The Archer County News (Archer City, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 5, 1940 Page: 3 of 8
eight pages : ill. ; page 22 x 15 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
THE ARCHER COUNTY NEWS
JN1
B Y
LIDA
LARRIMORE
© MACRAE SMITH CO. WNU SERVICE
CHAPTER XV—Continued
"Jerry Conover." Gay’s smile
deepened. She leaned back against
the leather upholstery, looking out
across the dance floor where cou-
ples circled in a wash of artfully
mellowed light.
“You called me up one day and
asked me to take you dancing," con-
tinued Todd.
"Because he was magnificent in
the sky but no use' at all on a dance
floor. And you took me. As I re-
member the subject of aviation was
never mentioned between us. Not
for six months, at least. Yes, all
that’s true,” she added thoughtfully.
"We’d have something—’’
"A great deal. I’d try not to be
too much in evidence. You could
consider me a part of the landscape,
until—’’
“Todd!” she cried in soft protest.
She turned to look at him, her eyes
shadowed, thoughtful, a half-smile
trembling across her lips.
The music had stopped. It began
again, a familiar tune. A voice,
meltingly tender, sang—
"Red sails in the sunset
Far out on the sea—”
Their eyes met.
“Our tune. You bribed them to
play it. When you spoke to the
waiter a few minutes ago—”
"All’s fair in—” He smiled with a
twinkle in his hazel eyes. "Will you
dance with me, Gay?”
In silence they walked to the edge
of the floor. She slipped into his
arms, so accustomed to his dancing
technique that her position, her
steps, conformed instinctively with
his. They circled out across the
floor, rhythmically, with practiced
ease, moving as though they were
one person, her red-brown head
close to his blond head, her dress of
cream-colored lace, starched to
crispness, as fragile as frost-work,
a delicate silhouette against the
black of his evening clothes.
“That’s the way it is with us,
he said after a moment. “No
_ tr” , starts no. stannina
~ 'oilier s toes, no necessity for apolo-
gies.”
“I’d rather dance with you than
anyone. But life isn’t all dancing,
Todd.”
"Dancing is a symbol. We under-
stand each other.”
Her head turned, drew a little
away so that she could look at him.
His eyes met hers steadily.
“There’d be sailing and dancing,
he said gently. “Friends, a home,
children, if you want them, friend-
ship. They’re good things, Gay.
“Very good things, Todd. But are
they enough—for you?”
“I told you, I’m conceited.” He
smiled.
“You’re a darling.”
“Will you, Gay?”
"I’ll think—I’ll try—I’ll see'
Gay’s evening wrap slipped from
her shoulders, fell to the floor. She
walked across to the desk between
the windows. When you killed a
thing, you killed it quickly. She
seated herself, selected a sheet of
note paper, drew the pen from its
holder.
“John, darling" The pen moved
steadily across the sheet of cream-
colored paper, beneath the engraved
address of her mother’s apartment.
"We have hurt each other too
mueh and too often. It isn’t your
fault or mine. I love you. I have
tried as you have tried, but trying
does no good. I’m going to marry
Todd, very soon, by the time you
receive this, perhaps, we will have
been married. He understands, as
you must and will. There Can be
no peace for either you or me while
we continue to fight something that
is too big for us, something which
we cannot alter or control.
I want peace for you, for myself.
You will find it in your work. I
will find it, eventually, in the life
which Todd and I, together, will cre-
ate. Don’t be bitter or self-reproach-
ful. I don’t regret having loved
you. You must not regret what has
happened. Keep the memories of
the happy times we’ve had and for-
get the others ...”
The pen came to a stop. She
read what she had written.- It
seemed adequate. There was noth-
ing to add except her name. She
wrote it quickly, folded the sheet of
note-paper, enclosed it in an enve-
lope, found a stamp. "Dr. John L.
Houghton,” Dr. Sargeant’s address
in Portland. Her writing was clear,
each letter distinct and carefully
formed. It betrayed no sign of emo-
tion. She was glad of that. There
was nothing to indicate hesitancy.
She glanced at the clock on the
night stand beside her bed. Better
to mail it now than to wait until
rooming. She rose, stooped, picked
up her evening wrap. Standing be-
fore the mirror, she slipped it on,
secured the fastenings with delib-
eration and smoothed back her hair.
When she turned, she saw the letter,
a cream-colored oblong on dark
desk pad. She returned to the desk,
stood for an instant holding the
letter in her hand, then, moving
swiftly and quietly, went out of the
room.
The night doorman spoke to her at
the entrance of the apartment.
“I’m going to mail a letter, Wil-
liam,” she said.
“Shall I mail it to’ you?” he asked.
"No, thank you.”
"Must be mighty important let-
ter,” he said, with a drowsy grin.
“Very important, William.” She
went out through the door he held
open for her info the quiet street.
There was a mailbox at the cor-
ner. Her high narrow heels clicked
on the concrete pavement. The air
was balmy and smelled of the riv-
er. The sky was sown thickly with
stars. The letter made no sound
falling into the box, but the click of
the lid against the slot when her
hand released it startled her as
though a shot had been fired through
the night.
Walking back to the apartment
house, saying good-night to the door-
man, going up in the lift, she mar-
veled at her composure. Whenever,
during the last three months, she
had thought of making a clean break
with John, she had anticipated the
pain it would give her. Now that
she had written and posted the
letter, she felt only a sense of relief.
Had she gotten over it without be-
ing conscious of the process? she
wondered as she prepared for bed.
Nothing in the mechanical move-
ments involved in writing and post-
ing the letv r had shaken her except
the click of the mailbox lid. Her
hand, as she brushed her hair, was
steady. Her face, in the mirror
above the dressing-table, was com-
posed, thin as it had been all spring,
the cheek bones accented, shadows
under her eyes. No hint of the shat-
tering emotion she had anticipated.
She felt more tranquil than she had
a. ryfr-a&ah- for months, physically weary, as
- - ’ though she could sleep forever.
She lay beneath a light coverlet in
the soft narrow bed, her arms
crossed beneath her head, looking
up at the disk of light that the bed-
stand lamp printed upon the ceiling.
At some time, during the past three
months, had she stopped loving
John? No, not that— But had she ac-
cepted the inevitable? Had she been
recovering all these weeks since she
had returned from Maine? Had the
decision she had avoided, finally
made, brought tranquillity rather
than the pain she had anticipated?
She didn’t know. She felt sleepy,
blissfully released from tension and
strain. She turned, pulled thf iamp
cord. Darkness pressed against her
closed eyelids, heavy and soft, blot-
ting out objects, smothering thought,
quieting as an opiate, blessedly wel-
come. Her hand, moving to an ac-
customed position beneath her cheek
felt heavy. She sighed, murmured
and was asleep.
given each other were not compare- I Mge- running brethlessly, excited
ble to the suffering she was endur- ' * *"
ing now, to what John would suffer
when he read her letter. She imag-
ined him tearing it open in the hall
of Dr. Sargean’t home, eagerly, be-
cause he loved her letters, anticipat-
ing in the envelope which bore her
hand-writing, a momentary release
from work which was, to him, un-
interesting and exacting. Sitting on
the park bench, she tortured her-
self by watching his expression
change, seeing the brightness fade
out of his face, his lips quiver with
pain, the agony in his eyes ...
“I’m going to marry Todd, very
soon, by the time you receive this,
perhaps—” But she wasn’t going to
marry Todd, not very soon, not even
as long as John lived and loved her,
as long as she loved him with this
aching intensity that throbbed with
every throbbing beat of her heart.
She was not going to marry Todd.
That was settled the night she and
Kate had arrived at the cabin, when
John came in and she had watched
his expression change from brusque
inquiry to astonishment, to the soft
and joyous radiance that had shone
in his eyes.
But why shouldn’t she marry
Todd? She loved him dearly, in quite
a different way. But wasn’t that
We’re going to
CHAPTER XVI
Gay dropped down on a bench in
Central Park and glanced at her
wrist-watch. Ten minutes of two.
Kate would have had luncheon with-
out her, wondering where she was.
Todd would probably have called.
He had said last night . . . She
sighed and put it out of her mind,
her weary glance returning to the
Park. So children rolled hoops
again. Why did they combine pink
geraniums with those striped green
and dark red plants? Where did all
the strange-looking people one saw
come from? How long did it take
a letter mailed at midnight to reach
Portland, Maine?
Would he receive it in the late aft-
ernoon delivery today? Was there a
delivery in the afternoon? Why
hadn't she called the post-office this
morning when she woke and realized
what she had done? Wouldn’t there
have been time enough, then, to
stop the letter? All sorts of red-tape,
she supposed, and she hadn’t been
sure that she wanted it stopped. She
wasn’t sure now. In spite of the
way her heart ached and the faint-
ness which made her so weary,
hadn’t she done the right thing, the
best thing for both herself and John?
There was Todd, of course. But
if he was willing to take a chance—
Strange how calm she’d been last
night, dancing with Todd, half prom-
ising to marry him, writing that
letter to John and posting it. She’d
slept, too, deeply and restfully. It
was not until this morning when
she woke that she had realized what
she had done. This morning—How
long would it take a letter mailed a
little after midnight to reach Port-
land, Maine?
The words she had written re-
curred to her. "We have hurt each
other too much and too often.” That
was true. But the hurts they had
iy, to a cab, to Maine, to John.
Kate came out from the dining-
room as Gay burst into the hall of
the apartment.
"Where have you been?” she
asked. “I waited luncheon for an
hour. You’re out of breath. Have
you been running?”
"Yes, I’ve been running. We
mustn’t lose any time.”
Kate dropped down on a love-seat
in the hall. “What do you mean?”
she asked.
“We’re driving to Maine.” Gay
tugged at her arm. “Come! Pack
what you must but not much.”
“I’m not going to tyaine. I’m go-
ing to stay right here and finish
Anthony Adverse if it takes the rest
of my life.”
“Don’t be silly.
Maine."
“I went to Maine with you once
and you know what happened.”
“All right, then, i’ll go alone."
“Wait a minute.” Kate quickly
caught Gay’s arm as she turned.
“What is this all about? You’re the
most head-long young lady I’ve ever
known.”
“I’ve got to go, Kate. I wrote
John a letter last night breaking it
off, telling him I was going to marry
Todd.”
“And now you want to beat the
letter to Maine?”
“If I can. Anyway, I’m going, I
told Suki to call the garage and have
my car sent around. I must pack.”
“Oh, Gay! And I’ve only my Pull-
man case here!” Kate wailed. “It’s
as big as a trunk.”
“What does that have to do with
my going to Maine?”
“Well, you don’t think I’d trust
you to go alone, do you?”
“Will you go with me?” Gay
caught Kate’s hand and gave it a
squeeze. “Kate, you are a lamb.”
‘‘Nonsense!” Kate pulled her hand
away. “Go on and pack.”
pack.”
way more lasting? She might hurt
Todd but he could not hurt her.
There would be children, lovely
blond children ip DePinna play suits
filling her life.
Why shouldn’t she marry Todd-
Two children ran toward her. One
of them stumbled and caught at her
to keep from falling. Dark eyes
looked up at her from a thin dark
face. Her heart gave a lurch. She
smiled and started to speak, but the
child raced on, beyond her, out of
her reach.
A letter mailed at midnight— She
could drive to Portland in ten hours
or less. Leaving now, she would
be there before midnight. Or she
might drive as far as Boston tonight
and go on to Portland in the morn-
ing. Her heart beat Quickly, hope-
fully. She took a few rapid steps
-forward.
But John would fihve had the let-
ter by then. Would he? She wasn’t
sure. And to go dashing up there
would be a concession. He had not
come to her here. They had parted,
after the time she had spent in his
mother’s home, not entirely recon-
ciled, a distance between them
which both recognized but which nei-
ther had made an effort to close. If
he loved her, and wanted her— He
hadn’t been able to leave, of course.
But now that Dr. Sargeant had re-
turned— Gay’s chin lifted above
the scarf knotted at her throat un-
der the jacket of her dark flannel
suit. She wouldn’t humble herself
to return to Maine. She wouldn’t—
Why shouldn’t she? Was it pride,
false-pride, the wilful arrogance she
had fought against, that was re-
straining her? Was it pride that, last
night, had compelled her to half
promise Todd she would marry him,
to write the letter to John? Pretty
stupid to let pride rob you of the
thing you wanted more than any-
thing in the world. Pretty stupid
and obstinate to let something beau-
tiful slip through your fingers be-
cause you were accustomed to hav-
ing your own wilful way—
She did not know when she made
the decision. She was hardly aware
that she had until she found her-
self running through the park to
the nearest point at which she might
hope to hail a cab, a tall beautiful
girl in a dark tailored suit and a
small bright hat, running along a
paved walk beneath sun dappled fo-
iaft’t. ii?.’’ ..Kate said as
rned the car into the street on
Dr. Sargeant lived. “They’re
aren’t they? Did you ever see
ny, so tall?”
nice now.” Gays eyes
[ed ahead for the square frame
which she had remembered
|ainted yellow. “When I was
March it was pretty bleak,
was a blizzard.”
,t must have been jolly.
Katelegarded Gay’s profile. “Aren't
you £ad I made you stay at that
Inn last night? You look fresh and
rested though I still don’t care for
that hat.”
“The house was yellow,” Gay
murmured, slackening the speed of
the car.
“I don’t see any yellow houses.
Are you sure this is the right
street?”
“I've written the address a good
many times. Oh!” Gay gave a lit-
tle cry. “There are Nat and Skip-
py. This is the house. They’ve had
it painted white."
She drew in at the curb, pulled
the brake, shut off the motor. “Hel-
lo, Admiral Byrd?” she called.
(TO BK CONTINUED>
Consumption of Cheese
Shows Upward Trend
Americans are eating more
cheese,i-says the bureau of agricul-
tural economics. The upward trend
in consumption has been especially
noticeable during the past seven or
eight years.
In depression years, from 1929 to
1932, the per capita consumption of
cheese dropped slightly. Since then
the trend has been sharply upward
and last year it was 25 per cent
greater than in 1930.
During the past five years the use
of cheese has averaged 5.34 pounds
per person, compared with 4.59
pounds in the 1925-29 period. In
1910-14 it averaged 4.28 pounds and
in 1900-1904 the average was 4.04
pounds per person.
This upward trend in the use of
cheese, the bureau points out, has
been in contrast with the trends
in consumption of many other staple
food products. Consumption of but-
ter during the past five years was
about the same as in the pre-war
years of 1910-14, but considerably
less than in 1900-1904. In the past
40 years the trend in per capita con-
sumption of meats has been down-
ward.
By types, consumption of Ameri-
can or cheddar cheese has^ shown
the greatest increase. From 1930
to 1937 the Increase was 33 per cent.
This cheese is the principal type
produced in the United States, mak-
ing up over 71 per cent of the total
in recent years. The second largest
increase—32 per cent—has been in
the consumption of cream or
neufchatel cheese. Consumption of
Swiss jbhoese has increased 23 per
cent supet 1930.
HCWft SEW
Ruth Wyeth Spears
irzePER ttt a
CURVED OPENING
FIRST, THEM STITCH
SEAMS-TURN RIGHT
SDE OUT
BACK, BOTTOM AND
~ ONE PIECE SGXfA'!=TF=
DEHOLD this modern version of
u an old-time laundry bag. It is
made of sturdy ticking in crisp
red and white stripes. It hangs
flat against the wall with ivory
rings over brass hooks. It closes
neatly with a zipper and may be
opened with one hand. The zip-
per is applied in a curve to make
an ample opening, and the bag is
held in shape with a board in the
bottom. Surely you will want one
of these and will want to make
jone or more for gifts. Christmas
is not so far away, and here is
something for a man, woman or
child.
Everything you need to know to
make this bag is given in the
sketch. These directions are not
in any of the booklets, so be sure
to clip them. There is also an in-
teresting laundry and shoe door
pocket in Book 4. An easy-to-
make garment bag illustrated in
Book 1, and twin pockets for a
pantry door in Book 3, solve the
problem of what to do with clean
and soiled tea towels. All these
closet accessories make grand gift
and bazaar items.
NOTE: These homemaking booklets are
a service to our readers and No. S lust
published contains a description of the
other numbers, as well as 32 pages of
clever ideas fully illustrated. They are
10 cents each to cover cost and mailing.
Send order te:
MBS. RUTH WYETH SPEARS
Drawer 10
Bedford Hills New Task
Enclose 10 cents for each book
ordered.
Name ...............................
Address .............................
TO CHECK
W LIQUID Ot TABLETS
Flattery the Guest
Flattery sits in the parlor while
plain dealing is kicked out of
doors.
flPST CH0|C§ w MIUJ0Nj
lrf WHO HAVE MADE IT WORLO'S
= LARGEST SELLER AT IO«.
gki.,.wST. JOSEPH ASMBtH
Always the Future
When all else is lost the future
still remains.—Bovee.
HAPPY HOURS ^
V Amir gohqitiohed
BAKER HOTEL
The ultimate in fodlltiei for recreation and
rejuvenation. Other outstanding features
Include the finest in therapeutic baths with
complete manage luxurious accommoda-
tions. Beautiful grounds with an eighth-mile
tun veranda Outdoor activities at their best.
Dancing each Saturday night nn the tool
For Booklet Write to the Manager
LOUIS GAMBREU
MINERAL WELLS.
Benefits of Industry
An hour’s industry will do more
to produce cheerfulness, suppress
evil humors, and retrieve one’s af-
fairs, than a month’s moaning.—
It sweetens enjoyments, and sea-
sons our attainments with a de-
lightful relish.—Barrow.
IN A CIGARETTE AS MILO AS A CAMEL,
IT'S GRAND TO GET EXTRA SMOKING.
SLOWER BURNING ID ME MEANS MORE
PLEASURE PER PUflF A NO MORE
PUFFS PER PACK
NANCY LOVI. nottd aviatri*
*•*1*4 flavor
5^3 SB-'
OET THE "EXTRAS” Mm i
mLmvi
CAMELS
i THE CIGARETTE OF COSTLIER TOBACCOS
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Martin, Charles. The Archer County News (Archer City, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 5, 1940, newspaper, September 5, 1940; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth708466/m1/3/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Archer Public Library.