Bill Burke’s broth er Harold.” • • • To tell Jimmy or not to tell him, that was the question. Or the beginning of the question. For if Jimmy stopped paying Dronda court would he start woo ing Sally again, start hurting her again? She certainly could not do anything to bring that about. But on the other hand, didn’t Jimmy have some claim on her? They’d known one an other for a long time, and . . . “Sally!” “Yes?” The girl sounded pre occupied. "What did you say to Jimmy last evening?” “Plenty.” “How’d he take it?” "The usual way. A laugh. Noth ing can disturb Jimmy’s equa nimity.” “Such a big word for a small gu i. Sally appeared in the doorway, looking grim. “I said a lot oi things last night, Helen. And cant them. I’ll teach Jimmy a lesson he’ll never forget.’’ “Aw, he’s not a bad guy.” Sally stamped her foot. “How can you say that, after the way he treated you?” “I’ve been kissed before, dear.” She’d told Sally the first lie that entered her head. Why not? She'd told herself bigger ones. For instance, she’d told herself that she didn’t love Jimmy, didn’t love him at all. “Maybe he’ll get a lesson from Dronda, Sally. Let him alone, huh?” Oh, no. I’m going to take him away from her, and then!” “Think you can do it?” “I’m the same girl he begged for a date.” * * • Evening — -'nd a countryside shimmering in the glow of a full brilliant moon. And the air filled with the sweet scent of flowers a sighing breeze. Philip Jeth B felt profoundly moved as he took Catherine Wingate’s hand and helped her over the stiles of the little fence. “Tired, darl ing?” ' “Philip, I’m never tired when [’m with you.” “Sweet.” He brought her hands to his lips and kissed them, first one then the other, then all over again, while she shivered deli ciously. “Philip, you’ll wear them out!” “Or my lips. Well, they’ll be worn out in a good cause.” “Just two more weeks, Philip. Think of it, just two more weeks!” “I couldn’t think of anything else if I wanted to, darling.” And that was the truth. When horror is about to enfold you in its arms it is difficult to think about any thing else. though sensing his thought, ich was exactly what had hap pened, she withdrew her hands from his. A mosquito whirred in aer ear and she slapped at it in effectually. “Now let’s stop act ing, huh, Philip?” “I—I beg your pardon?” Lost n his own thoughts, he really ladn’t heard her. “I said, let’s stop acting. You lon’t want to marry me, isn’t hat so?” “Yes, Cathie,” he said firmly. ’I do.” i “Philip!” | He got up and took her into tis arms. “Yes, darling, it’s you fve always really loved.” I] 'Mike would have been pleased had he seen their kiss, because Mike was furious enough with Stewardess Sally Alliston to wish hejyill the bad luck in the world. had been properly sowy for his condition the evening she came calling, and she had been suitably gay and forgiving and even accepted his invitation to go dining and dancing. But then her mpod had changed—changed while they were on the dance floor. Having no way of know ing that the orchestra was play ing the identical tune the or chestra had played in New York when she was in Jimmy’s arms, was rather confused by her anrupt: “Oh, I don’t feel like dancing, Mike; let’s sit down.” He was ur>"omfortable when they returnee. 10 their table. He had drunk several martinis, sc he was slightly dizzy, as well. Made less inhibited by the alco hol, he boldly took her hand and squeezed it gently. “Sally, what did I do wrong? You look as angry as — as I’ve ever seen you look.” “Skip it, my pet.” “No,” he told her stubbornly, “I won’t. You’ve changed in a subtle way, Sally. I can’t skip that.” “Just tired of dancing, Mike, that’s all.” “I don’t mean that, though it’s linked to what I do mean. Frank ly, Sally, are you in love with Jimmy?” She drew her hand away. “What a ridiculous thing to ask.” “Yet the logical question to ask.” He frowned as a drunk bumped into his chair. “Look, let’s go somewhere and talk.” “About Jimmy? I should say not.” He sighed. The noise in the dine and dance place was head splitting. “Ever since that first evening you spent with him. Sally. You fell for him, didn’t you?” “No!” she cried vehemently “I didn’t!” “And he left you for Dronda. Fell for her. And so, enter cyni cal Sal, who is not a wonderful gal.” “Are you quite finished?” She inquired icily. Again he captured her hand: again he leaned forward intense ly over the little table. “I’ll never be finished, Sally. You see, 1 love you too much.” This* time she didn’t succeed in pulling her hand from his, though she tried to—energetical ly. “Mike, do you have to spoil every date we have?” “Instinct tells me to keep try ing, Sally. Instinct tells me that if I try often enough I'll get what I want.” "All right, then. I fell in love with him.” His face blanched, but he held grimly on to his show of com posure. "And now. jealous, hurt, bitter, you want to strike back at him. Suppose you succeed. Sally? Suppose you make him come crawling back to you — which you won’t, by the way— what then?” "Then I shall marry Philip Jethrup!” “Of all the dirty thoughts!” he raged. “Is it? That’s unfortunate. But please remember that I didn't start this way. I have learned from my dear friends. Jimmy olays high, wide and handsome, and that’s all right. You spoil our friendship and that’s all right. Well, it’s all right for me to mar ry for money, then.” “Are you through?” She flung her head back. “I am, Mike. Do I get lecture one or two or three?” He rose and slapped her face, iis face was red with fury. His breath rasped in his throat. “You cheap — and I thought I loved you!” She pressed her hand to her stinging cheek, eyes wide with amazement. “You — you slapped me!” “You deserve worse, by God! A slimy, despicable thing like you! And I thought . . She sprang from her chair, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Mike, I. . . .” “Get out. Get out before I really forget myself. You hear, get outf” “Hey, loud-mouth, you keep yer hands off her!” A burly gentleman with a cigar clenched between his teeth rose from an adjoining table threat eningly. He promptly sat down as Mike gave him a lusty shove and stamped out. • • • Helen was rather surprised •vhen she received the telephone call from Mike. She was engaged in washing the breakfast dishes when the ’phone rang, and had beat Sally to it only by a hair's breadth. But she was even more surprised when Mike told her why he wanted to see her. Forced to speak guardedly, then realizing that guarded tones and words would get neither any where, she promised to meet him before going out for her swing shift term of duty. Sally, miffed, went back to the bedroom in a huff. “A fine thing, Helen! It could have been for me.” “For you? Who'd telephone you?” “I’m not exactly undesirable,” Sally mentioned delicately. She posed in the doorway, with a land on her hip, rather pleasing :ven to Helen’s jaded eye in yel ow pajamas. “There’s Philip, /ou know.” “Philip?” Helen just man aged to control. her start. “Have you read this morning's paper?” “I refuse to read about Jim my’s escapades.” Out went Sal ly’s smile, like a light being switched off. “On the society page it says that Philip and Catherine Win gate are to be married. The date is for the first.” “You’re lying!” Sally’s voice was electric with fury. “You— you’re lying!” Helen picked the paper from the sofa and carried it over to her. She opened it, indicated the notices, then marched toward the kitchen, feeling just a bit an gry herself. Liar, indeed! (To Be Continued) Washington, D. C.—Efforts to bring at least part of the bill to reorganize congress are being made in the house. The senate passed their streamlining legisla tion on June 10, but the parallel measure has lain dormant in the house. Its supporters in the house hope that some provisions may be brought to the floor for con sideration this season. If certain disagreements be tween the senate and house bills can be ironed out, administration leaders are willing to clear the way for action. Unfortunately, these differences are hard to com pose. Progress is slow among the committee members trying to harmonize the two forms of the bill. Chief stumbling block is the proposal to create party “policy” I committees. These would serve as super-steering committees for | the two major parties, and there by prevent confusion and would enable quicker action on legisla tion. Advocates of the measure expect that they will have to sacrifice the policy committees, but they are still undesirous of giving up the whole reorganiza tion bill. Most important features of the senate bill are these: Committees with similar func tions would be merged into one, such as the naval and military affairs. By this process the pres ent 48 house committees would be reduced to 18. , Congressional salaries would be increased from the present $10,000 a year to $15,000. Mem bers also would be eligible for federal retirement benefits. A new fiscal policy would be set up, under which congress would have to pass a resolution deliberately placing the govern ment on a deficit financing basis if it wishes to appropriate more than could be raised through tax ation and other revenues in any given year. This last provision is a sore mint. Administration leaders claim that it would be too cum bersome for efficient legislation It would require a joint meeting of the appropriation committees of both houses, that is, the ways and means and the finance com mittees. Proponents of the bill most important steps in reorgan ization. The plan to trim down the num ber of committees in the house is also causing a lot of dissen sion If the streamline bill pass es at all, there will have to be a Lot of compromising on this point, t is almost certain that more than 18 committees would sur /ive the reorganization. Another important, but excit ing bill that will come up this session is the unification of serv ices bill. The army favors this merger, but the navy opposes it. One result of the atom bomb ests at Bikini was the stiffening >f navy resistance to the unifi :ation bill. The battle ships sur vived the great explosion, after a fashion; at least they did not all go to the bottom, or disappear n a cloud of electrons. Some ships were not hurt at all. It is iot even clear yet whether the mews of the bombed vessels would have been annihilated, since some of the tethered goats ived through the blast. In any 'ase, the tests seemed to prove '.hat battleships are not obsolete ifter all, and that a big navy is dill necessary to our security. Some congressmen have taken a cynical attitude toward the tests, hinting that it is highly unlikely that experiments con ducted by the navy would prove that battleships are useless in. the future. For the navy to wreck its main reason for existence would, be suicidal, say these lawmakers. Be that as it may, results have tended to strengthen the navy’s hand in its battle against unifi cation. Most powerful man on the navy’s side is Chairman Vinson of the house naval affairs com mittee. Before he left for Georgia to campaign for re-election (he has been in office uninterrupted ly for 32 years) he took some pre cautions. By certain arrange - ments with the rules and dMer key committees he practically as sured that the unification, hill would be sidetracked. Like congressional reorganiza tion, the unification bill is highly technical, and has little »m«ti«naj appeal. The pubic is not clam oring for the immediate passage of either. In both cases, no ca lamity impends if the bills axe pigeon-holed. They are measures for more efficiency in govern ment functions. Unfortunately for the nation at large, a good> many powerful people are not anxious for more efficient gov ernment. For the year 1945, $35,000,000 in addition to wages was spent by General Electric in extra benefits for employees It isn’t a new thing for General Electric to put more than money into pay envelopes for its employees. “Job dividends”—these extras that G-E employees get in addition to wages—have a sound business reason. To be successful, a company must be efficient. A man with fewer worries can produce more efficiently, which makes further benefits possible. Profit-sharing plans, relief and loan plans began over 10 years ago at General Electric. Life insurance for em ployees, cash for suggestions began over 20 yean ago. Pension plans were started 33 years ago. And vacations with pay began 53 years ago. Every employee has a stake in the future of General Electric. For out of its success—and only out of success —can come further advances in living standards. That is the aim of General Electric, not alone for its employees, but for the public, who gain by new and better products^ continuously improved. GENERAL m ELECTRIC
The Alleghany News and Star-Times (Sparta, N.C.)
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July 18, 1946, edition 1
7
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