Newspapers / Zebulon Record (Zebulon, N.C.) / Sept. 3, 1937, edition 1 / Page 15
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Jmli, win post and, Tar away. N*IB& anß" nip. ; * "Hello " said Mary Lea. *Tm crash ing. Item for your column, Win.* Even the ones that went on dancing watched sldewaya and listened. Mary Lee was cool and sura, not afraid any more of anything. She walked proudly along the bright room toward Nelda. “I’ve come to protect my prop erty." she said. Nelda was flushed and radiant She didn’t seem to understand. “Mary Lee," she cried. “Oh. I’m so glad." Somehow all at once Mary Lee couldn’t go on. What If Nelda really loved Flip? What If Flip loved Nelda? What If . . “Are you," asked Mary Lee. "are you announcing your engagement tonight Nelda?” EJven the music stopped. No one seemed to breathe. Nelda’s chin lifted. She laughed a brittle, half-frightened laugh and put her hand on Mary Lee'a “Yes. Yes. I am.” “Mary Lee, you nut,” called Win Post and pushed toward them through the crowd. “Here’s happiness,” said Mary Lee to Nelda. She faced Flip, Icy calm, still managing to smile. "Congratulations." said Mary Lee. How proud and happy he looked! “I I started to wade,” she added, “but It was too far. too deep and . too mucky You know, nasty warty frogs and . .” THEN Flip kissed her. “It doesn’t mat ter.’’ she thought. "I'll never be able to again." She threw all her cautions and pride to the winds and kissed him back. He held her tightly and every one was laughing and shouting Nelda said: “We had to wake you up somehow, Mary Lee. So Win and I " Win’s heavy bass boomed at them. Flip Knew Bud Patterson in college. When he showed up and told us about you . ." But Flip picked Mary Lee up and marched down the room away from them. Win started to follow them, but Nelda held him back. "Silly." she said, “now’s our time You tell them. Win. in case they haven’t guessed.” Flip, still carrying Mary Lee. reached the foot of the Patterson hill and started across the golf course. “How far . . Flip, how far are you going to keep this up?" she protested gently, cuddling her head against his shoulder. “Am I being silly?" he demanded. “No. I love it.” "I'll keep on all night if I want.” said Flip. “For no reason at all. And all day tomorrow and the next day and Monday, Tuesday. Wednesday! I don't believe in limiting anything. What have you to say about that’” Mary Lee sighed anc' shut her eves. Why stop with Wednesday?” said Mary Lee. " i*'* — i corner under the umbrella trees. "Pat tersons,” said Mary Lee, breathlessly The Patterson gardens were soft and lyrical under the moon’s Angers. Mary Lee dodged through the hedge and up the footpath. There was a pool over arched by wisteria, ringed with Iris Mary Lee stumbled into this doubtful haven and shivered The ..ight was full of soft whispers, scraps of laughter, little tags of words and the distant throb of music. Mary Lee shut her eyes and called: “Flip Philip Carney.” After a pause she tried again, louder. It was minutes before he came out on the terrace and looked around. He ruf fled his red hair with perplexity and moved along the balustrade. “Flip,” cried Mary Lee. Just loud enough. He reached the pool and stood looking at her, tongue-tied, strange for a mo ment. Then he chucxled softly and said her name. “Flip,” she would not move an Inch toward him around the pool. “You're going away, aren’t you? Or maybe . I came because I had to hear it from your lips that you don't love me, I mean.” “Such a serious little schoolmarm,” said Flip, but his voice was gentle. He came to her and took her hands. She rushed on, frantically. 1 “I . I’m admitting my idea was crazy. Flip. I loved you all along, so deeply, so terribly, but I . I was so afraid you couldn't mean It . . about loving me You see, no exciting, delightful person ever fell in love with me before ” After a long silence she asked: “Were you just fooling. Flip?” Still he didn’t answer, only held her eyes with his. “Flip,” she insisted, trem bling, “have you found out It wasn t love after all? It . it was Just loneliness and the forest and long warm days to gether and . . moon and stars and ” “Stars,” he said. Siernly. “What do you want to drag them in for? Just ( whirling gaseous masses growing by ac cretion and traveling in orbits.” “Don't.” she said. “Come, come.” said Flip. “Let’s be serious. What possible effect could the ; moon have? It’s just |\/TARY LEE drew back her hands and moved away around the pool. “No, oh. no,” she whispered “The moon Is . . is a lonely lady. Flip. She's lost her love, and . . and come to the party to find him. See . ” She pointed down Into the pool at the wavering image among the lilies. “She’d better be careful.” said Flip cal lously, “wading like that. Water bugs Skippers that flit like spiders and slimy little snails.” “She’d w T ade twice as far and twice ■. •— —— i •’■or*' .w,-' vv 1 1 y a ween, mougn ’ »Wr>t If tiny sooner insisted Mary Le~e7 and kisseci him shamelessly. He swung off sideward. Long after the dust obscured the bobbing crest of his hair, as he galloped along behind, she could hear his voice, jaunty, unbroken by their parting: “Good-by, Mary Lee. Mary Lee, she rolls along, rolls almg, rolls along. Mary Lee. she rolls along. Good-by, Mary Lee.’’ jy/TARY LEE was glad to get home. There was the umbrella trees’ deep shade across the lawn in the morning and the hum of bees in the bougainvillea on the front porch and from up the block the contented click of croquet mallets against wooden balls as the old i ten played and gossiped. But hours were interminable before the week was up. Mary Lee wanted to tell some one about Flip, but didn’t fjr an awful fear that he might fail to come She was busy, getting ready if he should An old friend phoned and came by. Jodi Willet gave her a welcome-home break fast. It was hard to drop back into the easy swing of Monte Seco social life ard Mary Lee had so much to do . dresses to make and new hats and coats to be found and shoes for certain outfits. She hardly had time even to run up to the Valley Brook Country Club and see the old crowd. But Philip Carney didn’t appear* in a week. Mary Lee’s heart ached. “1 was right,” she thought. “It wasn’t iove Oh, please. Flip, come. I love you so much. There’s no doubt at all about that.” The morning of the ninth day she beaded for Valley Brook Shed piav and forget. The sight of Nelda ~atter san. Vic and Jodi, Wingate Post . . all of them . soothed the ache in her heart. She belonged here Oh, but she’d missed them! She dashed up the wide steps 'iughmg and calling . . to stop short. Some one quite tall rose from the railing His red mop burned fiercely as he turned polite, unrecognizing eyes toward her “Mary Lee,” Nelda was intioduclng them, “this is my house-guest Philip Carney, on old pal of Bud.” In the face of his coolness Mary Lee only murmured politely, “Mr Carney ” He smiled charmingly and bowed. Oh quite correct. He said: "Nelda s forgotten to tall me vour name.". Nelda laughed. “Sorry, stupid of me She slipped a possessive hand through Flip’s arm. "This, Flip, is my dearest ano best friend. Mary Lee Lynn, the school marm returned.” Then the radio began to blare ano tht group fell away into couples, dancing Now,” Mary Lee though as Flip took hei band. Mary Lee loved to dance "So you're a teacher. Miss Glenn,” >aid. “What do you teach?” “Flip.” whispered Mary Lee. “Oh. swimming teacher, eh? Back flips or front flips?” “ottyr car/' yui at his remodeled ram#! sanatorium a rest. And there was his son. * Mary Lee 'a logical mind turned the problem of her iove over and over, ana •till found no good reason for Flip to love her. With her, things never hap pened without reasons. And looking at Flip critically under her tip-tilted eye brows she was doubly sure it couldn’t be love. Not real love. Not mighty sweep off-the-feet passion— this quiet deep fondness she had for him. “Let’s be frank,” said Mary Lee. "All right,” he agreed. “There’s a slight vacancy between your eyeteeth and incisors which drives me wild when you laugh. And, speaking of laughing, why don’t you more often? It’s delightful like some one breaking all the golden bells of heaven! And there’s a cleft in your chin, Miss Lynn, which I find dis turbing and . .” 4» TVrARY LEE shook her head. “Be seri- ous for a minute, please. We’re way off here, Flip, where we haven’t any real chance -to judge each other. No yard stick.” “Yardsticks,” grunted Flip. “I don t need one. You come exactly to my heart.” “Please," begged Mary Lee. "I don’t want to make a mistake, dear. After all . . you were pretty lonely up here till I came along, and I . . Well, we have to weigh this carefully.” “Mary Lee,” he said reproachfully, and then, “Does love have to be weighed and measured? I thought it was one of those infinite things— like the universe.” He was serious at last, tremendously so. Mary Lee’s well-disciplined scientific training refused to leap the hurdle of her textbook. She answered gravely: “But. Flip, there is a limit to everything. Even the universe. Science is now able to de fine . .” Philip Carney rose and walked away He didn’t stop at the end of the patio nor the corner of the building. He went on restrainedly into the night. And he didn’t come back. Mary Lee waited a while then cried herself to sleep. It was so awful —her last night there. The next morning Flip checked her out. He gave her a prim receipt for her check. He hoped she would have a pleas ant ride. He began sorting the mail. “Flip,” said Mary Lee, fighting to keep a ouaver from her voice. “Flip, aren't you . . I mean, last night I . ." “Oh yes,” he said, “I thought I’d met you somewhere before. Fancy seeing you again. What a small place the uni verse is!" He drew circles on the new desk blotter and would not look at her. “Flip,” insisted Mary Lee A spark of anger steadied her now "Look here. Miss Lynn." He threw down the pencil and shook his finger at her. "Don’t say ’Flip’ that way again I'm neither a pancake nor a trained Seal The station bus is waiting.” “Why should Nelda Patterson be going to such pains for her dance Friday eve ning if she does not intend to announce something of great importance to the group of intimate friends invited? In spite of assurances that it is only a fare well for that red-headed house guest who has set Monte Seco by the ears, this keyhole peeper will be saying ’Told you so’ next morning.” Nelda giving a party without her? “An intimate group of friends”! Flip going away? And Nelda announcing some i.hing . ? Mary Lee crumpled the paper into a tight roll and beat the hammock edge with It. “That for you,” she sobbed and covered her face with her hands. Her friend Nelda! Her Flip! But was he hers any more? Had he ever been? She’d set him free so gayly. ahe’d thought . “I love him,” sobbed Mary Lee. “I always loved him. I never really doubted my loving him; it was just something I said, a loophole to get out clean if he changed his mind about me Oh, what a cheap little coward I was! And he knew Flip saw through me.” Wednesday, Thursday . Mary Lee set her jaw hard. “I’d like to see Nelda get him,” she mumbled. She gave her friend opportunities to invite her to the party. She went to Valley Brook, but the crowd wasn't anywhere around. She called on the phone, but it was busy. came, and suddenly it was eve ning, one of those moon-struck nights when anything might happen. Mary Lee was frightened, but she pretended not to be. She fretted up and down her bed room with the lights off. her new cob webby dress swirling and trailing about her. Moonbeams cut broad swathes across the floor, turning it argent as water. When she paused at her dressing table it turned her oval face to a small pale moon itself in the black pool of the mirror. Curfew echoed up the Monte Seco Val ley at 9:30. Mary Lee had been waiting for it. She caught up the flame velvet evening wrap and ran down the stairs ‘Good-by.” she,called hastily to her par ents in the front room They must not have a chance to ask her who was taking her and where. She had phoned for the city taxi before and it was waiting at the “Such a serious little school marm,” said Flip, but his voice was gentle. He came to her and took her hands. Above a yellow moon looked down Mary Lee bit her lip, then rallied “Flip listen. I . ." “Yes, Miss Lawn." She decided to adopt his key “Lynn is the name,” she said. "Have you been here long?” “About ten days.” he answered. “Ten days, fourteen hours and a few xid min i utes to be exact. I believe in being accu rate. don’t you?” “You have not,” choked Mary Lee I’ve only been here nine days Unless . unless you flew?” She left it a ques tion, but he did not explain She was > angry, hurt, self-accusing in one. She > might have known Flip would 'ease this ■ way. She’d show him she could kid too She laughed lightly and glanced up. i 1 LJE WAS grinning and winking imp ishly at some one behind her. He 1 did not even see her smile. She turned and looked; it was Nelda. The music stopped and Nelda joined them, twinkling ' at Flip. “I ought to warn you. Mary Lee,” said Nelda. “Philip is a perfect devil. All ) the girls are heartbroken since he came r He’s had three proposals . .” 1 “Four,” Flip corrected her “You now oehold only the wreck of a once lovable human. Miss Bonn. Who did this das ■ tardly deed? Who left this rotting hulk l on the sands of time? I ask you. who?” “I know,” said Mary Lee, too angry to cry, “A woman.” “Right.” he said. “In the blush of my ! yputh . I did blush once . . it was a woman that told me there was no Santa . Claus. Again, it was a woman ho said the moon was not made of green cheese More than that, she told me the universe was . .” Mary Lee drew oack "Any wom“.n Jiat could tell you anything ought to have a medal,” she said. “It’s been so nice i meeting you.” She ran out of the Vailev i Brook and took the car around nome l ward curves on two wheels She expected him to follov her, somehow, but he didn’t. Marv Lee haa never known days could oe so long and purposeless There was no point in anything mail or powder ing her nose or even breathing. Sunday. Monday. Tuesday. The Wednesday paper brought her holt upright in the front-porch ham > mock. Wingate Post wrote the Keyhole Gossip He began startingly:
Zebulon Record (Zebulon, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 3, 1937, edition 1
15
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