The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1943-01-07, Page 7by Phyllis Moore Gallagher
. Now Characters in the Story
-Daughter of a Sen-
seeks the love of Hewitt
Thalia Polk-
ator, who
Gill,
Nadeja
who is
Damara—^Exotic woman,
mystery in Washington.
Covington^—Sister of An-
who had fled from her
a
. Joan tjiony,
school in New York and crashed the
Embassy reception in Washington.
LAST WEEK’S ACTION
>?
Perturbed at what she had gone
through at the Empbassy reception,
Peg, Anthony and Joan decide to
walk to Peg’s home in Georgetown.
Duncan and Nadeja have disappear
ed. Anthony tells Peg that Nadeja
is a mystery woman of Washington,
and that little is known about her.
After dropping Joan at her hotel,
Peg and Anthony go for a moonlight
stroll,
of waiting traffic: “Gan I
gals a lift?”
took a step toward the car,
touched hei* elbow. “We’re
for our health, Anthony.
THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE, THURSDAY MORNING, JANUARY 7th, 1943
llllllllllllllllllllllhm
hard, she said,
particularly. Why
the
her.
In His Anns
next moment Anthony
hard, de
complete
In
kissed
It was a long kiss, A
vastating and thoroughly
Peg backed off from it, spent
and amazed at her-
She thought, breathlessly: “I
I didn’t try to get
I didn’t even went to get
Not when this one when this
strange, disturbing moment
make her forget Hewitt ut-
kiss.
and shaken
self,
let him kiss me.
away,
away.” She couldn’t understand it.
Not when she loved Hewitt as she
did.
one
could
terly.
That following week seemed ter
ribly long to Peg. Hewitt had spent
two days in Baltimore on business,
had come back to the office for just
a few minutes on the third day and
had taken an afternoon plane for
New York. He had been gone ex
actly six days now, but to Peg it
seemed ages and ages. The whole
universe had had time to go march
ing through eternety by the mark of
time her heart kept.
She had tried to do things to fill
up those days. There was her work
at the office with Mr. Nelson still
gruff, still convinced that she had
' been pulling his leg about that wo
man in the .garage. In retrospect,
it did seem fantastic.
•CHAPTER VIII
There was night school to keep
Peg busy ’that week, too, and several
evenings spent in Maizie Darton’s
apartment. Maizie had left Mr.
Nelson’s employment now, she was
far 'too obviously expectant to keep
on with her work. Peg found her
depressed and a little morbid one
night when she climbed the three
shabby flights of stairs to a top-floor
• flat in a drab house on P Street. De
pressed about her husband being
out of a job and a baby coming into
all this uncertainty.
She took Peg’s coat, folded it care
fully, muffler inside. Maizie moth
ered everything instinctively, even
coats. Peg, hurrying into the kit
chen with the things she had brought
to refill the depleted pantry . . .
canned goods, fresh fruits and vege
tables, staples . . . felt the’ quick,
hard wrench of her heart. In mo
ments like this it seemed that she,
Peg, had Such a full, beautiful life;
a life that included Hewitt and se
curity and the promise of a golden
future. And 'Maizie had so little,
so pathetically little.
Maizie had wanted to know later,’
as Peg scraped the supper dishes,
“I wonder, Peg, if it’s so awful . . .
having a baby. Sometimes I walk
by the hospital and stand there
looking up at the windows, think
ing about the women who lie be
yond them. Some of them are hap
py.”
Waiting
She touched her blonde hair with
a nervous gesture, her face desolate
and contorted. “Honest, Peg, if Don
doesn’t get a job soon, J don’t know
what’s going to happen to us. He
tries. I He’d take just about any
thing. Even odd jobs like he’s on
•tonight. Imagine a university
graduate washing dishes in a Ninth
Street joint.”
Peg said, swiftly: “You’ve got
everything to live for,'Maizie. You
mustn’t think anything else, ever,
Being morbid isn’t good for you, it’s
bed for the baby and I won’t have
Anthony had gone on,
'‘Well,.
He’s a*
And
Maizie
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIII
it. Look here, get into your things,
We'll skip out. And put on some
low heels. We’ll walk, That'll be
good for you, Gome one, let’s get
out of here.”
They were on the street, waiting
for the traffic light at the corner.
Peg didn’t* see a taxi that (Hew up
near them, She didn't know that
Anthony Covington was on the back
seat until he shouted to her above
the roar
give you
Maizie
but Peg
walking
Thanks just the same.
She was, she suddenly discovered,
smiling. At the sight of Anthony all
her unease had been forgotten, ev
erything forgotten except that he
was there, that lie had smiled, that
nothing in a morbid world seemed
to matter when Anthony Covington
smiled.
When
Maizie looked into Peg’s eyes,
what was back of that, Peg?
mighty nice-looking gent.”
when
said:
Peg?
way.
Peg said: “I don’t know, Maizie.”
It was the truth, She had wanted
to climb into that taxi beside An
thony. But somehow Anthony con
fused her. She didn’t want to see
him again until she had her mind
all straightened out about him.
What Happened on the Bridge
All that week she had kept going
over and over in her mind what had
happened on Buffalo
wasn’t right that Anthony’s
could stir her as it had.
little puzzlin
back so often to the feel of his arms
around her, to the way he had stood
afterward looking down at her. He
had reached up impulsively and had
run his finger along the line of her
nose. He had said in an
voice: “Well, what are we
do about it, Peg?”
She hadn’t answered.
been thinking, wildly: “Why, I let
him kiss me. I did—I did! I made
no effort to stop him.” And when
she remained silent, Anthony had
gone on: “I think -I know, Peg. I
think we’re going to get married,
darling.”
No, it was all wrong that An
thony could stir her as he had. That
even his voice could make her heart
hammer and her knees go weak be
neath her.
stand why
she had.
ly a nice
had a wanton streak in her some
where.
Anthony
click. You
you. You
she had said, with a sophistication
far from real: “Anthony, don’t be
absurd. A girl can let a man kiss
hei* without it meaning very much.
Without it
really.”
He had
you, Peg."
And she
tense voice:
I let you kiss me, and I-I liked it;
but it didn’t mean a thing.”
And ’that, decided Peg, walking
along with Maizie, just about sum
med it up. Anthony was an ex
tremely attractive young man. She
had let him kiss her. She had liked
it. But it didn’t mean a thing,
Hewitt Coming Back
Peg had a little calendar on
desk and all that week she
Peg didn’t answer,
‘Why didn’t we ride with him,
After all, we walked a long
We could have ridden back!”
Bridge. It
kiss
Tt was a
g to find her mind going
unsteady
going to
She had
And she couldn’t under-
she had clung to him as
Perhaps she wasn't real-
girl at all; perhaps she
had said: “Peg—we
knew it when I kissed
can’t deny ’that.” And
meaning anything at all,
said, fiercely: “But not
had said, in a small, in-
“Yes, me, Anthony.
■her
had
marked off in blue crayon the days
Hewitt had been away. She marked
off Thursday and now looked with
shining eyes on Friday, which was
untouched with her pencil, Friday,
she thought, excitedly. Hewitt would
be back today. Probably before
noon. Every how and then she would
look up at the clock, her heart rac
ing. It was hard to do any work when
she was so excited. But Somehow
she checked the ticker-tape figures,
made the list that Mr. Nelson Was
waiting for and took it to him.
Mr, Nelson Was sitting back in
■his chair, his shoulders hunched
up in a characteristic * pose and his
small blue eyes glaring at her. He
said, gruffly:
“You like working alongside
Hewitt Gill, don’t you, Peg?
No Happiness in the Home
When Mother Is Sick
The Vre(?* w.°yu out mother cannot make a happy
homo if She is sick and worried by the never Onaing
household duties.
.. fun down and becomes nervous and
irritable, downhearted and discouraged, can’t rest at
night, and gets up in the morning feeling as tired as when she Went to bed.
I1? W Inay find iu M'lbUrn’s Health and Nerve Pills a remedy with winch to help recuperate their health, build up the run
down system, and assist them back to health-happiness again.
Price 50c a, box, 65 pills, at all drug counters.
Look for our trade mark a “Red Heart” on the package.
The T. Milburn Co,, Limited, Toronto, Ont.
Peg swallowed
cautiously: “Not
Mr, Nelson?"
The old man
at her, J-Ie said:
aren’t you, miss?
in my dotage, I may even be senile,
as most bachelors are, But I’ve got
a pair of eyes. Pretty shrewd ones,
too. You’re keen about me giving
Hewitt 'that partnership.. You’ve
done a lot of talking, a lot of call
ing niy attention to things that
wouldn’t have escaped me in the
first place, You’ve been very clev
er, Peg; but not clever enough.
Well, I’ve decided that I don’t ap
prove of this eternal blat about
young men running tilings, and old
men stepping aside to make room
for ’em. That’s what’s wrong with
this world .today, if you ask me.”
Peg looked at her godfather with
a perfectly straight-.little face, but
amused eyes. When he was in one
of these moods he usually called
Hewitt into his office. He would
keep him closeted there with him
for liour|, • Hewitt would emerge,
looking taut and disturbed and very
pale, and the old man would fairly
strut with the delights of bullying.
And now, having discovered that
Hewitt meant something more to
her than an employer, he was teas
ing her and reveling in it.
“Well, what are you standing
there looking like that
Nelson
“Haven’t
daddy’s
you got anything to say at
An Old Tyrant
Peg grinned. “Nothing—except
that you’re a tyrant and that if
I wasn’t working for .you I’d come
Over ‘there and pull your hair,
like I used to do.” And then she
said: “You know you’re going to
give Mr. Gill that partnership. Why
dont you go ahead and do it? Why
do you keep him out on a limb like
that?”
Mr. Nelson narrowed his eyes to
slits. “If I thought there would
be a double result in my doing it
I might be tempted, young lady.”
Peg’s heart leaped. Coins of
color blazed in her cheeks. “Why
don’t you .try it and see what hap
pens?” she said, excitedly. Now
she thought: “Hewitt was all wrong
about trying to hide how we feel
from Mr. Nelson. If he had known
he would have done something about
that partnership long before this.”
“There!” said Mr Nelson, de
lightedly. “I knew where there was
so much smoke there must be a
little fire, anyway. Darn it all,
a conflagration, 'isn’t it?”
“Burning me right down to
ground,” said Peg. And fled.
She was more anxious than ever
for Hewitt .to come back 'to the of
fice now. When she told him what
Mr. Nelso'n had said he would be
out of his solemn young head
joy. She glanced swiftly at the
clock again, and saw that it
almost noon. Hewitt would be
any minute.
She reached in her desk and got
her purse and started down the hall
toward the restroom. It wouldn’t
do to see Hewitt after a week’s
absence with her nose shiny and
her hair this way and that. But as
she passed the stairway shaft she
topped abruptly. She heard Hew
itt’s quick, contagious laugh, and
without a moment’s hesitation open
ed the door.
Seen in the Shadows
Ehe just stood there then. Look
ing at Hewit. Looking at Thalia Polk.
They didn’t see Peg. They were
standing close together on the stairs,
on those dimly-lit, shadowy stairs.
Hewitt laughed again, and he said:
“Thalia, darling ...” in a voice
that drifted into a whisper. And
with Peg still watching, too rooted
in the agony of disillusionment .to
move, she saw Hewitt take Thalia
Polk in his arms. Saw him kiss
her with a practised familiarity.
Not as Anthony had kissed Peg . . .
a sudden, impulsive kiss, a very first
kiss. Noi’ did Thalia stand back
from Hewitt, amazed and a little
embarrassed. Thalia clung to him
with that same practised familiarity.
This wasn’t a first kiss ’between
these two. This was one of many
kisses . , . many recent kisses.
Peg closed .the door then noise*
lessly. She leaned against it for
a moment, trembling, in that mo
ment she seemed to know what it
must be like to die, to feel life
oozing from the heart, She turned,
then, went straight back to her
office, to her desk, and sat down
weakly, She didn’t touch the work
before her, She didn’t move at all.
She just sat there, looking blankly
at nothing, For so long now
mind had run in a straight
narrow channel, and at the
of that groove, like
been the vision of
it was all blasted.
suddenly grinned
: “Pretty foxy,
Well, I may be
finally blazed
you got any
get-up-and-get?
CHAPTER
for?”
at
of
Haven’t
all?”
Mr.
her.
your
it’s
the
with
wall
was
here
sunlight,
Uetvltt,
her
and
end
had
How
ix
do. When she went out for lunch
in a moment or two, she would take
all those little personal things that
a girl in an office accumulates.
She would go home and tell Aunt
Mehalie that she didn’t want to work
for Mr. Nelson any more, Aunt
Mehalie would ask questions;. She
would think of all sorts of dreadful
things about Mr. Nelson, no matter
how
She
Peg
and
afternoon,
“Peg,
did that old coot do?”
She was right. Aunt Mehalie did
precisely that. She made
down and brought her tea
beside the high teaster bed,
her temples gently,
was saying: “Peg,
You’re as white as
that old scoundrel,
too!”
. Peg very patiently tried to inake
Aunt Mehalie
Nelson wasn’t
hadn’t done
that she was
office,
thing.
Aunt Mehalie refused to believe
her. - “Now there’s no earthly use
in your trying to defend Otto Nel
son, Peg, Whatever else would have
made you -leave like this, all in a
minute, without a second’s notice?"
But at last she was placated, almost
convinced. Enough to telephone
Mr. Nelson and tell him just what
Peg had
too tired
office.
vehemently they were denied,
had been very reluctant to let
work, even for her godfather,
she would probably cry out this
righteously indignant;
what has happened? What
Peg lie
and sat
rubbing
MehalieAunt
you look HL
a sheet. Why,
And at his age,
understand that Mr.
a scoundrel, that he
anything untoward,
just bored with the
the work, the pay—-every-
instructed—-that Peg was
to go on working in an
Suffering*
The 'house was quiet after that.
Peg lay on the bed all afternoon,
asleep, apparently. But her eyelids
were shut only as the blinds of the
room were shut, to keep out the
light and to make a quiet, dark
world where she could think,
her thin
cold and
crying,
wounded
She couldn’t understand this
numbness. She supposed that after
a while it. would leave her. That the
whole overwhelming potency of her
loss would come over her and she
would go completely to pieces. But
now she was only numb with a
dry expressionless ache bottled up
tightly within her.
'She wondered too, how Hewitt
would tell her.. There was some
thing to tell, of course. You couldn’t
see Thalia in his arms like that
without realizing it. He would pro
bably say, loathing to hurt her:
“Peg, I wouldn’t have had things
happen like this for anything in the
world. I’m not a cad . . .” And she
would probably say, very calmly:
“I hope you’ll be very happy, Hew-
it.” Just like a million other girls
who have listened to such words
of the other woman and, like thqm,
feeling that her wretchedness was
all starkly new.
(To be continued)
Under
silk negligee her body lay
immobile as marble. Not
Too numb, too mortally
to cry.
couldn’t
Highlights....
('Continued from Page Three)
Premier Mitchell F'. Hepburn on
Friday last announced his resigna
tion as head of the Liberal Gov
ernment of Ontario.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs.
Alfred Hunkin, of Thames .Road,
who on Friday celebrated their sil
ver wedding anniversary.
November Sth
Paul Balkwill, son of Mr.
MrsXR. E. Balkwill, while doing
manual training at school had his
two middle
injured in
nails.
Mr. Fred
the residence on the south side of
Ann Street, occupied by Mr. Ross
Taylor.
Walter Webber, of Stephen, was
seriously injured in a car accident
on Huron Street, three miles east of
Exeter. Webber was travelling east
when his car left the road and hit a
tree.
fingers of the left hand
the jointer, losing both
Huxtable has purchased
crashed
of Roy
one of
at
the farm
of Zurich,
the R.C.A.F.
life and the large
November 12tli
When an Anson bomber
on Saturday on
Gingerich, north
the members of
Centralia lost his
bank barn was completely destroy
ed by fire.
■Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs.
William Moodie, of Usborne, who on
Monday celebrated their golden wed
ding anniversary.
A bingo party sponsored by Red
Gross Unit No. 17 raised $184.75
for the Red Cross.
November 10th
tinsmith and
Traquair, is
Mf. Alf. Andrus,
plumber for J« A.
carrying his right arm in a sling.
While working with
metal his
the metal
the third
tendon.
Flight Officer. Ruth Mooreliouse,
formerly of Exeter, is the new of
ficer commanding the Royal Can
adian
School
I
Peg knew what she was going to The
some sheet
hand slipped, the edge of
making a nasty gash in
knuckle and severing a
Air Force Women’s Division
of Cookery at Guelph,
November 26tli
Exoter-Honsall branch
the Canadian Legion have furnish
ed their building on Main Street
for the comfort and entertainment
Of all men and women in uniform.
It was opened on Thursday pf this
week.
The first class to graduate from
No. 9 S.F.T.S. at Centralia received
their wings in a wings presentation
on Friday, Commanding Officer EL
G. Fi ller ton making the presenta
tion.
L.A.C. Allan F, Penhale is to be
congratulated on winning the squad
ron commander’s trophy for high
academic standing in his class at
the graduation ceremony for wire
less air gunners at No. 4 Wireless
School, Guelph,
•Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs.
John Essery, of Centralia, who on
Tuesday,
their
On
Mrs,
their
December 1, celebrated
61st wedding anniversary.
Tuesday of this week Mr. and
Wm. H. Dearing celebrated
5'0 th wedding anniversary.
Congratulations.
Mrs. William J, Heaman, wife of
the mayor of London, and formerly
of Exeter, -suffered a fractured right
leg when she slipped and fell in the
basement of her home.
December 10th
December 3rd
Ah-h-h! The Old Home
Town Paper Looks Good
Many of us have a son, a brother, a husband or a friend
one of the army, navy or air force camps throughout Can-
. Chances are that he is kind
a successful penny draw
at the Legion rooms on
About $300 was real-
Exeter Council has enforced
by which snow must be re-
from in front of the business
of Main Street within twelve
The Wives of S-F.T.S. Red Cross
Unit held
for prizes
Saturday.
ized,
The
a law
moved
places
hours.
Dr. Taylor, of Dashwood, P, Eisen-
bach, of Grand Bend, and Mrs. Tre
wartha, of Clinton, are the three
delegates representing Perth-Huron
at the Conservative convention in
Winnipeg.
December 17th
Mrs. Vernon Heywood has receiv
ed word that her husband has been
promoted to the rank of Sgt.-Major.
Congratulations.
Dr.
to fall
ribs.
The
adian Bank of Commerce, which was
opened in March, 19 08, is to be clos
ed down at the end of the year.
Steiner had the misfortune
on Sunday, fracturing several
Orediton branch of the Can-
December 24th
December 28
50th wedding
said to be an
i
Mrs.
who
will ob-
anniyer-
all-time
Congratulations to Mr. and
Richard Davey, of Centralia,
on Monday,
serve their
sary.
What is
low for weather previous to Christ
mas visited this district over the
week-end when the temperature hit
the 12 below zero mark.
A local ration board has been
named with Benson
chairman.
W. Tuckey as
December 31st
municipal elec-Exetei’ will hold a
tion with two candidates in the field
for the reeveship and six for the
municipal council.
•Congratulations to Mr. and, Mrs.
Arthur Francis who on Monday
celebrated their 50th wedding an
niversary.
Mr. Harry Snell, of London, while
playing hockey at the arena, was
at i
ada or other parts of the world.
of lonesome for some news about the “goin’s on” back home
and there isn’t a better way to let him in on them than send
ing him a weekly copy of The Times-Advocate.
Letters from men in the service show that they appreciate
The Times-Advocate more now than ever before, They read
it from cover to cover.
Let us look after the mailing and the wrapping. We’ll,
pay the postage^ too, at no extra cost to you. Regulations
restrict the sending of papers overseas by individuals but
the men in the armed forces may receive the paper regularly
if mailed to them directly from the publisher’s as a regular
if mailed to them directly from the publishers as a regular
subscriber. You can’t spend $2.00 in any way that will
provide him with greater happiness.
Join the Ranks of Many who are Sending Their Boys
The Exeter Times-Advocate
Just like a letter from home
Vos
hit in
ceiving
eye.
the eye with the puck,
a nasty gash beneath
re
tire
Young Adult Bible Class of Main
Street Church Holds Social
Evening
The Young Adult Bible Class of
the Main St. United Church held a
social evening at the church on
Tuesday. Frank Wildfong, superin
tendent of the Sunday School, pre
sided. A song service was heartily
entered into by all present. Games
and stunts were in charge of A. J.
Sweitzer and Earl Russell. ‘ It was
decided to choose a name for .the
“ ------ ..------ wag“Kumjoinus.” The election of of
ficers resulted as follows: President,
Earl Russell; vice-president, Eva
Pearce; secretary-treasurer, Clifford
Quance; assistant secretary-trea
surer, B. W. Tuckey; teacher, W. G.
Medd.
He was endeavoring to impress
the girl at his side. “I’m in the
carpet trade,” said he. “We manu
facture them, you know.”
queried, “is there
that?”
he, “even in car-
‘pile’ to be made!"
“But,” she
much money in
“Why,” said
pets there is a
class and the name picked
. yI
Are you getting your share of the
increased business in our town? .
For years our town has been the best business centre in Huron County. Actual sur
veys have proven Exeter’s top rating.
Now we" have one of the largest airport of its type close at hand and many of the
families of the R.C.A.F. personnel have moved in among us. This means a larger
turnover for our businessmen. Our business rating is climbing sharply. Are you
getting your share of the increasing trade?
To get new customers, Mr. Merchant, you must induce people to come fp your store.
Only a small fraction of your business walks in the front door uninvited. You have
to make an effort to attract customers to your establishment.
Yes, it’s true you have the finest merchandise in the land—BUT you won’t sell much
of it if the public doesn’t know what you have in stock. That’s the purpose of
advertising.
The Exeter Times-Advocate
• . * the Surest Mean of Reaching Your Customers