Indianapolis Times, Volume 48, Number 39, Indianapolis, Marion County, 25 April 1936 — Page 15

APRIL 25, 1936

Today's Short Story YOU CAN'T BEAT IT By Roberta Yates

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JESSIE knew by the way Pete *' pur-hed back his breakfast plate, untasted, that another black Irish mood was on him. Mast of the time Pete was cheerful, wisecracking, a regular fellow. But now and then he’d get what he called prerentiments and what Jessie called foolishness. Some silly thing, like a dream or thirteen together, would set him to brooding and sniffing disaster. “I’m not going to work today,” lie said. ‘‘l feel rotten.” “Maybe some soda bicarb would do you good,” Jessie said. “It’s not my stomach. It’s a I had last night. Gee, I’ll never forget it.” “What did you dream this time?” Pete looked at her reproachfully, and she recalled another superstition. Telling a dream before breakfast makes it come true. She'd like to shake the old grandmother who had filled Pete with such bogeys when he was a little boy. “Eat your breakfast and then you can tell and get it off your chest,” she said. 000 OUT Pete pushed the plate far- ■*-* ther away. Jessie put her hands on her hips and laughed. She was lovely to look at, in a pink gingham dress, and with her gold hair brushed back flyaway. She was lovelier than she haa ever been or wouid ever be again. She had the bloom that comes to women in their mid-twenties, when they fall in love, or get married happily, or buy anew hat. You’d think she was one of those glamour girls who lounge about in swanky advertisements, instead of a woman who’s been married five years to an aviation ground mechanic, and who does all her own housework in a cottage. She laughed, trying to kid Pete out of his dumps. “You drank beer and ate cheese last night.” “Beer and cheese never gave me the dream I had.” “Come on, honey. Eat your breakfast and go to w'ork.” “I’m not going to work,” he said, stubbornly. "Something would happen.” “You told me yourself thfey’re busy this week.” Jessie said, with a touch of irritation. “They’ll be sore if you lay off.” tt tt tt ‘‘J*d rather be fired than have something happen. I won’t take a chance—not today—not after that dream.” “I know the engines and noise get on your nerves when you’re upset, Pete, but you oughnt to let a superstition lick you.” “I’m fHaying here,” he said. “Call the fteld and tell them.” So Jessie called the aviation field and told them that he had indigestion. Pete cheered up at once. He even ate his breakfast; then he stretched out on the sun porch with cigarets and a magazine; and a comfortable feeling that he had avoided the jinx. When Jessie said that she had to go to the grocery, he called to her: “Get asparagus for dinner.” Jessie trembled a little. Here he was cheerful and hungry; no reason why he should not have gone to work. She kept her voice steady as she answered. “All right. Asparagus and sirloin for dinner, mister.” She started down the street in the direction of the grocery, but when she turned the confer she darted into the drugstore instead. At this hour the store was deserted. save for a man who pottered with pills in the rear. The telephone was at the side, where no one could hear. Jessie went in the booth, closed the door tight, and made a call. 0 * tt “TTELLO, Jack,” she said, breath- ■■■ less. “This is Jessie,” “As though I don’t know your voice,” Jack Ryan said. . *1 can't go driving this afternoon, Jack. Pete’s staying home.” There was a silence, and she could feel the way Jack was looking. A crinkle of disappointment between his dark eyes. Then he said: “Okay, Jessie.” And after another pause: “If I can't see you, I may as well go over to the field. I’ll take another day off—maybe tomorrow.” “Yes, tomorrow,” she agreed eagerly. “It’s always tomorrow when there’s a choice between Pete and me.” “Dent feel that way, Jack. I’ve explained so many times. Don’t be angry at me. You know how it is.” “Sure. I know. All right for tomorrow then.” “Tomorrow sure,” she said. As she went about her errands, her .yea were blue, thinking about tom* rrow. But as she neared home, the blue died to gray. Jack and she couldn’t go on this

resolving not to see each other again —and then tomorrows. It was all innocent in a fashion. Jack had kissed her once, because she stumbled into his arms. 000 THEY had agreed not to kiss again until she reached a decision. They were trying to be fair and honest, but the secrecy made everything seem furtive and soiled. Jack said that the thing was to tell Pete and ask for a divorce. But Jessie kept putting it off. She read in the papers of society women who married and divorced easily, and she wondered if their husbands had loved them, and how they could hurt a man who loved them. Jessie couldn’t. After you’ve beeij married for five years, and your husband is a kind-hearted, freckle-fa ;ed mechanic who saves for your sake, and builds you the best cottage he can afford; when he depends on you and needs you, you can’t stab him. Not even when you’re in love so much it hurts, with a test pilot who is long and lean and flaunts a careless daring that sends a hot trickle down your spine. And when, in spite of that romantic love, there’s a warm fire of an old abiding love for Pete, too, making twin blazes in your heart. When you’re in that spot, all you can do is delay. 000 JESSIE went home and cooked steak and asparagus the way Pete liked them. He had recovered from his presentiment and was in high spirits. He told her that, if he got the raise he expected, they could take a trip to Atlantic City or buy anew living room suite—whichever she preferred. After dinner he went back to the sun porch and fell asleep. Jessie began to gather up dishes. When the telephone rang, she answered, with a plate in one hand. It was the night chief at the field. “How’s Pete?” he asked. “Will he be in tomorrow?” “He’s a lot better,” Jessie said. “I’m sure he’ll be in.” “Tell him we got to work on that second Lohman job. Lehman wants it finished for a test. The first one cracked up today.” 000 “ J’LL tell him,” Jessie said. A lump A came in her throat and she spoke over it quickly, before the chief could ring off. “Who was in the crack-up?” “Jack Ryan,” said the chief. “It was his day off, too. He just happened around when Lohman was raving for a test pilot. Poor devil! He was dead 10 minutes later.” The plate in Jessie’s hand smaslv ed to the floor, and awakened Pete. “What was it?” he asked. Jessie picked up bits of plate. After a minute she said: “The night chief called. He asked if you’d be at work tomorrow.” “Did you tell him I would? Gee, I feel fine. I beat that dream.” “What did you dream?” Jessie asked mechanically. “I dreamed I killed a man,” Pete, said. THE END. (Copyright, 1938, News Syndicate*Co., Inc.) PEACE STRIKE PROBE IS TO BE CONTINUED De Pauw Student Leaders % Face Questioning. Times SpctHal GREENCASTLE, Inc April 25. — Investigation by the De Pauw University disciplinary committee into student leaders’ activities in a campaign peace demonstration has been continued until Monday, it was announced today. This committee, composed of student, faculty and administration representatives, has the power to expel or place on probation. Approximately 15 students are expected to be summoned for questioning. The demonstration, held Wednesday against orders of Dr. G. Bromley Oxnsm, president, was said to have been sponsored by the American Student Union and Veterans of Future Wars. “I am fundamentally opposed to the strike technique in any connection,” Dr. Oxn&m said in refusing permission for the demonstration. SMITH NAMED SPEAKER State Fire Marshal to Address National Convention. Clem Smith, state fire marshal, today accepted an invitation to speak at the fortieth annual convention of the National Fire Protection Association in Atlantic City, N. J„ May 11-14. Smith will speak o® ‘ fireman Training in Indiana.” - *** ‘

OUR BOARDING HOUSE

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I 'CCKLES AND HIS FRIENDS—

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WASHINGTON TUBBS II

' yPACaSHIER SONNYAND AST IF HE'LL V NO, I DON'T Jl fVE DAN&ED OLD CRACKPOT/I OPEN UP THE BANK. MR. PICKET WANTS TO J l EITHER/ J THEN I'LL THROW YE IN THE I DEPOSIT 740,000,

ALLEY OOP

SO, YOU THOUGHT YOU’D BORROW MY HAT, DIDJaTI Ajßßli WELL, WELL! WHAT DO YTHINK YOU'DA DONE J / WITH A GRAND WIZER'S HAT, EH? DONTCHA X

BOOTS AND HER BUDDIES

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TARZAN AND THE LEOPARD MEN

When Gowando’s village offered no hope of solving the mystery of the Taloned Death, Tarzan decided to venture to some distant place where he was not known, there to continue his baffling investigations, for now the Killer-Thing was striking swiftly in many places.

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THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

As Tarzan traveled through the gloomy jungle, he was overtaken by a storm of extraordinary violence. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed, and the mighty forest bent beneath terrific guests of wind. The ape-man, in no haste, sought welcome shelter beneath a tree.

With Major Hoople

OUT OUR WAY

T 1 - 1 I U TLL BET A TUOUSAM' V ALL WQHT OOUNNIeN • 1 & BUCKS I KNOW WMAT ' YOUVE PASSED >7/r / o ©H" T Ttf BULL <3 TLf WOODS TH KINDERGARTEN- — W IS SAVIN* TO TW OL* NOW TELLTWCLASS C-l-i—-U !_ o cPL_II WATCHMAN -HE'S .SAVIN', HOW TW SALESMAN "HOW DID THAT SALESMAN COT IN, AND YOU up o of err in here ?* an' tw . should set a -= , 1 WATCH NAAN IS SAVIN' / DEGREE OF MASTER O or DO I KNOW?" JOF SCJENCE AN* gggt] TO OIL (v _ | TT . V HARVARD AMD \ by xca SEBvtcc. ikc. r m. kc. u $. nr. 00. A ” ————

WAL-ON SURE. WHY. BUDDIE, TS A WONDER THEM THE CASHIER'LL THANKS. THOUGHT MAV&E / MUGS HAVEN'T CRACKED YE OVER THE r— * MEET US IN 15 /SONNY, NOW I'D SETTER. A. NOODLE APORE NCW. j: — ' MINUTES. s KEEP AN EVE put rr in the —y-

* OL DiKJKJY BACK-BUT, (WHY, FOOZY/ i THAT BLASTED GRAND HH! i, VE GOrr FOOZY-AN' WITH WHAT UNDER. JwiZER. -HE DONE ME Mm' jr.w.

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There, to his surprise, he found his friend Nkima, the monkey, cowering from the storm. With a wild shriek of joy Nkima leaped into Tarzan’s arms, for the ape-man gave to Nkima the only sense of security the little creature knew amid the perils of the jungle.

—By Edsrar Rice Burroughs

But suddenly there came a sound of ripping wood, and the giant tree crashed earthward. Tarzan tossed Nkima to safety. Then he leaped; but he was too late! A great branch struck him and pinned him tightly to the ground, where he lay now helpless and hopeless.

COMIC PASS

-By Williams

—By Blosser

—By Crane

—By Hamlin

—By Martin