The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 65, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 17, 1937 Page: 10 of 12
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PAGE TEN
THE ROCKDALE REPORTER, Thursday, June 17. 1517
True by the Sun
Q #) LIDA LARK I MORE
“You looked tnrough tin* key-
hole," Jim suggested.
“I didn’t either ” Susan's expres-
nion was offended. "] just listened.
I heard him pulling out bureau
drawers and—”
"No fibbing, Sue," Jim said stern-
ly. "Tell the truth.”
Susan looked down at her san
dale
"Well, 1 did look just once
through the key - hole,” rhe con-
fessed. “And he was parking his
begs Where do yen suppose he’s
/A
74
“Do You Suppose He Was the
One Who Took Cecily's ( ar
and Hurt the Girl?”
going?” she asked in an interested
voice. "Do you suppose he just got
tired of it here? Or do you sup-
pose— ?” Her eyes widened. She
breathed excitedly. "Do you sup-
pose he was the one who took Ceci-
ly’s car and hurt the girl?"
Susan's questions received no re-
plies.
"I’d like to call the hospital,” Jim
said.
Mr. Vaughn rose, paced back and
forth across the bricked veranda.
"I was about to suggest that,” he
said. Susan looked from Jim to
her father, her eyes round with in-
terest and excitement.
Jim called the hospital over the
telephone in the lower hull. When
he returned to the veranda, Susan
had been banished. Mr. Vaughn
was alone.
"Well?” he asked, wheeling about
as Jim entered
"Dolly has regained conscious-
ness," Jun reported "I talked to
her nurse. It is a concussion and
not a fracture as they feared at
first. Her condition is greatly un-
proved.”
"That’s encouraging. Tins Jere-
my Clyde, Jim—?” Mr. Vaughn's
expression was grave and con-
cerned. "Are you certain?”
“Fairly so, although 1 have no
definite proof.”
“Hadn’t 1 better go up with Ceci-
ly? 1 don’t like the idea of—”
“She wonted to talk to him
alone,” Jim said gently. "I thir.u
she has been expecting this. I was
sure, tins morning, that she knew.
I’ve been wailing for a chance to
talk to you. 1 couldn’t when she
was here.”
“Poor child!” Mr. Vaughn sighed.
“This is going to be difficult for her.
Why did you suspect Clyde, Jim?”
Anger flared through his weakening
self - control. "Cowardly young
bounder! I'd like to wring his
neck!”
Jim detailed to Mr. Vaughn the
steps which had led him to suspect
Jeremy of being sure at first that
Tommy had taken the car, of his
talk with Tommy, of the question
which had brought the look of fear
into Jeremy’s eyes. He related the
events of the day preceding the
night of the accident, mentioning
Jeremy’s quarrel with Cecily as Su-
san had reported it, the party ct
the Pattons’. He spoke of Dolly and
the hints she had given him of her
acquaintance with Jeremy. With
painstaking care he fitted the frag-
ment, s together into a complete and
convincing blue print of the entire
situation.
As Jim talked. Mr Vaughn con-
tinued to pace back and forth across
the veranda, lotting his cigar go
out, lighting it again, asking a ques-
tion now and then, making a com-
ment, weighing and appraising the
evidence Jim presented. And at
he talked, Jim listened, without be-
ing conscious of doing so, for Cec-
ily’s returning footsteps, for sounds
from the distant guest wing, for
some hint or indication of what
was taking place upstairs.
An interval of considerable length
elapsed before Cecily returned to
the veranda. Mr. Vaughn, becom-
ing increasingly anxious, went over
the situation again and again. At
times his anger, exaggerated by
weariness and anxiety, broke the
restraining bonds of control; at
times, anger was lost in tenderness
for Cecily, in forgiving affection, in
helpless compassion for her humil-
iation and grief.
“I’d give anything to have spared
her this,” he srid. “She was really
in lave with the boy. You re her
' contemporary, Jim. You’re closer to
, her than 1 am. I feel so helpless, so
remote. What can 1 do to help
her? ”
Jim knew that Mr. Vaughn nei
ther expected noi wanted a reply.
He sat in the willow chair, silent
lor tne most port, now mat ne nuu
•concluded his story, listening, wait-
ing for Cecily to return. He felt a
bond of sympathy with Mr Vaughn
'I hey both loved Cecily and wanted
to help her There was nothing that
they could do.
When she returned to the ve-
randa, Mr. Vaughn stopped pacing,
Jim spi nrig^ft from Ins chan For
an instant a ■ trail ed hushed sdem *
filled tin- atmosphere
Cecily broke the silence.
"Jerry is in his room,” she said
quietly. "You can talk to him now,
ll attipi if you think you must, if
(there’s anything left to be said
"Has he confessed?" Mr. Vaughn
asked sharply.
“Oh, don t use dramatic words.”
j Cecily was weary and white but re-
assuringly composed. "Jerry has
I told me everything if that’s what
I you mean.”
"Sit down, Cecily,” Jim said gen-
1 tly. “You’re terribly tired.”
She lay in the long chair, her
fingers loosely linked against tin-
dull green of her frock. ”1 want
you to know this, Jim,” she said
looking up at him steadily. "Noth-
ing that happened was premeditat-
ed. When Jerry called you that
( night, he had no other motive than
to get help for Doily at once. The
thought of letting you take the
blame came later when he realized
that you did not recognize his voice,
that you had no idea who had
knocked at the door.”
”1 was fairly certain of that,”
Jim said. "If 1 hadn’t been half
asleep—”
She nodded. Her eyes turned
from Jiin to her father. “Jerry
isn’t vicious,” she said. "He’s
merely weak. How do you know,
Jim, what you would have done if
you’d been in danger of losing ev-
erything that you thought was im-
portant and you’d seen a chance to
prevent it*' How do you know?”
”1 don’t know,” Jim said.
"There is such a tiling as integ-
rity,” Mr. Vaughn said soberly.
"The quality inside oneself that
makes one do the decent thing what-
ever the circumstances.”
Cecily sighed. “Jerry hasn’t
that,” she said slowly. ”1 think
I’ve always known that something
was lacking, except just at first. If
he hadn’t run away, it would have
been different. I could have forgiv-
en him for taking the car, for con-
soling himself with the Quinn girl.
But to hide, to leave her hurt and
alone in the road, to let Jim take
the blame—" A tremor ran through
her, shaking her composure.
“Will you tell me,” Mr. Vaughn
asked grimly, "how he thought he
could get away with it? Does he
think you—all of us—are morons?”
"I don’t know. Yes, I do.” Cec-
ily’s face, white against the dark
upholstery of the chair, was reso-
lute and controlled. "I can’t evade
any of this,” she said. "I’ve got
to make myself see it clearly. I
must not keep a shred of any ro-
mantic illusion.” She drew a long
breath and went on. “Jerry
thought if Dolly should die. the truth
might never be known. There was
nothing against Jim stronger than
circumstantial evidence. He told
me he knew you could get Jim
cleared, Father. If Dolly died—
Well, she hod gone with him will-
ingly and anyone might have an
accident. Telling the truth wouldn’t
bring Dolly back. His reasoning
was all wrong, of course. But I
can see his side of it, too.”
"Was he running away?” Mr.
Vaughn asked, - 'when you went up-
stairs?”
wer t on, "hut the thought kept com-
ing back, even though I’d known he
was m bed before MacPherson and
I went to Cheater town that night
And tf.cn yesterday at the wedding
Jerry acted so strangely. He drank
quantities of champagne punch
whief wasn’t like him at oil. Jerry
s« ;d< rn drinks more than a cocktail
or two, or a glass of wine Taking
care of himself is an obsession with
him. The punch exhilarated him to
an ur .^uol degree. He tried to per-
suade me to elope with him I
think, now, that’s why he drank "
"Did you consider the proposi-
tion*”’ Mr Vaughn asked, looking
at her intently
"No, ' sne said Rirnpiy. had
given you rny word, hadn’t I, Fa-
ther’’ When we got home,” she con-
tinued. "1 called the hospital. There
was something in Jeremy's face, as
he stood beside me, waiting for me
to get the connection, that con-
vinced me, a suddenly terrified ex-
pression. I suppose all the punch
he’d taken had weakened his self-
control. 1 slept scarcely at all last
night I knew.”
"You didn’t accuse him?” Mr.
Vaughn asked. "You didn’t ques-
tion him even indirectly?”
"I was afraid,” she said. "1 knew
that if he suspected that I knew he
would run away. 1 wanted to keep
him here until you came, Father.
I knew you could help him to get
out of this with some degree of
decency, so that it needn't ruin his
chances for a career.”
“You expect me to help him?”
Mr. Vaughn asked in startled
amazement.
“Don’t bluster, darling,” Cecily
said coaxingly. "Let me do the
talking now. Dolly is apparently
going to get well,” she continued
more gravely. There will be no
charge against Jerry other than
taking my car without permission
and driving too fust. He hadn’t
even been drinking. She went to
ride with him willingly. He told
me that he simply lost control of
the car in that narrow road If you
will pay the girl’s hospital expenses
—I don’t see why we can’t get
Jerry out of this and let him join
the Cherry Hollow company as soon
us possible.”
"Cecily!” Mr. Vaughn said
despairingly. "Are you still in love
with the boy?”
A look of pain crossed her face.
There was pain in the depths of her
dark golden eyes.
“I never want to see him again,”
she said slowly, "but 1 do know that
I want you to help him. 1 want him
to have another chance.”
Mr. Vaughn moved restlessly in
his chair. “I don’t know what I
can do,” he said. "He doesn’t de-
serve help or consideration."
"Forget him,” Cecily said. "Do
it for me.” She rose from her chair,
stood looking at ht*i father, at Jim.
"The generosity of the victor to
the vanquished. It was a sporting
proposition having Jerry here for a
visit.” A small crooked smile
touched her lips. “Gentlemen, you
win.”
"Where are you going?” Mr.
Vaughn asked as she took a step
toward the door.
"I’m going to take two of Miss
Parker’s sleeping tablets and go to
bed,” she said. “And when I wake
up tomorrow or the day following,
I’m going in to the city and buy
some new fall clothes. And then—”
Her bravado seemed, for an instant,
on the point of deserting her. She
lifted her chin and again the smile,
poignant in its gallantry, touched
her lips. "And then,” the contin-
ued, "I’m going to Hawaii and learn
to do a hula or help Jim run the
riding academy or—”
Her lips trembled. Tears glis-
tened on her lashes. She went into
the house, almost running. Some-
thing like a sob broke the stillness.
The door swung to with a briefly re-
sounding slam. Cecily was gone.
"These modern youngsters,” Mr.
Vaughn said with a sort of rough-
ness in his voice. “Bravery and
bravado.” He cleared his throat.
"Call Bradley for me, will you,
Jim? The generosity of the victor.
We'll see what can be done.”
ry to lose her.”
Dolly grimaced "Apple - sauce,’*
she said Eat she looked pleated
and a little excited.
"I've brought you a present ” Jim
laid a square white florist * box on
the bed
"For me"’” she cr.ed. “Oh, Mis-
ter Fielding, how thoughtful! But
when she had untied the loops of
‘liver ribbon or.d lifted the lid she
gave a little breathless gasp of
i pleasure "Is it an orchid**" she
1 asked, lifting maidenhair fern, a
mauve and purple blossom streaked
with white and yellow from a nest
of crisp waxed paper.
"Of course it's an orchid.” Miss
Penny said appreciatively. "Give it
to me. Dollv. "I’ll put it in a vase.”
“No you won’t!” Dolly guarded
1 her treasure fiercely. "Pin it here.”
She touched the lace and chiffon at
her breast ”I've never had one be-
fore And fix the mirror so I can
set- myself. This is probably the
last chance I II ever have to look
like Constance Bennett in bed.”
Jim smiled. He had known that
an orchid would please her more
than a whet i-barrow load of less
glamorous blooms. "You look like
a million gold dollars,” he said,
seating himself in a chair beside
the bed.
Miss Penny shook a finger at Doi-
ly.
“Only lli minutes,” she said. "If
I let you get all tired out, Doctor
Donaldson vt ill give me a scold-
I ing.”
"I think she’s in love with Doctor
Donaldson,” Dolly told Jirn when
the nurse had gone out of the room.
She stopped admiring her reflection
in the mirror, turned her head to
look at Jim. “I didn't know for a
long time,” she said shyly, “that it
was you who found me the night I
was hurt.”
“Don’t talk about that, Dolly.”
"But I want to.” She looked down
at her fingers spread in thin fans
II || I i II I1
r
exciting, at first, to ride in Miss
Vaughn s car, though we only went
on country roads. lie acted sort of
wild and crazy, too. I thought he
was tight, but ?■€ v.uxn t. He was
just mad ’’
"What do you remember of the
accident?” Jim asked.
She considered for a moment,
frowning with concentration. We
turned into that road,” she said.
"He wanted to park, but I didn t
want to and I said your riding acad-
emy was somewhere near to sort of
take his mind off the idea of park-
ing. I think 1 said something about
you. I can’t remember what it
was but it made him furious. He
stepped on the gas and the car shot
ahead like 5 rrw-u#*t ! was scared
I don't know. Maybe I grabbed the
wheel. And then—”
"Never mind, Dolly.” Jim stroked
her hand soothingly. “I’m sorry I
asked. Try not to think of it. It
doesn’t matter now.”
"He's gone away, hasn’t he?” she
asked, after a moment.
“Yes,” Jim replied. "You had
J something to do with that, didn t
j you!"
"I told Dad to keep quiet, if that’s
what you mean After Miss Vaughn
came to see me, I felt differently
about it. She was so nice to me
Not snooty at all, just friendly and
really interested. Her father is
paying the hospital bills and he’s go-
I ing to send me to Atlantic City for
two weeks after I get out of here. I
j think Cecily—Miss Vaughn—thought
of that.”
"She made the suggestion,” Jim
said.
"So why should I let Dad yap
around about sueing anybody?”
Dolly went on. "Jerry Clyde hasn’t
any money. I went with him, didn’t
1? He didn’t sandbag me or kidnap
me or anything. Besides—” She
drew her hand from Jim’s, groped
under the mound of pillows, drew
out a small satin jeweler’s box and
I snappeu open Lhe iid. "Look," she
said.
Jim saw the small diamond set
in a flurry of carved white gold fitted
between folds of velvet.
"Herbert?” he asked.
“No—the Prince of Wales. He
proposed to me over the radio.”
The gaiety died out of her voice.
“Yes, Herb,” she said.
“Do you want to marry him, Dol-
ly?”
Her flax-blue eyes looked up into
his steadily, with confidence and se-
renity. “Yes, I do,” she said grave-
ly “Lying here makes you think.
Kindness means more than any-
thing, doesn’t it? Herb’s been so
sweet to me. He really loves me.
And after all this—Well, I know he’d
stand by me through anything.”
“Yes, Dolly. I think he would.”
“Herb isn’t exciting.” Dolly’s
glance wandered from Jim, rested
upon the mirror in the bureau at
the foot of the bed. "He’ll never do
anything thrilling,” she continued,
as though she were talking to her
reflection in the mirror, that un-
familiar Dolly in a bed jacket of
lace and chiffon with an orchid
‘I’ll
"No,” she replied. “He was on
the point of confessing. His first
impulse was to run away but he j
knew he couldn’t, in broad daylight
with all of us here. You see he
had called the hospital. He knew '
that Dolly had regained conscious- -
ness, that the hospital authorities
thought she was almost certain to '
recover.”
"When did you suspect Jeremy?”
Jim asked. "Why did you think
of him, Cecily?"
"I think I suspected him a little
right from the first,” she replied.
“He knew the Quinn girl and he
was awfully angry that night.”
"But I knew Dolly, too,” Jim
said. "You’d seen me with her at
Dutch's. Why were you willing to
believe that 1 was telling the
truth?”
A faint tinge of color tinted Ceci-
ly’s face. Her lashes curved down
against her cheeks, screening her
eyes.
"I knew,” she said softly. “I’ve
never felt that quality of integrity
Father speaks of lacking in you I
couldn t not have believed vou
Jim.” ’
Jim’s eyes met Mr. Vaughn’s.
Again he saw. breaking through the
anxiety which darkened M r.
Vaughn’s fac£ that half grave, half
smiling expression.* He looked
away, a curious feeling of elation
stirring in his heart.
“I tried not to believe that Jerry
might ha’ t. -i the car," Cecily
/-•f* *
\ nrti 1H.IY At
Dolly’s eyes, bluer than he had
remembered them under a tilted
white bandage, shining softly with
pleasure and surprise, were turned
toward the door as the nurse ad-
mitted Jim.
"Hello!” she called gaily. “I
wasn’t expecting company. Pardon
me if the place is a mess. I’ve
been ironing all day.”
“Hello. Dolly.” Jim stood beside
the high narrow bed looking" down
at her gentleness in his eyes and
in his voice. She looked so small
and so thin propped against the
smooth mound of pillows, so differ-
ent from the Dolly he new. in an
expensive looking bed - jacket all
lace and chiffon, with no make-up
except a delicate touch of rouge,
different, younger—What was it?
"They’ve cot off my hair,” she
said, aware of his puzzled gaze.
"Look, you can see what color it
really is. Sort of mouse-brown. Or
would you call it gray?”
“Brown,” Jim said. “I like it.
How are you?”
"Fine. They're going to send me
home at the end of the week. This
is Miss Penny, Jim—Mr. Fielding.”
Dolly smiled at the nurse. "She's
been swell to me.”
Jim acknowledged the introduc-
tion. The nurse, a rosy, healthy
looking young woman, looked at him
with interest and admiration.
"Dolly is our pet patient,” she
said, displaying large white teeth
in an amiable smile. "We’ll be sor-
"Miss Vaughn Is—Lovely, Isn’t
She?”
against the counterpane. "Herb told
me all about it, that you’d been ar-
rested. Were you really in jail?”
"I spent a night at the state troop-
ers’ headquarters,” he said. "They
treated me very politely.”
"Miss Vaughn is—lovely, isn’t
she?” Dolly said with apparent ir-
relevance.
"Yes,” Jim replied.
"She brought me this.” Dolly
touched the folds of the jacket, a
soft rose pink, like a sunset cloud.
‘Tve never had anything so pretty.
Penny says the lace is real.”
"Cecily has exquisite taste ”
Dolly was silent for a moment.
Then she said, "I was so ashamed
when she came to see me.”
"Why, Dolly?”
“Because I'd hated her. That’s
why I went driving with Jeremy
Clyde that night, because I thought
it would hurt her.”
"You hated her because of Jere-
my?” Jim asked.
“Him! I should say not! 1 never
liked him at all.” She looked up at
Jim. looked away, her face flushing
under the tilted bandage. "Don’t
you know,” she asked in a low
voice, "why I hated her, Jim?”
"Why?”
"Because—” The flush deepened.
"Because I’ve been crazy about you
all summer and I knew you were
in love with her and it made me
mad. I mean, I knew there wasn’t
a chance of your liking me. I
guess that made me hate her
more.”
"But I do like you, Dolly.” Jim
took one of her hands in his. “I’m
very, very fond of you.”
“You thought I was getting crazy
about you. didn’t you?” she asked.
"That's why you stopped coming to
see me.”
"I didn’t want you to be hurt,”
Jim said. "That makes me sound
awfully conceited, doesn't it?”
"No,” she said. "I know. But I
couldn’t help hating Cecily. So when
Jerry called me that night—”
"Did he call you?” Jim asked
quickly.
“He called me at the store,” she
went on. "When the ’phone rang.
I thought at first it was you. When
it wasn’t, I was so disappointed I
told him I’d meet him where he said
after the store had closed.”
‘Where was that?”
"By the bridge over the gully at
the edge of town. I knew he didn’t
want anybody to see him with me
but I didn’t care. I didn’t care
about anything. I wanted to do
something crazy and wild. It was
pinned on her . .cat*
I nas been the most e>.
: that will ever happen *. .
will Le fun to have a ho.,<- •
And babies, maybe I
j up the new babic.i ft urn tr >■ •
They’re sweet.”
"Be happy, Dolly,” jm
"I will,” she said st,..ir,
: hate to leave the kids, th
, especially.”
An idea occurred to Jim
think,” he asked, "that J. ....
like to work with me””
Her face brightened She t
to look at him swiftly, g -
"Could you give him t job? '
asked.
I so. Ji’i] rit. t- j
! obvious delight. "He isn’t „f. , .
1 » --- : „ i a i •
j livi sea, 4a lie ;
"Joey’s not afraid of any
she said proudly. "That -
i you, Jim.” She caught
held it against her che« *
feel so relieved to know
you. Take care of him for ti e
you? I don’t want him to \ t
around with that tough g , / ‘
town.”
“I’ll do my best,” Jun p:,
"After all 1 rn only repaying . ;y;t
You sent me out to the Yangm.
“I did, didn’t I?” The ti,ought
seemed to give her r
“Jim,” she said hesitating!-.-
you—? Is Cecily—?”
“I’m not and she isn’t,” jlrn
plied. “She's going to Bern -j;i
with her father,”
"Then she hasn’t good
Dolly said warmly.
Jim smiled.
"You’re prejudiced. You Lke
me,” he said.
"Oh, I do.” She slipped her en-
gagement ring on and off her fin-
ger "I hope she’ll come back from
Bermuda,” she said. "1 hope you’ll
get what you want. You’ve been
swell to me.”
Miss Penny opened the door.
“Time’s up!” she called brightly.
"Go away, Penny,” Dolly said.
Jim rose from his chair beside
the bed. “Miss Penny is right,”
he said. “You must not get tired.
I’m going now.”
"Okay, Mister. Good-by. Thanks
for coming. Thanks for the orchid
and Joey’s job. Thanks for every-
thing.”
“You’re more than welcome.
Good-by.”
He walked to the door, turned to
look at her again. Her eyes, fol-
lowing him, were wistful. One hand
lay against the orchid at her breast.
Jim smiled. She returned the smile,
her eyes narrowing and crinkling
in the way he remembered.
“Look, Penny,” she said distinct-
ly. “You didn’t know I was en-
gaged, did you? To the Prince of
Wales. See this. It’s one of the
crown jewels off Queen Mary’s
hat. Yes, I’m sleepy. Here, don’t
touch that. It’s the only orchid I’ve
ever had and I’m not going to let
it get away from me.”
Jim walked slowly down the cor-
ridor. Bravery and bravado. Dol-
ly, too, uad br,r share of them.
(Continued on page ID
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Cooke, W. H. The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 65, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 17, 1937, newspaper, June 17, 1937; Rockdale, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth695219/m1/10/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library.