Newspapers / The Elkin Tribune (Elkin, … / Oct. 17, 1940, edition 1 / Page 8
Part of The Elkin Tribune (Elkin, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Thursday, October 17, 1940 CHAPTER I Audrey Swan had assumed an undignified pose for a young wo man of two and twenty summers. Even if there were no one to see and she was partially screened by the trailing branches of a huge willow. She lay flat on her stomach with her sandaled feet aloft, blue slacks tumbling to her knees and exposing a pair of slim bare legs. Her determined little chin was almost touching the limpid pool under a bank of Briar Creek and her right arm was im mersed in it very nearly to the shoulder. "A swell break for the fish!" jibed a drawling voice from across the stream. "Thought I'd , taught you better." Audrey scrambled into a sitting position. "Oh!" was her startled ejaculation. Then a delighted, "Hiya, Jeff!" With that cordial greeting, she smiled. Her nose quivered. It had a ridiculous fashion of doing that when reg istering pleasure, in addition to being small and slightly turned up. Meanwhile, her grinning critic had sauntered down to the wa ter's edge. A tall young man he was, with a brown face and hair that shone like brass as the sun light bathed it. His hands were thrust in the pockets of a garish ly checked green jacket. A shirt of the same color lay open at the throat. White ducks somewhat rumpled and a pair of leather sandals made up the rest of his informal attire. "Gave you a ring at the house," he volunteered, "but your mother thought you'd IH POTT LOOK OIDiR THAU YOUR ACU I CHICK YOUR CVCS WOW —HAVI A I sowmnc uaminmwn imm W DR. W. B. REEVES OPTOMETRIST Office Over Elk Theatre JACQUELYN BODDIE dhmm*£.\ FAMOUS AUTO STUNT DRIVER EXTRA MILDNESS CAMELS MAKE EXTRA COOLNESS / DIFFERENCE TO >^k 25* situ," than the ( MY POCKETBOOK gg« tested- (EXTRA SMOKING GET THE "EXTRAS" equal 10 CSwSK WITH SLOWER-BURNING ■Mr CAMELS ■ -J THE CIGARETTE OF COSTLIER TOBACCOS Pilot About This for It's A Genuine. Waterproof 'ALLIGATOR J||S You don't need to be a Flagship Captain or First Officer to wear this famous Alligator raincoat! We have it in your exact size and color preference, smartly styled, thoroughly comfortable, absolutely wattrproojf And the J»? S^Hff price is so modest there's no need to compro misc on a raincoat of lesser quality. Better get yours now, because . . . it's sir* t* rami Oth*r Alligator Raincoats ELKIN CLOTHING QUALITY MEN'S WEAR Fred Sale - Phone 361 , Zimmie Tharpe gone for a walk. Right away I figured you'd be moaning at the old trystlng place. I must be psychic that way." "That's what you think," Aud rey retorted. "I came out here to read where it's cool . . . just stopped to chivvy a couple of minnows. I didn't even know you were back. Aren't you com ing across?" "Definitely. If I have to swim. Our tree still in service?" "I wouldn't know. I suppose so." There was a sudden pensive expression in the girl's hazel eyes as she watched Jeffrey Castle turn and stride along the bank. A moment later she glimped his checked jacket through the fol iage as he picked his way across a fallen tree trunk that long had done service for a bridge. Almost at once he came up and dropped down cross-legged in front of her, dark eyes alight with pleasure. "Gee, it's good to see you, Cygie! You're sweeter than ever. Maybe I should clasp your hand . . . been a long time, you know." "Yes. It has. But I think it would look pretty stupid to sit in a pasture shaking hands." "One up on me as usual." Jeffrey lurched swiftly to his knees and before Audrey realized his design, drew her to him and kissed her. "You did hint," he accused'amiably as he felt her stiffen in his embrace. "I did not!" "Don't let's argue, darling. It's too warm and we've too much to talk about," he soothed. "I must have kissed you before. The sen sation is faintly familiar." "At kid parties. When we didn't know any better." "Well, I'm educated now. And travel does broaden one." "So it seems. How's Europe?" "Didn't you get my cards?" "Rather. They weren't exactly informative." Audrey watched her companion speculatively as he stubbed his cigarette and toss ed the butt into the water. When he gave no indication of further conversation, she ventured: "Ev erybody's expecting that you'll go into your father's office. It will be nice for both of you." "Yeah?" There was a cynical look in Jeff's brown eyes. "Be tween pals, Cygie, I'm on a spot. You know the old gentleman gives most of his professional time to the circuit. Of course there's always some practice drifting into the office —routine THE ELKIN TRIBUNE, BLKIN, NORTH CAROLINA stuff from old clients and what not. But Miss Annie can do the job a heap better. In fact, I doubt if I know enough law to win her confidence." Audrey was forced to smile at that conceit and the picture it brought to mind, of elderly Anna Dodds who had been in Judge George Castle's office almost as long as anybody could remember. "As a matter of fact," Jeff con tinued moodily, "I don't get much steamed up over the law. I sup pose it's a good enough founda tion." "For what?' : Before he could answer a fem inine voice came floating across the creek. "Oh, Mr. Jeff, please!" The call came from a young wo man in a maid's cap and white ruffled apron. "What is it, Christine?" "The operator has been trying to get you, sir. It is a long-dis tance call." "O. K. Be there in a minute. Botheration," he grumbled as he got to his feet. Audrey was hugging her knees, staring at the trim maid strolling back leisurely toward the Castle house. "What was it you said about the old trysting place?" she in quired dreamily. "Nothing," Jeff growled. "I say, how about a little drive af ter dinner?" "I don't believe I can . . . this evening." "Pine," he grinned. "I'll come for you at eight." With that he started in direction of the bridge. Audrey continued to sit mo tionless, thinking. It was good to see Jeff again. Almost two years since he had been back home, his last year in college followed by another doing Europe in the grand manner. That's what it was to be the only child of wealthy parents, instead of the one child of moderate circum stances. Jeff seemed to have changed very little, but Audrey had felt a vague disappointment. His plans for her indicated that he expected the two of them to drift into the old intimacy of long-ago vacations. Apparently he didn't realize that things were different now. The Swans' rambling old house stood on a sixty-acre tract that once had been a portion, of the Castle land, separated now by the winding reaches of Briar Creek. Judge Castle was a wealthy man in his own right and he had mar ried money. Clipped hedgerows enclosed the formal gardens with their fountains and occasional pieces of statuary. Young Jeffrey Castle was nine —Audrey's senior by less than a year—when he first chanced to see the "new girl" from the next house. Audrey proved to be a pleasant discovery. She was ac tive and muscular, could throw a ball or hurl a stone with far greater accuracy than Jeffrey and could ride his restive pony at top speed without the benefit of saddle or stirrup. Audrey's passion for books was another bond and the two friends spent many an hour in the Judge's library—when he was ab sent lying prone on the big bearskin rug before a crackling fire—heads together over some illustrated volume, or reading apart as their fancies dictated. It was in one of these bookish ses sions that Jeff chanced to dis cover that a young swan was a cygnet. From that day, Audrey was "Cygie." Today, it had been strangely pleasant to hear Jeff use the old name so naturally. Jeffs first remark, after he [had settled Audrey, comfortably in his low-seated roadster and started the motor, was a compla cent: "Knew you wouldn't let me down. Where to, by way of cele brating the stranger's return?" "How about the Ridge?" Aud rey was prepared for that one. It meant a quick turning off, no parading through town. "It's still light enough to enjoy the view, I think." Jeffrey said no more until he pointed the long hood of his car into the straight stretch leading to the Ridge. Cutting down his speed to—for him—a moderate rate, he asked abruptly: "Listen, girl friend, did I ever make love to you in any of my absent minded moments?" "It got by me if you did," was the cautious reply. "Why?" "Merely mulling over what you said this afternoon. Sounded as if I was a rejected suitor or some such . . . that you were trying to let me down easily. We've been pals for so long that I couldn't quite make myself believe you were trying to tell me that we were washed up. That wasn't your idea by any chance, was it?" Audrey drew a long breath. "It's like this, Jeff, you're not here on vacation this time. You'll have to carry on as one of the Castles. It's a putrid thing to say, but I'm not sticking out my neck. And it's not altogether on my account ... if you know what I mean." "I know what you think you mean," Jeff considered. "It's the bunk.'.' "That's sweet of you. But you know better. Everybody's been used to seeing us pal around to gether as kids. But now they'll start rubbing their hands to gether. I've been around here more than you have. I know." "Yeah? Now that you bring it up, I must have read a heart twister like that. Maybe it was in a movie. Something about a wistful little girl who never snif fles, lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and she comes from ..." "Poor but honest parents," Audrey helped. "Poor but honest parents," Jeff repeated dutifully. "Of course she isn't good enough for the boy's folks who are tottering around proudly under a load of jack, most of which they never earned. Slush is right! Candid ly, Cygie, you make me sick." "Sorry. But you get the idea. Only the girl doesn't apologize for her folks. Her dad's quite the nicest Britisher that ever shoved off to the mainland. Just the same, he's horsy. That makes a lot of eyebrows go up. Oh, I'm aware it would be perfectly all right if Dad owned a big. racing stable and grabbed of the Derby and the Belmont Stakes so often that it bored him. But he's only a trainer . . . although he is a darned good one. And I'm sort of an exercise boy myself." "You still make me sick, darl ing. You never were much good at dissembling. What's the man's name?" "You wouldn't know him." "I got that phone call," Jeff observed. "A girl friend in the city. Maybe that will fit in with your new complex." "I think it's splendid." "Her name's Olive Cooper . . . nice femme. Met her in Switzer land. Traveling with her mother who's also a pleasant person. Odd, you know, but my itinerary sort of fitted in with theirs, so we saw quite a bit of each other. There were a good many little things I could do for them and they seemed to appreciate it no end." Audrey smiled to herself in the gloom. "You didn't have to build up such an elaborate defense. Of course you all came back on the same boat and of course they in vited you to call." "You're a big help, Cygie, but I insist on finishing my story. I found we not only have a lot of' mutual friends, but Dad has done considerable business with Olive's father. Well, I rounded up some folks on the way home for a little house party over this week-end. HOMES AND LOTS FOR SALE IN Shugart Farm —I "71 LOTS FACE ON WINSTON-SA- S3OO.OO cash and $20.00 per month will - i?M TITPTTWA V "MA (¥7 ATI build you a new home on a lot 100' x LiUiiVl nllillWAl l\U. Of. AL iLt 285' located in the Shugart Estate LOTS ON HIGHWAY RE property, one mile from Elkin and a TO UHMFC rTIGTTTMP half mile from Jonesville, on the new Winston-Salem highway No. 67, just a NOT LESS THAN $2,000.00 AND few, feet outside of city limits of Jones- 1? Tl T? WIIITF 1? fYWT V ville. No city taxes. This pays for T UK Wlllllli JrHiUrLti UINLI. your house and lot, built by plans and ALSO OTHER RESTRICTIONS. specifications drawn by a competent ■■__■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■» ZXEZ LOTS AND HOMES CAN BE construction to see that it is built ac- BOUGHT ON EASY PAYMENT cording to the plans and specifications p JJ FINANCED AND YOUR as approved by them. In this way you irn/frnwTmci VITTT ¥ r»r A nrvTTrr will get a good house and a well located PAYMENTS WILL BE ABOUT lot. The totals, has PLAN . ALL HOUSES CAN BE the FHA. You can pay half of your mTTT _ nT , XT m $300.00 payment down and the other THE SAME AS RENT. half when you move into the house. I S p"a n t So Why Pay Rent? fheTyou c a a'~t^t 'andTe FOR FURTHER INFORMATION BE AT THE SHUGART FARM noon and discuss the matter anywhere JUST EAST OF MR. WILL SHU ;z c'crir He loc J;.. P hfyet h . GART'S HOME SATURDAY, OC plans and specifications for 3 houses TOBER 19th FROM 3 TO 5 P. M., which have been approved by the FHA. OR WRITE* Joe W. Johnson WACHOVIA BANK BUILDING WINSTON-SALEM, N. C. I thought It would be rather nice, after talking to Mother, If . . . " "If you gave Olive a call. I think so, too." "Yeah? Well, I merely put the call through. Mother did the in viting. But Olive will be here Friday. So I'm counting on you." "For what?" "Dinner that evening," Jeff in formed imperturbly. "I want you to help me show Olive a good time. There will be a couple of other girls to the bunch/but one's married and the other might as well be, and they'll have their destinies along. So that leaves ..." "You," Audrey furnished be fore he could^Ptoish. "That's right. Also a school pal . . . Vic Quinn. YouH find him as comfortable as an old shoe. And you'iriike Olive. She's keen on horses and is bringing her rid ing things." Audrey sat motionless. A t length she said hesitatingly: "I guess you can't help being sweet, Jeff, but you do make me feel like a little rotter. The only ex cuse I can drag out is the one about being a woman. I know it's outmoded." (Continued Next Week) DON'T ** HOLSUM 1®; HOSIERY I I JBbI j| Sensational Value! M'J ! Lustrous 3-Thread . It 'K" W'M ! : . Tisha; smooth textured, ■■ ■ L I M ■ M J r firmly knit with hair- W.-- ■m■f f. lln« Beams. Every pair M U J II ' irait Q uaJlt y- All Uie m II W m m newest colors. m. 11l For •°«* wear with smart looks .. £a pift l|.| J we say En-Jay Service weight .. 09C 1') SL \M * l * r cklc asMl economy ra W M||| try ear' Budget Chiffons JJC ■ f ft MILLER-JONES 'L im SHOES ... HOSIERY E * MAIN ST - ELKIN, N. C.
The Elkin Tribune (Elkin, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 17, 1940, edition 1
8
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75