Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • Page 43

FIGUS ers urnee si i ii II 11 ii vw longhand at. Mcilyandtumed HoQsier Schoolmarm Assumes the Personality of a Traveling Showgirl "What," she Inquired ol her reflection" a She would have called him back, but something gripped her throat and choked her. And it wasn't pride. She managed to drag herself to the side of the still form on the planks and push herself erecU- By tailing off the other shoe she found she could hop a little, then hobble, a-step, halt for rest and repeat. She had made half the distance to walk when the' rattle, of shell told her some one was It was Stewart.

Without- speaking, he stepped beside her and picked her up. "I didn't know you were hurt," he really my leg this time," she said. His cool. wet arms felt like' Ice against tint, flpsh of her shoulder. She IMV polntI, "The left-knee," she said, and oulte natural for him to his long, capable fingers over tne tor- tured spot.

"Thank you for saving me," she said as he began the ascent of the beach. "But couldn't you have been a little pleasanter about it?" "I didn't hurt he. responded care if you did," she flared, "I'm talking about me. You hurt my feelings." He stopped so suddenly that she thought he was going to drop her. But his arms gripped closer and one hand slid to her neck so that the fingers raised.

her head very near his own. He appeared to be framing an apology. But he discarded the thought and looked sternly at her. "Look here," he said, "before this thin goes any further we've got to have the truth. I lied to you." I know," she interrupted, "you never saw 'Sock' McQlone except from a ringside seat" He looked his astonishment, but fort-bore questioning her.

"And I never was hit by an automobile," he continued In a dead voice. Molly struggled to kick her chair back TiruiiLY O'MEARA thrust back a recal- cltrarjurl--and, lazed luxuriously on vie parlor davenport. "Thank heaven for Saturday mornings," she sighed, and riffled the pages, of a magazine to -net capable little hands. It was one of those things about In thaj dark, bright lights and scnrlet nlgJita Old Dean O'Meara, upstaLi In the middle of his morning- nap, would have gasped at. the lght of It.

But he didnt know. Tne pages slipped Idly through Molly's fingers until the fate that- Jurks in cdm- posing room Inevitable "break." The book lay open at the rear advertising section. Her eyes were drawn to the right-hand page by the compelling gaze of a bewhlskered genueman to black-and-white halftone who shouted to her to 80-polnt boldface type the astounding fact that "Fig-ores Dont tie." Beneath the flaming headline were lesser platoons of type conveying the assurance that In six lessons the could be transformed from a desk- Sound drudge Into lightning calculator wuu wio worm 01 commerce at her reet. The gentleman gloried in the name of Dr. plonyslus Mills, president." Batata preserve us," she moaned and topped the offending Dr.

Mllle smartly 25. wlth tn ther half of the book. another She was startled into silence by the Tu ot 5pmdly youth Miss Molly," he gasped, father wants to know can you come to the bank right, h. She jumped to her, feet. "What on artn the matter?" "The examlner'i coming this afternoon, n' they've got to get a statement ready, Mthe adding machine', busted." "Broken." she corrected in a daze.

-Yes'm, broken," echoed. There was a pause, a muffled explosion "What did you sayr he asked. Molly whirled and stamped a No. I walking thoe. "1 said she announced.

Resignedly Molly got Into a sweater. nd trouped downtown to substitute for VmthRthad had been thus ever since the fateful night 7 Whm and the Dean ZZSLS. UrM Mi WW aghtg wlcu ator put down seven sets of Sh! gf. by the nd fa Molly would never forget It. For twelve years her dreams had been beset by enormous blackboards covered to the most minute corner with of chalk-white figures that danced and whirled before her eyes, always to flash out of sight and reappear In neat and correct totals.

And all because In an unguarded mo unnn Vh.T ZZ leaped upon her chair that night and mentreally without Tolltion she had hrilled In her 11-year-old soprano "No, Bo, that's wrong." And it was I Of course, It was a nine days' wonder. The Lyceum artist gritted his teeth but patted her head In public. He declared she waa a genius and bad a wonderful tlft. "No," he said menacingly to Molly, "we don't know nobody named Stewart" I been looking at you around the hotel, y(u never glve me rlpple' "Suppose she suggested In an oral- In the sanctuary of her room Molly clded thew was notnln to d0 but 14 through- TT' wakened earlier than usual. Only a handful oi sun whlperi the l0bby when she descended' FortesCU' frightful humor.

"You must pardon me. Miss he breathed, "but I've Just had most it! JV under Hp in a quiver of rage. "A PrizeflghUng person and his man. ager Just attempted to Insinuate themselves Into our midst." Sudden curiosity struck Molly. "What," she Inquired, "was the prizefighting person's name?" "Really." sighed Mr.

Tortescu, "I can't remember. But I think It was 'Swat' Somethlng-or-other." He motioned feebly toward the veranda. "They're still out there." At the foot of the steps Molly ran her quarry to earth. There were two figures, ona and to houlders, the otner large ana bulgy t0 Pauncn- "Are you Mr- 'Swat' Mcaione?" "he In- quired Promiscuously Both figures wheeled and the smaU one "BBeo i with a flourish. disengaged Itself from a wide straw sailor "And howl" It replied, bowing.

SHE disregarded him and faced the bulk at his side. "The name," rumbled the big one, "is Dan McDonnell manager of the wolf's champion." He indicated the other with a thrust of a bent thumb. "Do you know a Mr. Dion Stewart?" she pursued anxiously. The small figure showed signs of rec ognition.

"At's all right, sister," he beamed, "we don't need no thold party- The flail-like hand of the corpulent Mr. McDonnell fell upon his neck. "Nix on the skirts," he hissed, and thrust the little one behind him. we doh know nobody namecT Stewart, "No," he said menacingly to Molly, no reurawu uuwu urn tucu um- ging the unwilling champion with him, "an' we never metcha at Coney Island, nelthr" There was that significant steely glint In Molly's eye when she turned her back on the twin absurdities and re-entered the hotel. IT.

1-J .1 II 11. nously calm voice, "suppose we go swim mlng TTNKXPECTEDLY, a light popped on, Ten minutes later Molly was In net blinding her, and she heard a famll-hathhouse, wet and still smiling grimly. Urly thick voice from the gloom beyond. Mr. Shopkins was In the second circle The beam wavered and she realized it of breakers, dazedly picking sand out of was a flashlight.

It came nearer and can yoijwfftrtli She had decided that there was a -steai Jeal to be done. But it wasn't a hopeless iob and she knewJust where to start. 6c when the train reached Atlanta she gathered up her luggage and left it 'flat, re-stardlessjot the fact that 'her ticket read Miami. 8he arrived at the Florida re wit month later, half emerged from the chrysalis, hair no longer straying In wisps about her eyes, nose' serenely-pointing heavenward, secure In thatched eyebrows gone In favor of a plucked crescent. The mouth hadn't been changed.

It had not been necessary. Noi the eyes, ITOLLY snuggled deep Into the embract of the Miami sand and allowed her self the complete luxury of a sinew racking stretch. "I wonder," she mused, "who all these neonln urn tuhr tViso Mm She the Questions about In the back of "her mind for a bit. And then: "I believe," she philosophized, "It would be a better plan to pick out one good subject and concentrate." Whereupon, as if In direct answer to desire, a white and blue and brown figure splashed shoreward on the crest of an Incoming wave and waded, knee-deep, to thRt Poular section of beachfront which bisected Molly's aro of vision. Th brown portions became distinguish- able as arms and legs and head.

The white and blue were bathing suit She watched him kick the dinging wet sand from his feet and shake the water from ht Hth u. started directly toward her it may have been ehvn'esa that mad Molly reach for preting rim the beach umbrella But what actulllv han! XS wT i teat the thC wM sL nn Che found StoffhSS? to km, Dlif taiTMlA 4 Via Inf. I in the balance, while the world spun and ZTZT JJZ? hftrw, i TZZ ZZJTZ way. hl eaM fld on something a l8afue or two behind her-following his nose-oblivious One awlft flush of shame swept over her and hen "oodgates of her wrath I Bhe turned to watch his vanishing back he entered the bathing pavilion. "You Porpoise." she thought ecathlngly, "111 m.v.

nt, m. TM1 B(. If takes all winter." But It didn't take that long. That evening at the hotel she was ln- troduced to a Amldon who-later presented her brother, Dion Stewart, the man whom Molly had vowed to conquer. It wasn't until the second dance that he asked her where she came from, add- Ing the gratuitous information that he Mo vrV ha, was sick of New York and had decided to settle in a nice country town, So Molly said she was from Chicago.

During the next dance, when he reached question No. 3 In the litany of first meet ings and lnquireii about her vocation, she very gravely told him that she wasn't lng Into a sort of a shell that thrust up about hlm whenever she essayed to swlteh th.rMunnlA.Hhi. nimM.i.T. istence. In fact, he appeared unaccount- ably distraught when she summoned up courage during the next-to-the-last dance and asked him what he did as a matter of daily bread.

tell you." he whispered myste- riously, "will you promise never to tell my sister?" Without waiting for her breathless nod of assent he plunged on In a confidential air. "You see, I'm the black sheep of the family. They think I sell bonds or something, but I'm really the manager for 'Sock' McQlone, the lightweight champloa For heaven's sake keep It dark." "Only a manager," she said Just that faint breath -of scorn Hhat "devas tates. "Haven't you ever fought your- BOUJ "Oh, yes, of course. You know, I couldnt manage one unless I knew something about it.

Matter of fact, I was lucky enoughto win the middleweight title In college. His voice trailed oft sadly. 'I was badly smashed up in an auto wreck. It ended my hopes for a ring career. Tough break, wasn't it?" "Very," assured Molly.

"And where were you hurt?" uciwcen ine snouiaer oiaaes, ne re piled. "What a strange place," she observed an automobile wreck, he corrected blandly, "I was afoot running working out on the road, y'know." 0) from the table and escape. Stewart's startled exclamation rooted her to the spot. "She's right," he said in amazement, "I've got 1791." He turned. "How in the world But Molly had finally achieved a foothold on the floor and with that much gained nothing could stop her.

She was half across the cardroom before he started in pursuit. She saw his reflection In a mirror as she entered the front lobby and headed for the veranda. At the shell walk she turned sharply to the left, cut across the lawn and began to run for the beach, Behind her she could hear the pad of his feet. He was running, too. Ahead the dark bulk of the boathouse loomed, at ence Inviting and forbidding.

She slipped acrOSo WIG cicntcu uutuuwaw mo yic and pushed Inside. she recognized the overstuffed dlmen- slons ol ine unamiaDie mr. onopimia. He fumbled along the wall and clicked light switch. Molly saw he was not smiling.

In fact. -1 was appMent that his cumulative "Jag" had reached a stage which made the boathouse a good place to leave. She whirled dn one heel. A sickening twlng6 shot through her left knee and she fell heavily. The heel of her slip- per, wrenched loose by the strain, was between two nionks.

She tow urt." He reached down and seized her wrist. "Jus' for that, Wlllard's gonna take you out In his boat." She was conscious that Shopkln was carrying her over his hip like a sack. She felt the lurch of a boat as he stepped down from the landing stage and then ftnother tnrust of to ne dropped her the bow Rh. hlm hd the coueh of the motor as he spun the flywheel. Then a shout from somewhere far There was a heavier cough from the motor a staccato burst of explosions and hnat hrnn tv.

rnrlc fnrnmrrt lnt thB sh hPnr-i th. hout aeain. mar a iiirht nirirprt arms hpr fans and she struggled to rise, a silhouette zoomed up from the planks 0f the landing stage, hung In midair and then perched on the tip of the stern. Between, the bulk of her abductor swelled amidships. He was cursing at the top of his voice.

No sound came from the silhouette. Then, abruptly, it moved forward. A thin glint of moonlight picked out a tanned face. She saw an arm whip back and move forward like a piston. There was a gasping sound and the 200- odd pounds of Willard Shopkins seemed to lift and curve backward, his heels dragging momentarily at the dipping rgunwale felt, spread-eaglSd, into the cross-chop sea.

rpHE victor was clambering across the motor toward her. Somewhere In their wake she visualized the pink face of her "Get him," she demanded, "get him. He'll drown." The approaching figure straightened. The eyes were like flame, ''I beg your pardon," he said stiffly, "I didn't know you cared." He bowed theatrically and dived over the side, It took fully five minutes for Molly to get the tiller ropes untangled and bring the lumbering boat around. It took ten minutes more for her to creep back over the zigzag course and find them.

Mr. Shopkins was entirely unconscious ot what was 'going on. It was a tremendous task ecttin him Prom that time on she was a marked doln8 anything that season because she person In Oroveport. Old Dean O'Meara, nad broken an ankle while on the road of the State Normal, had gone to bed wlth the No. a company of "Sins of with a stroke during Molly's senior col-' Susan" last summer.

And she. showed lege year and she was aU he had. She hlm the Injured member, but It was ap-ouldn't go away. So she taught school parent from his manner that he failed and subbed for "busted" adding machines to, find any flaw as a result of the unfor- and dreamed. The magazine with the tunate occurrence.

provocative contents which she had hid- For a time Molly feared ner dash Into den In the davenport was Just a surrepti- prevarication had been a bit too perpen-tious gesture toward that outside world dlcular, the amiable Mr. Stewart retreat- MOLLY visualized the bulk Of Mr. Shopkins flying backward over the boat rail and grinned Into the protecting folds of Mr. Stewart's soaked and starchy dress shirt. There was a long pause while he fumbled for words.

"And I'm not anything but a darned machine that Juggles figures tor a living." "Is that all?" Molly asked after a decent Interval 1 The saturnine head nodded grimly. "Well," she sighed, "I guess It's my turn." She realized he was no longer walking. "Am I too heavy?" she asked. He said nothing, but gripped her tighter. "Well," she sighed again.

"It's not true about 'Sins of I wasnt in lt. And there never was anything wrong with either ot my legs until now." "No," he said absently. "I should say there wasn't." Then he blushed. Molly could swear to that. She said In a rush ot confession: "I've got to tell you all the awful truth.

I'm just a terrible fake and I teach school for a living In a sleepy place called Oroveport, and I ran away to go places and see things and I'm a freak that Insists on adding up every row of figures I see or hear" a tremulous, sobbing sigh "and the darn things always come out right." She wanted very much to sob openly on Mr. Stewart's broad shoulder and she even turned her head to bury her face in his neck, but somehow or other his lips got In the way. It was a very salty kiss, what with Molly's tears and the drops of Atlantlo Ocean that dripped down from Mr. Stewart's brow. But lt was also a very, very satisfying kiss.

And it lasted a long time. "I thought you hated figures," Molly said In a smaU and burled voice after a time. "Not yours," he said, and then abruptly sat down with Molly on his knee and began fishing through the bedraggled pockets Of his dinner Jacket. "Look," he commanded, spreading but two sheets of paper In the moonlight Dimly Molly could see the compelling figure of the whiskery gentleman, "Dl-onyslus Mills, president," who had barked at her in 30-point type back In Oroveport and driven her from home. On the other sheet she saw the same figure with a new face, a clean-shaven face with piercing black It was Mr.

Dion Stewart and beneath lt she could discern the line: "Dionyslus Mills, Jr She gasped and he groaned. "Now," he. said, "you know the worst The directors think father's picture is too old-fashioned. They want young blood." He cracked his knuckle furiously in despair. "And they've voted to put that tiling in every magazine that goes to the morons of the world." "I thought'' Jour name was 8tewart," she said suddenly.

It is," he answered, Mills Stewart- We lust left the last name off the ad-, vertisement to save the rest of the am- Uly from disgrace." He leaped up so suddenly that Molly was catapulted into the sand. "I'll fool 'em," he almost yelled. "IH sell out Ethel's husband will take ah option right now. We" he swung down and gathered Molly up again. "We," he said commandingly, "will get married tomorrow and start our own business." en trader rang- again 'could' speak.

"We might," Molly suggested, "go back to Groveport- and start an addlng-ma-chlne, business. Heaven knows they need one." CopyricM try PvtHo Ltiotr hls ears and muttering to himself. titv, v. "MA wanrilap me down forr The mutual process of dodging which had come to be the absorbing occupation nf th mibi Mr. Stewart and an abashed Miss O'Meara met with unquall- fled success until the dinner hour, She entered the dining room deter- mjned to seek a secluded spot.

The head- waiter greeted her blandly and started away at a foxtrot fot the center ot the iwvw v. room. Dead aneao loomea me oroaa shoulders of Dion Stewart and across the rweiref hU eyM us." moaned MoUy wZ Mrs. Amldon greeted her. "Fve asked to have you moved to.

our table" she announced. "I thought It would seem nicer, being with friends." By some' conversational alchemy which Molly made no attempt to fathom, the dinner passed, while Mr. Stewart con- tlnued to pursue crab legs and his sister talked enough for both of them, in mui, uciuio bus uiiiBiicu, biib uuu sentences. planned a round ot bridge," She Said as they rose, "and Ot COUrse we're counting on you for the fourth. hand." It sounded Innocuous enough.

hand." It sounded Innocuous enough. I i ueriainiy onage wim iw lnnioiuon oi si- lence was better than an evening of dodging behind potted palms. Molly said "yes." it was twenty minutes of 11 when they decided to quit. Mrs. Amldon was separating the four Individual scores and trying to- total sonallty everything but figures.

Mrs. Amldon paused puzzled silence, and Molly's tongue skidded Into her teeth itching to shout the scores. "I'm lost," (the woman admitted. She shoved a clean sheet of paper toward her brother, "Here. Dion, you old figure shark, you count 'em while I read 'em off." Mr.

Stewart groaned and gripped the pencil, Jotting down the rows of figures imin he had finished the last row in each column, he drew a sharp line and me- thodlcally wrote down the total without any semblance of having added them. "Ethel he -announced -wearily, almost before she had tripped out the final honor count. "She's got 1787. I'm next with 1771." He threw down the pen- ell and cast an apprehensive eye at Molly. Her cheeks were flushed.

"No," she said sharply. "That's wrong." The other three gasped and the realization of what she had done made Molly speechless. Mrs. Unidon'a lausrh cut across her "He lied to me," she said darkly. "He them.

Rows of digits paraded before lied to me, and If there's anything I can't Molly's eyes. She forgot Mr. Dion Stew-stand it's a art, forgot her resolve and the solemn The invective died a-borning. It dawned warnings of experience, her adopted per- from which she seemed so effectively and tverlastlngly barred. Now th.t kno won an understand the grim purpose which leaped Minerva-like from her clicking mind as she checked the totals of the bank statement that Saturday morning, It sent her homeward after the job was done with a tight wrinkle In the center of her forehead and a "dare-you-to-say- Cgures" look in her steely blue eyes.

"I'm going to Florida," she announced riiply as she wheeled her father's in- aUd ehafr into the sunroom after luncheon. rpHIRTy-ONE days later to the dot, the day upon which she had promised to return to Oroveport, Molly O'Meara arrived in Florida. All because ot one ill-hoe en but well-meant question. "Librarian or school teacher?" asked a kindly -old gentleman who sat opposite ber on the train. "School teacher," she answered.

And then the blighting Import ot his words truck her. The man across the aisle smiled cdrfl- placently. "I'd know the type anywhere," he stated. But he finished to an empty chair. Molly had gone, striding down the aisle.

Two young things were In the ladles' lounge when she For the first tune in years Molly used her eyes for the purpose oi comparison. She surveyed herself frankly In the mirror. Strimry upon Molly with shocking suddenness that her right leg was supposed to- be hm da enmt-and them wera other complications none of them true. Salnts preS0rve us!" she gasped, Waa- able to smile a bit wanly abouf lt -SKetchv breakfast and a-hastv retreat to the comparative safety of the beach. She was drawing designs In the sand with a wavering? flneertiD when a foot cntered the clrcie ot vlslbls beach In tront of her.

Then another. Her heart soared, turned over in midair and crashed Es she raised her eyes. The legs were not tanned, They were sunburned a beefy pink, and above them towered and abutted a very large and Inebriated youth whose, moonlike countenance glowed crimson beneath a thatch ot straw-colored hair. smiled spaciously and came down In a series of splrallng loops, extending the parboiled shins gingerly Into the shade of the umbrella. "As live breathe," he wheezed, "I'll" Mlz' Miami herself." His trrln strove 'I bobbed hair that was too long to give Its musingly, "to be struck In an automo-natura wave a chance: a thln-nostriieH.

bile." upturning nose mat oecxoned like a beacon for want or powder that would nay put; a generous mouin wun a full- blown upper lip and too. heavily. yaltz drifted off Into a faint minor (6 be. engaging as he indicated himself usion. thatched arch of eyebrow.

and Tiled. Molly was devoutly Jthankful with a flip of one corpulent paw. "I hope it is," she chuckled. "Dion's of no earthly use. She couldn't stand We are quoting Molly's own valuation, for the uprush of chatter and the hand- "Th' name," he announced, "is Shopkins, the cockiest young sparrow on the tree on that left leg.

But Stewart man-Suffice It to say that she was a bit harsh clapping. She was still dizzy from the Willard Shopkins." He gulped deeply to about his mathematics. But I'm afraid, "aged lt with herself. Only the eyes passed mus- speed with which Mr. Stewart had come catch up with his breath and Axed her my dear, you'd lose a bet on lt He's Then, having dumped the gentleman et' to life.

with an accusative eye. never been known to miss." unceremoniously on the boards, he looked 1.