Zurich Herald, 1950-04-13, Page 3Special Occlas'
It was a tvrt night --a bad night
for the Plulue of :feathers. Ili the
saloon bar there were just the
three of thorn, The young; couple
s: ho had comae in at nine and the
Finan who had been sitting; in the
slime corner chair, silent and
gloomy, the whole, evening;,
for a trine the young cuuple
didn't notice hint. Just as tlley
Hadn't seemed to notice the rain,
They were lout in a private 1vorld
(if their O'. r. When they stopped
laughing atilt talking they looked
into each other's eyes. 'They did
not hear the niats's lreav3' sighing
•breath that carne every fete mirr-
utes,. They had to time to notice
the misery ill the lines round his
rrotith, the Hain in his ey_s.
Birt Wherr the boy started to
fuller a second round, the girl
nudged him and whispered. Ile hes,
itated for a moment, their smiled
and nodded.
He walked across the bar to tine
nian in tite corner,
"Excuse rite, but won't you join
lis? I mean," he added, shyly, 1,well,
seeing there'. just the three of
VS
A thin smile struggled on to
the mart's lips. "That's very kind
of you but----"
"Please, no `buts,' As a matter
of fact, this is a frightfully special
occasion for tis, We want some-
body to drink with us, t'4 a shall
be really upseu if you don't,"
"All right, I'm poor company,
I'm. afraid. And mine's only a
bitten,"
"Sure?"
"Quite sure."
The three glasses of bitter made
their appearance. The barmaid re-
moved lierself along the counter
to the more lively atmosphere of
the public bar,
"Well, then, here's to your spec-
ial occasion!" said the man, making
another valiant effort to produce a
smile. I3e was really very little
older than the boy—at the roost
seven or eight years older. But leap,
piuess was taking years off one
Lace and gloom was adding years to
the other, so that they might have
been father and son.
The girl laughed self-consciously,
Almost a giggle, "Thanks. You're
the first. I hope you feel drily hors-
oured."
The boy grinned. sht.•cpislily,
"'You see, we got engaged about
an hour ago. On the top of a bus.
So we didn't get off it—stayed on
till the end of the journey. Then
we came in here. I expect it all
sounds mad, but it's ]tow zee felt,"
"We just had to ask somebody
to drink—to our .future," the girl
added.
"Rather! --only once in a life-
time," said the boy, heartily.
The man fumbled in his pocket,
found his wallet. For a moment
they looked aut:iously at each other,
frightened lie was going to em-
barrass them with the offer of
a present. But be handed them in-
stead a tiny photograph.
The girl caught her breath. "Why
she --she's lovely!"
"Yes. Very lovely." His voice
was toneless. "I was engaged to
ber for three years." He .fumbled
in his trousers pockets, "Ah, there
it is. Yes, that's the ring. She
gave it back to me at five -thirty
this evening, That's why I've been
sitting in here since six—drinking,
Funny, isn't it?" His voice was
still toneless.
"Olt, I say, we're terribly sorry—
"If we'd realized we—we'd never
have butted in---"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm
not feeling as bad about it as I.
was at six., Sunk quite a fern beers
since then, It helps."
"Arid now we've made it worse
for you," said the boy, guiltily,
"No, for Ileavelt's, sake dolt',.
imagine that. Talking—once you
get started --help, as much as
drinking."
"Were you very much in love
1ritli her?" asked the girl.
He paused. "Well, the idea we
were going to get irtarried nue day
was a mental habit,"
"Perhaps she'll change her mind
again. I third; long engagements are
awfully difficult -- especially for
,girls, 1Ve'd have been envaged
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eighteen months ago but I wouldn't,
Now we shall only be engaged for
a fere months. Dick didn't like
me being obstinate, but I'm sure
it was right,"
"Well, it's been the same thing—
we've gone about together every-
where," said the boy, quickly,
"Yes, but because we wanted to.
Not because we felt we had to.
That's the big difference, And it
wasn't really possible to think
about getting married before. Now
Dick's had a rise—well, it's a good
deal simpler." She smiled almost
distantly. She was still in her own
private world.
The man sighed. "Yes, I know all
that. Waiting -this year, next year.
Money, money—always blasted
moneyl People say it doesn't matter
but, by Heaven, it does! Well, you
two are all right. Stick to it. I hope
you'll get a devil of a lot more rises.
Big ones. My ruddy firm's in the
wrong sort of trade for these days'
--they've just cut my salary."
They looked at him with sudden
understanding. "Was that why—?"
"Yes, that was why. After three
years of waiting—and now smashed
to pieces. I suppose I can't blame
hen It was a pretty big cut, blast
therm Only it was all so nearly
possible. 'We'd have had to be care-
fuI, of course, but, still, it wouldn't
have, been all scraping and watch-
ing every farthing. Ola, I can't
blame her. They haven't left me
enough to offer any woman."
".Pretty tough luck[" The boy
gulped. "ilfakes me feel a pig. I
mean, I got my rise this morning
and you---"
".Don't be a fool, man[ If any-
body ought to feel a pig it's me—
shouldn't have said a thing about
it, Ought to have just drunk your
healths, Spoiling your great day
for you—ought to have known bet-
ter. But it was a kind of coinci-
dence and I suppose I had to get
it off nsy chest to somebody, Been
dirinkin' any way—inakes you say t
things you shouldn't . . ."
"We were thiniting too much
about ourselves, anyway. I know I
No, No, Not
Again! --- The
year is only
three nnonths
old, but already
tlnd,' flagpole sii-
ters are at it.
l' i.r: t to juins
the gun ort the
i 1.11a1111cr' " silly
season is Odell
Smith, ex-Maz-
ine paratrooper,
of Atlanta, Ga,,
shown ascend-
itlg to his perch,
Ext plaits to
bust all pole-
-itting records
by squatting
its there for
nine months,
rami I down
.4dstmas,
was. A hell of a chap I was think-
ing myself. Just because they'd
shoved my money up to e:, --ht quid
a week---"
"How much?" lie a I to o s t
shouted. He stepped back as if
someone had hit him and the rem-
nants of beer in his glass splashed
on to the floor.
The boy flushed. "Eight pounds,"
he said, curtly.
The snail flung the glass against
the bar counter. "Eight pounds—
ci.ght quid! My God, that's what
they cut my money dowry tot" He
reached the door laughing like a
madman.
The young couple looked at each
other. When they looked round
again there was just the door
swinging violently.
"And what's up with lin], I'd
like to know," exclaimed the bar-
maid, looking angrily at the floor.
"Glasses cost money!"
—From "Tit Bits".
How The Donkey
Got His Bray
Waterloo tivas a large black don-
key. In those days donkeys were
fire usual means of transportation
in Jerusalem, and people rude doia-
key-back oar their business rounds
and even when paying social
calls .
Our Arab nurses told us the
story of how the donkey got his
bray when we were little, rolentnly
assuring us it was true, When
Noah was collecting the animals
for the ark, lir, and Mrs. Donley
came early, but lingered a few
minutes oil the green turf for a
last nibble of grass, They did not
notice the gathering clouds nor the
first gauge drops of rain. I hen Mr,
Donkey looked up to see that the
Ci