The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • 113

NOVEMBER 19 SI 19 "Promise youU let me neTp if It comes to that?" eked himself into his room. He was letting if liittle drab ruin his life. "Promise." Mary Lewis wore her blue serge to the ach. Nice change. He had never seen her in ah.

ythingelse. The fact that she was sitting be-le him in his own car was bad enough, but at harsh dark cloth on an August afternoon! "Ever wear bright colors? he asked. "Yes. Sometimes" You're going to be hot in that suit," he id irritably. yet he stood in momentary danger of commft-ing himself irreparably.

He knew the rush of joy he would feci when his emotions got the best of him he knew that he subconsciously planned to trick himself into surrendering to this lovely new clamor of his cells. Kissing Mary Lewis meant marrying Mary Lewis. He couldn't afford to falter. And yet what was ambition compared with the need for love? kerry took to staying downtown after working hours. His friends knew hinronce more.

He hunted up Carolyn Wells and made empty love to her in a cactus garden. She laughed at him. "I wish I believed you, Kerry, but I don't. What's the matter, you feel well?" And then one Saturday noon a letter was waiting for him on his table. It was from Collier Benson.

She had returned home. His note he hemistky of sand and sun relaxed his they were standing together in her She moved closer to him. It was a dangerous moment, no reason in the world that he could think of fast why he shouldn't take her in his arms. "Good night!" Kerry said, and bolted. When Maynard pulled the usual thing on him, Kerry thought: "111 take a steak home to Mary tonight." Or: "I'll take Mary to a movie." He began to neglect his regular circle of friends.

"Say, where've you been?" people asked. Carolyn Wells called him up. To his own amazement, Kerry let her go with a vague "I'll be seeing you," instead of dating her up while he had the chance. "Try this on your toaster, Mary," he'd say, rves. They had a rather decent little chat ter their first swim.

The girl was intelligent. fie had read the books he had and she ad- ired Shaw. Kerry was further mollified by ie fact that she had pretty feet. Quite the pettiest feet he had ever seen. He told her Called her "Trilby" all afternoon.

They took a run on the strand. He let her ahead of him and watched her copper Juris bob up and down as she ran. She was im, at that. Afterward he buried her in down. But ft was no use.

Tie was at it again in a moment, up and down, up and down. When the came in at last he rushed out to her like a man possessed, drew her into his own room, closed the door. "Mary! My God! Where have you been? It's nearly midnight What do you mean by staying out like that alone?" "Why, Kerry!" "Will you marry me?" he cried in the same wild, ranting tone. "I love you to death Will you marry me?" "Oh, Kerry, do you mean it? I thought you had given me up!" "I tried to, but couldn't. You see, Mary ob, bell, I'll tell you all about it some other time" an.

he had her in his arms now, crushed there, willing and happy. "But, Kerry, why didn't you come tonight?" "I knew I'd break down if I did. I thought I could hold out" "But later, I mean. At the house?" "What house?" "My house! On Orange Grove! I waited there, too. It isn't often that a girl is stood up twice the same evening by the same man" "Mary, in heaven's name, what do you mean?" "Oh, don'i.

be angry, will you? I came here because I knew I could make you love me in time. I fell for you that night in the patio desperately! But I knew you'd never care for me as I was not as Collier Benson And so I changed! I hennaed my hair! I took a new name. I inquired at the office where you lived and moved into the next room. I acted helpless! Oh, Kerry, it's me you love! Me! My self! Isn't it?" He nodded, dazedly, holding her close. "Yes, it's you Mary Lewis." ft "fr Continued from page seventeen nd.

She closed her eyes, breathing: "This is vely!" Kerry thought how easy it would be kiss her right now. How easy it was to kiss rls, anyhow! Then he had a further revelation concern- Mary Lewis. When she got ready to kiss a tian she be ready to marry him. fcyes losed, slender length buried in sand, yet her ice conveyed this message clearly. "For od's sake!" Kerry told himself.

"Don't kiss lat woman. hey made a day of it. Dined and danced at jS lie Palomar. Poor kid," Kerry thought, Ishe's having the time of her life." He left her at her door at 1 1 clock. "Thanks ever so much, Mr.

Jessup" "Want me to call you Miss Lewis?" he iweatened. "No" "Then drop the 'Mister "All right, Kerry! Good night!" 'Night, Trilby" He tossed for a while, marveling at the liystery of propinquity. Here was a girl whe Cyprus heant considerably less than nothing to him, lie sort of girl he preferred to flee from, yet FROM AMERICA'S PRIMER BY MORRIS L. ERNST (PUTNAM) sen hours with her left him stirred and rest- rss, thinking thoughts he snouiun t. Kerry sat with his books.

His mood of re- lellion had seethed out "of him in solitude. He felt purged and humble. You're lucky to have ub these days, Sap, he told himself severely. IVhy, they marched on the city hall just to- pay! WTiat if you are held down for a year or I wo longer? They can't sit on you forever. As lor Francis Maynard, forget tl punk! He kept listening.

Every time steps sounded In the hall he cocked an ear, but none of them Itopped at Mary Lewis' door. Past 10 and she Iiadn't come in yet. He felt mildly concerned tbout it. Too many things could happen to a in city streets at night. other hour and he was swearing at him- elf "Well, what of it? What do you care? Vhat if she never comes back?" He lokered iDout in nis dressing gown.

At ii.ju sne re used. He heard her fit the key in the lock, leard her fit it again from An idiotic ense of relief poured over him. He listened ontentedly to the small sounds through the all, listened still when all was quiet again, miling inanely in the If too many days went by without her ask- ng a favor of him, Kerry looked into the mat er. It appeared he was getting in the habit of but it certainly adds to the charm of the town Ships docking in the quiet harbor lie under the shadow of Othello's Tower, with its Lion of St. Mark looking down upon their decks.

We walked around the city on top of the walls. The ground slopes back for quite distance from the edge and a golf course laid out along the top of the wall. The players, mostly British, must be good or they would find a number of balls sailing over into the sea. At the edge of the golf course are several prehistoric caves where natives are living and seeming to enjoy life as well as their neighbors. Before one a woman was making onion and lentil soup.

A tee was just in front of her cave lume and I wondered if a golf ball had ever landed in her soup kettle. standing on the wall we looked over the city and tried to count its church ruins. There were a great many, standing decrepit in weed -grown fields; uncared-for, lonely, useless. We were told that Famagusta at one time bad 365 churches. Some of them must have been quite handsome.

The best preserved one, the Greek Cathedral of St. Nicholas, was made into a Moslem mosque by the Turks when they captured the city in 1571. Since Moslems believe that ions, statues, or even pictures lead to idolatry, they stripped the cathedral of all its Christian decorations when they turned it into the mosque of Aya Sofia. Now it is bare except for the prayer rugs upon which Moslems kneel to pray. at.

we continued along the coast to Salamis, six miles north of Famagusta. This is where Paul and 3arnabas landed on the missionary campaign which extended eventually as far as Rome. Paul, no doubt, was familiar Cyprus, as his birthplace, Tarsus, in -key, was not far northeast of the island and boa's to Turkey, by which he no doubt traveled back and forth, stopped at Cyprus. The island is only forty miles from the Turkish At that time, 45 A. Salami's, where the Greeks won the great sea victory over the Persians in 449 B.

was an important rity. But today it is merely a sandy waste. The only remains of its past glory are a few broken marble pillars of its immense forum. Most of them lie prone upon the sand; lizards scampered over them at our approach. In 647, when the Arabs destroyed Salamis.

they carried off marble and stone to help build Famagusta. However, excavations have been started and it is hoped that some of the lost glory of this ancient city may be uncovered. aving some one to look after and liked it. He handing in a parcel of food. Now and then they had supper together on a card table in her ropm.

Kerry did the cooking. "It's the man who pays," he groaned, forking an omelet. "Let me try," she said. her hands lacked a woman's dexterity with kitchen tools. "Mary," he said, "you ain't no woiking goil!" He took one of her hands, examining it closely.

"Almost in fact, dam near as pretty as your feet, but you haven't used 'em much." "Not as much as I should have," she admitted. "I had a mother who spoiled me." "Where's your mother now, Mary?" "She "Where's your dad?" "He's--he's away. Out of the city' "Don't want to tell me about yourself, do you, Mary?" "No, Kerry." "I don't want to hear about you, anyway. I'm not a bit curious. I wouldn't listen if you did tell me." Mary laughed.

He realized suddenly that he hadn't seen the blue serge suit in weeks. She was wearing green at the moment, a dress, moreover, which fit. Her rich hair smote his senses a delicious blow. Her eyes called. Her smile opened inner doors of beauty and allure.

kerry was hard-headed. He knew what was happening to them. It had only happened about ten billion times before in the history of the world. That it had never happened to him quite in this way was due to the fact that he had never abstained so long, so consistently. He was being a saint.

No, he was being smart. He didn't want to marry Mary. He wanted to marry money. He sat in his room using his head on the subject. It wasn't so easy as might appear.

Propinquity alchemy whatever! He was in love. So was she. The realization lay between them like a golden box, unopened. She was waiting for him to speak. She would go on waiting indefinitely because she was real and feminine and unmodern.

Most of the girls he knew were as quick to declare love as any man. He'd been proposed to more than once by unrestrained young things who believed in women's rights, but Mary Lewis was old-school. If he chose to pass out of her life now, she would consider it his privilege and hide any grief she might feel. Clearly, this was the thing to do. So far he had said or done nothing he need ever regret, had been delivered to her and she was quite touched, she wrote.

Of course, he was forgiven! She had found him very interesting that night in the patio. It was so refreshing to meet a man who dared to speak his mind! Would he call soon any evening, preferably Saturday, if he was free. She signed herself: "Expecting you, Collier Benson." Kerry grinned in surprise. Saturday night-tonight! So she had found him interesting! He walked the floor, elated. There was a tap on his door.

Mary. "Hello," she said, "may I come in?" "A ntw dress?" "Yes. Do you like it?" "It's swell, Mary. You look great." "I haven't seen you for such a long time," she said. "No.

No, I've been rushed to death." "Going to be busy tonight?" "No that is I'm not sure" "Drop in for supper, won't you? I'll have it all ready. And don't bring anything! This is going to be my party!" it woui.d be suicide, he told himself. He left the house quietly and phoned Mary from town that he couldn't make it. Her voice sounded strained to the point of tears. "Sorry," he repeated.

"Something's come up. I can't be back before 10 or so. Another time, Mary, thanks" Dining alone in a cafeteria, Kerry felt mean and low. What a dirty trick! His spirits steadily waned. By 8 o'clock he was on the bottom, squirming, tortured.

He telephoned the Benson place in Pasadena, leaving a message for Collier. He did not even ask to speak with her. After that he walked the streets, finally dropping into a movie. The heroine of the piece looked like Mary to him, for no particular reason. During the heavy love scene he grabbed his chest in anguish.

The altar scene that followed all but crucified him. Kerry plunged out of the crowded house, decision ripe within him. There wasn't any question now. Marry money, hell No line of light beneath her door, but he knocked anyway. She wouldn't be asleep yet.

He bad to see her, that was all. He had to get it to her just as it was and hear her speak. He knocked several times. No answer. Kerry couldn't seem to believe it, turned away doubtfully at last, with a blank stare.

Hit HE walked the floob waiting for her to come in, each turn at the far wall more desperate than the last. He was working himself into a frenzy. He snapped out of that and sat igged up a radio for her, dragged a heavy lub chair into her room and refused to take back. "When I call on you I want to be comfort able," he growled. A bridge lamp followed a few days later.

'Anything I hate," said Kerry, "it's a light hanging from the middle of the ceiling." when she told him he was too good to her he agreed heartily. "The fact is, your room ives me a pain," he said. Why the devil Won't you fix it up make it look like home? lYeah, I know," he cut her off. "How're pros pects for a job these days?" I haven found one yet. "Pretty tough, isn't it? Say, listen, I've been wanting to say this to He bit his lip uncertainly.

"You won't mind, will you? I mean, you won't think I am trying to -put anything over?" is it, Kerry?" Can't I loan you a piece of be blurted. "Just to tide you over till you find work?" Her eyes filled, glowed. "Thanks, but I have moncv." wouldn't lie to me, would you, Mary?" "Xo "crrv".