Indianapolis Times, Volume 48, Number 63, Indianapolis, Marion County, 23 May 1936 — Page 15

MAY 23, 1036

Today's Short Story • Accidental Introduction By Joseph Donaldson

THE trolley stopped at, almost every block of the snowclogged avenue. Even In the middle of the block. It sometimes jerked to a standstill, clanging impatiently at an automobile trying to get tire-hold in front of it on the icy street. Helen wished that had taker. Ihe subway as usual instead of yielding to a sudden impulse to stay above ground. Every time the car stopped, a small, impatient tremor ran through her. If only some of these girls who felt that families were nuisances would try going home from work every evening to a room wLh the bed made but everything else .just as she had left it that morning. And then have to sit down to one of Mrs. Wilt.Vs grease-coated meals under Mrs. Wiley’s cold, hard, almost hostile eye. Mrs. Wiley was above taking j boarders. She “accommodated’’j Helen as a favor to her marled j daughter, who had stayed the pre- i vious summer on the farm near | Petcrdale. It was Mrs. Wiley's married daughter who had told Helen that Helen’s talents for drawing and looking lik° a moving picture direc- ! tog’s idea of a farmer’s daughter were being buried in Petcrdale. Wasn’t it only common sense to go to New York. 3 here talent and beauty were rewarded with big incomes and handtome husbands? a a HELEN had been a Gothamite J for more than a year now. She j had no husband, not even a homely j one. She did not have a beau. Her big income had crystallized into a check for SIOO a month from a daily newspaper for lettering work in Us art department. What a town. A family could live next door to another family for 50 years and never bake the other a cake if there was a death or a sickness. There were no neighbors. You might nod to office acquaintances, but they forgot you the moment they got out of sight. And romance! The kind New York was advertised to have, like most advertising. was a lot of hooey. New Yorkers must have friends. She saw people chatting and laughing together. But where did they make them? She had been reading one phrase over and over so she closed the hook. It was more than a mile to her corner, but the crow’d had thinned until there were no more standees. A little boy of about 4 stumbled against her knees, c:i his wav to the seat next to her. His ml her, with an infant in her arms and a 2-year-old staggering alongside, followed. n n t ‘"TvON'T do that, Jackie!" the \J mother pleaded in a worn voice. "That's all right. Let him stay,” Helen smiled. The boy had clambered up on his knees so that he could look out of the window. His snow-covered rubbers brushed Helen’s coat, but she wanted them to. Something worn and soft and friendly like a kitten was beside her. A young man. sitting directly across from Helen, lowered his newspaper to listen. He had a stern, rugged face and Helen forgot all about it when she noticed the young man sitting next to him. The second young man was artfully and completely arrayed in gray tweed. You felt that he had spent a fortune slipping fabulous tips to waiters. ana WHAT was he doing in a street car? Being near him. by some miracle, how did one get to know such a one? Even he lowered his gaze to the children. Next to him a determinedly youthful woman. her face stiff with rouge and her mouth grimly lipsticked. put her vanity mirror away to gaze at the children. She smiled. The smile crept down the length of the car. Every one hung on the syllables of the children. Something became vital and alive for a few minutes. Then the little girl's eyes drooped, and she leaned against her mother's arm. Tha boy resumed his dignified examination of the street. The car returned to its introspection. The gray-tweed young man slipped back into his boredom, the grim-faced young man lifted his newspaper. But before he did so, he glanced at Helen. Their eyes met and for a fleeting second Helen felt tremblingly alive. Then the feeling was gone and her eyes as if magnetized, turned back to the handsome one. Her imagination leaped all barriers. The trolley car stopped with a jerk An elderly man. on his way to the exit, stumbled over Helen’s imaginary lover's feet, stuck out in the aisle. a a a •pVAM fool!” the crotchety man 1 J muttered. Helen hated him. She glanced out of the window. It would soon be time for her to Bet off. The trolley was starting

down the long, steep, ice-coated j hill. Two blocks from the bottom j w’as her corner. She would get off and never see j him again. The parting, dreaded, j but inevitable, loomed before her. The trolley started down the hill. A woman rang the buzzer to get off at the next corner. The car did not stop. She called out to the motorman, but he did not answer. The car rocked from side I to side. Two more passengers arose to alight. The trolley went faster, careening on. a curve. “This thing's out of control!” a man shouted, clinging to a pole for support. People made for the rear exit. Only Helen, the white-faced mother with the three children, the sternfaced young man, folding his paper deliberately and putting it in his pocket, kept their seats. Helen had one glance at the motorman’s terrified profile. “Brakes won’t work!” he shouted. tt a a MY God!” shouted the first man.” “There’s a coal truck stuck in the ice on the track at the foot of the hill. We’ll all be killed like rats! Let me out of here!” j Panic turned elbows into battering rams. “Open that door!” shouted somebody. “We’re going to jump!” Tlje stern-faced young man seemed to find his voice. “Get the women and children to the rear seats!" But nobody paid the slightest attention to him. It was every man for himself. The motorman. laboring over the controls, flung open the exit doors. "You’ll break a leg!” he warned over his shoulder. “Better that than be killed!” The man w’ho had ordered the doors opened, jumped. Helen could not see what became of him. A groan went up from the crowd. Two more men 'leaped off. A j woman, screaming, tried to follow', j but another woman held her back, j Someone pushed past the | women. It was the man in gray j tweed. . . Helen’s dream lover. a a a WE’VE got to help this woman and the children!” The stern-faced young man tried to intercept him. “Out of the way!” snapped the beautiful young man. He swung to the step. Then he disappeared. Rising, Helen saw him slide, try to get his balance, fall on bis handsome face. His lovely hat was quite ruined. But he was alive. In a few moments more, she and the stern-faced young man and the lovely children would be dead. The young man addressed Helen. "Here, hold the little girl. Cover her with your body. I'll hold the boy and the mother will hold the baby. Get into this corner , . . when the crash comes." The mother began to wail softly. “Oh God . . . have mercy . . .” Two school girls with their books huddled on the floor, their heads in their arms to protect their faces. Every nerve in Helens body vibrated, feeling a thousand times over the crash that was imminent. Helen found her head buried in the young man’s overcoated shoulder. They were wedged in the corner of the seat as far from the front of the car as they could get. The young man must have shoved them all there, but Helen never remembered how' or when. A series of long shudders seized the car. n n IT'S come.” Helen thought and closed her eyes. The car lurched, trembled, ground to a stop. Helen raised her head. Nothing Lad happened. The car was standing quite still. Through the pandemonium that i followed, the motorman tried to explain just what he had done finally 1 that had worked. While he asked for the names and addresses of his passengers. Helen realized that she and th* stern-faced young man were still wedged in their corner, although the mother and children had fled. Razedly, Helen felt herself being suddenly kissed. The young man's face, when she got it into focus again, had lost its severity. Why, he was good looking . . . handsomer in every way than the foppish looking young man in gray tweed who was not worth this one's little Anger. “How dare you?” Helen cried automatically. ”1 didn’t mean." he stammered, “to be ... be fresh . . . but you were wonderful ...” * “No. you were so cool and resourceful and . . . wonderful. Oh, I've lost my library book . . .“ He got up and picked it off the floor. He looked at the card. “Miss Williams,” he said, "surely after this violent ... er ... introduction . . . you won't vnind . . . you see. Fm a stranger in the city . . . my home is in Albany . . ." That did make them neighbors, she said. Peterdale was only 800 miles from Albanv. THE END. <Copyright 193 by Chte.go Tribune-N. Y.

OUR BOARDING HOUSE

BhiooPy Wnr was a voyage th' cmly H KJ PIP Jf ‘ROUND THE NORM, ONJ THE TIME HE FALL \ TEN- MASTER /'PE66VSTDSJE// h EVER FELT & Z7o -A WITH HALF THE CREWABUWR \ AWYTHIMO WITH SCURVY, A HURRICAME ) U * E A PECK JDED A “BLEW US 300 MILES INJTO THE J UWDER HIM, DKiA # ANTARCTIC,AND WE LOST OUR % WAS WHEN , D ' Jf SKIPPER 1 1 TOOK COMMAND AND, J HE SAT jg AFTER THREE PASS AT THE HELM, # IMy ARMS PARALYZED W/TH COLD, JL B*T?A || $ I 'BROLJ6HT HER THROUOH BY HANDOE % >f\ ETEERINO WITH MY FEET/ ' ,NJ B S POKER r ( yCy—y \ csame*

FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS—

HES/T] He !S ,5 ME fs ; MHE ANT YyoU'RE GOOFY 1 TP MXSR DOG WILL BE } he C |< NOT ' HES ( FUZZY.’... WHATS j MEANS THAT SO HOT. f \ TWEy' REACH WDULDM’T BE SUR- )ME SWALLOW THAT \ * /' j ~ i OF A■ A ~ WOR ( W JUST A THOR- \IF POODLES LOOK AT J CLEAR DOWSJ ) PRISED IF POODLES \ STUFF.' HCW COULD ALL ) * MUTT! / OUGHBRED > COMT OUGH * ) GOULD TALK, HIM... HIS { TO THE SIDE- J WAS WORTH A J A DOS SAVE f ua - P '7 M e/ L/ ***&&->[ KWOW BRED /HE WOULDN'T LEGS ARE ) WALK, DOMT f COUPLE OF HUM- SO MUCH H BELLS'' i-Jj V>JLL WAVE TO J yy POP > CLASS ? / EVEN SPEAK TOO 1 THEY ?Jy DPED COLLARS.' ) V VfFS

WASHINGTON TUBBS II

V/HATA BATTLE J WE SHORE THOL'GHT\ SMOo;Y THE HECK HE WASN'T'HE’s\ JUST LOOK AT B THESHOOTIN* J SON, VES SIR! YOU / WA9NT DESPERADO THAT EVVA HE PUT IM C FER MILES, y( WAS UP AG INST y(TC>UGH./Cl_ WOKE A GUN. MV HAT -J. '■ , i v>..

ALLEY OOP

f / rs "' /,’IREMEMBEg NOW, OOOLA - I DIDN'T INVITE | > YEH - IT'S POSSIBLE, /FAR BE IT FROM ME~Xy oU OM GAUNT- ( ALL RIGHT, BUT HARDLY _ C TO PROPHESY - BUT, YOlT) 80, IF ANYTH IMG PROBABLE - V MIGHT HAVE CAUSE J HAPPENS TO YOU, / OH/) 7/Akl TO BE GLAD I \ CXDN'T BLAME > V ( SKIP ) v IT-,. — ..— - ’ ** ,t. J ’ j.. V J l \ / )

BOOTS AND HER BUDDIES

TARZAN AND THE LEOPARD MEN

fg VNTnro fxature syndicate, ine. H*

Handicapped by his human burden/ Tarzan raced on. The hail of spears and arrows ceased, for the howling pursuers believed now they would surely capture the fugitives without difficulty. The gates were closed and barred; the palisade was improvable.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

The turmoil aroused a little monkey slumbering high in a tree. Through sleepy eyes he beheld Tarzan's flight. Had his skin not been part of him, Nkima would have left it behind in his wild leap earthward. “Tarzan! Master!” he cried. rWait for poor Nkima!”

With Major Hoople

OUT OUR WAY

C WE SURE \ T THAkJKS f \ l 6UE55 THEY APE \/WELL,T~Ei<S MO USE HOPE YOU \ NiO KJMOCA \ K!\!PA GLAD IS GIT 1O? BEN' GLAD TO MAKE GOOD AGAIW3T TH' RD OR THEM BIRDS GET RD OF Tm£\A VLIWDINTHE 31G SHOR 3UT I WHO HAVE ACACEEg BECAUSE, FOQ. EVERY LEAGU=, HOPE AHEAD OF THEM- OKIE WHO GOES OUT BOV, AVI' I VVOM'T / A GUV WHO WAMTS WITH A FUTURE,THERE'S \ WE'LL ALL \ HAVE TO / TO GIT OUT OF A OKE COMES IM WHO'S 13= WATCWIKII \ COME / \ SHOP A!\iT MUCH HAD A FUTURE‘AMD IS wpevouiw >.\3aca rJ Veo cd im it-with oust as useless -> >TTH£ PAPERS} —PREAMSOFI WITH HlSj -'T T.M.KC.U.S. pat.orr. ♦THEY' NEVER COME BACH - BUT THEY DO BY ME* SERVICE. INC. 3 J

fAND TO THINK THAT THIS \l PIN'T A ROCK I LOST MV GUN, <EE AN’WHEN^ pUTSHOOT) A \ US STARTED SHOOTInPvVE^L,THATMADE N HIM IN A GUN BATTLE - / 'IM. I fuiuaT LME MAD, SO I SOCKED HIM WITH A KOCK. WHY ITS UNBELIEVABLE /JUST HIT : 'f V. V —— 1936 BY NEAgEBVIcI, INCit. MREC."I'. SPAT.'CPF,/

BV THE WAY, \ OH-MOST AWVTI-lIWG ABOUT A NICE ) DON'T VOU THlklK J I WHAT ARE WE ] EDIBLE THAT . DINOSAUR, EH? / YOU RE GETTIM’ A ( ~ SEIIVICE.

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“You are in no danger," Tarzan replied; "scale the palisade." By now the ape-man had reached the barrier. “Catch the top,” he commanded Orando, and flung the w’arrior upward. Orando clutched the pointed stakes and let himself down on the other side.

—By Edgar Rice Burroughs

With a mighty leap. Tarzan followed, then once more he lifted the warrior to his shoulder. "I shall bear you to safety,” said the ape-man. “No, Muzimo,” Orando answered; “there is no safety in the dark forest, where roam the dreadful Leopard Min!”

COMIC PAG*

—By Williams

—By Blosser

—By Crane

—By Hamlin

—By Martin