Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 4 June 1938 — Page 15
5
talked to Withers?”
PAGE 14 SERIAL STORY—
This Man, Joe Murray
By William Corcoran
CAST OF CHARACTERS JOE MURRAY-liked new places, new Jobs, new girls. HELEN—feil in love—hard--once. TERRY MALLOW-—found love—and
kept it! Yesterday—Joe returns home and then he meets strange little Terry Mallow who comes from a mean, useless family where she seems to be holding
the baz.
CHAPTER FIVE RRY did not talk much about her home outside. These three expressed and acted upon the conviction that she was doomed to come to no good end, and she probably had believed it from infancy herself, never hearing any other possibility. That's why she was so apologetic, and at the same time so quaintly bold: feeling it was hopeless and she might as well be taken for a sheep as a goat and enjoy a little company while she was about it. She did not talk, this Terry Mallow, but the neighborhood could make its own observations. People in the same house had indignantly reported the sounds of anger and then of pain and fear coming | through
the walls. when Terry's | father took it in mind to punish her. They had seen the ugly welts of blows on her small white shoulders. | What the child's bad behavior could | consist of was a mystery entirely, | for she had been locked in, aside | from church and school, all her life. | Now that she had a Job—which | she had secured the first moment | possible, as her only escape—it was said that sort of thing was no longer so frequent; she earned, with the pay envelope she turned over unopened each week, the first little freedom she ever had, which it seems she was devoting to visits on the Murrays. But boys were the cardinal sin, forbidden and condemned. » Now I know such a family sounds hard to believe, but I am giving the main facts bluntly, because to explain them fully would be a whole story in itself. The two old ones had never forgiven Terrys’ mother for marrying their precious son; between all of them they had killed her in time, and I guess she died finding no release even in death because of the baby girl she must leave behind.
= » » S Joe took this all in, even though the kid Terry meant nothing at all to him, his blood began to boil a little. “Why the hell don't she blow?” he asked Irene. “She's making a living. She's healthy.” “It would be the satisfaction of their lives to put her’ in: the wayward home. It would prove everything they ever said about her.” Joe thought that over, and
“The cook is leaving, but she said she'd rather have a group picture o us than a written recommendation!”
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“She tells you some pretty good things for a dime. But I know a place where they’ll tell you bad luck, too, for a guarter.”
shrugged slowly; it was beyond him. Your own flesh and blood? That didn’t make sense! He slid it from his lean shoulders and went out. But he raised no more questions about the visiting firewoman in the kitchen; instead he gave her a short smile and a curt, “Lo, kid!” whenever she crossed his path. So Terry continued to make herself at home, and Joe continued on his detached way, and nothing in particular happened, and you would never think, if you happened to meet them, that there was anything interesting at all in either of their lives or even likely to be. Terry's visits suddenly were less frequent, were irregular and shorter. When she came, there was something about her air that told anyone who looked twice that she was secretly excited over something, that life was suddenly eventful enough to send the blood racing in her veins and made her laughter a little exultant and defiant. Then one evening, about 9 o'clock, Terry's dad called at the Murray's to ask for her. “No, Terry's not been in to-| night,” Mrs. Murray told him guardedly, trying to keep down the hostility that came instinctively at sight of him, at sight of any man like him. She had daughters of her own, and she had a shrewd eye for men. “She has told us she came here occasionally,” he said. “I hate to be bothering you. But I try to keep an eye on her.” | The next afternoon Terry accompanied Irene home from the mill. Terry was quieter than ever they had seen her, but Irene was brusque and grim. Joe, when he came in, found the kitchen door shut on him. The two girls and Mrs. Murray were in there. He could hear his mether and sister talking, and somebody was sobbing. Terry stayed for supper. Afterward, when he had read through the paper and the women had about all cleaned up, Joe strolled into the kitchen where the three of them were again, talking women’s matters. He looked at them silently for a minute, and then said sharply, “What's up? What's wrong? Let me in on it.” Irene and her mother exchanged a quick glance. There was a broad blotched welt going down under the dress, down her back, the mark of a heavy leather strap. Joe swore softly. quiet and hard.
His face was
= = ” HE surprising thing was how Terry took that unexpected exposure of her shoulder. She spat like a cat, fiercely, and she struck Irene’s hand away and snatched the dress into place again and sort of retreated away from them, and she stood there angry and very defiant, looking at Joe with her big eyes. Joe did not see Terry again that night. But Irene told him later, “She was sore as she could be that I showed you her shoulder. Her old man gave her that.” “Where was she?” “Down at Papke’s drug store.” “All the time? Who was she with?” “The crowd there. Tommy Withers and the gang that hangs out in Papke’s.” . He grunted and said no more. Terry was gone. She had returned home simply to go to bed, and the Murrays had sent the kid brother along with her to alibi her for the absence. A couple of nights later, as he lighted his after-supper cigaret at the table, Joe asked generally, “Terry been around?” It seemed she had not been in since that other night. “Irene,” Joe said, “you tell her to keep away from Tommy Withers.” Irene’ looked at him. “Have you
oe
GRIN AND BEAR IT
By Lichty
—
3 . 1088 Cope. 37 United Feature Syndicate, Ine. |
“His Majesty’s recommendations for the national defense are: 10,000
cannon, 100,000 soldiers, 1000 battleships, and 5000 planes— and if we can’t get it in chocolate, he wants it in vanilla!”
THIS CURIOUS WORLD
‘By William Ferguson
"BLIND AS A BAT” VBLIND AS AN OWL”
ARE SO LARGE THAT ONE GREEN SOMETIMES CARRIES FLAGS. » THEREBY SERVING FOR TWO SEPARATE HOLES.
ih
“I have,” said Joe. He met his sister’s gaze, and his blue eyes were flintlike. “I clipped him one, too. He thinks he can get fresh. So I clipped him one. I don’t want to do it again, see?” Guided by past experience, Irene’s glance dropped quickly to Joe’s hands. The knuckles of the right hand were crowned with small, bright red spots where the
| rou een” she
he can get fresh with Terry?” Joe shoved back his chair and his tone commanded them all. “I mean she keeps clear of Tommy Withers in the future—and I'll clip her one where she won't like it either if she don’t! Get that? See that she understands it!” He went dour and hard looking out of the room. a
R————
(To Be ©
QUR BOARDING HOUSE
_ THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1938]
ZZ UME-FEUFE-F> MARK ME WELL, YOU SCOFFERS/ “HOOPLE IZE” WILL RESOUND FROM MAINE 10 OREGON ! IT 15 A WORD 1 PROPOUNDED TO SUM UP MY THEORY OF LIFE wae “HOOPLEIZE / EXTENR A HELPING HAND TO YOUR FELLOWMAN !#
LEAGUE EMBLEM WILL BE AN If EXTENDED HAND IN “THE “GIMME” POSITION= ____
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LI'L ABNER
EXTENDED HANDS WELL, YOU'RE AN AUTHORITY ON THAT Pose / YOUVE BEEN HOLDING YOUR HAND OUT FOR FORTY YEARS wa WITH ™' PALM UPS IE 1 KNOW YOU, THAT OUGHT TO BE ™' CLUB EMBLEM /
A WILD SWING, BUT YOU OUGHT TO FIND A GREAT BUNCH OF PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS AMONG TH’ PANHANDLERS AND MOOCHERS vaarw YOU SPEAK “THEIR OWN LANGUAGE /
By Williams | '
HELP TOWELS’ | TOWELS / QUICK, BRING ME A TOWEL!
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JUST IN “THE NICK OF TIME / GIVE ME THAT BLACKING CLOTH!
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. a 6-4 TM REC U8 PT
—By Al Capp
PAHDON ME EF AH SEEMS FAMILIAR ~ BUT IS YO'-OR 1S YO NOT-MAH RE-FLECK-SHUN ?
WASHINGTON TUBBS II
GLAD YER SAFE, FOLKS. THE JUDGE GOT KINDA WORRIED WHEN YOALL DIDN'T GET BACK, SO SOON'S 1 OT BETTER HE SENT ME OUT
A HEAP O' BOTHER, SERGEANT! 1
i "DOC" MESTAR - AN’ WE THOUGHT
«By Thompson and Coll |
BETTER HURRY BACK, MISS NORTH. THEAH'S AN IMPORTANT VISITOR WAITIN' FOR YOU AT YO' UNCLES!
8 O' SURE SAVED TH' COUNTY
JUST LEARNED THAT THIS BIRD WAS WANTED IN FIVE STATES,.. HIS NAME'S
HE WAS JUST ANOTHER CONJURE Ee FELLER!
TELL HIM) you'LL DRWE OUT TO THE CLUB AT 2:30.
GEE WIZ! WOT'LL I DO, EASY? IT'S A MAN WHO SAYS HIS NAME'S VINSON=WE WANTS TO BUY TH TOPSY TURUY=— BUT HIS VOICE SOUNDED LIKE ONE
oF FRANKIE SLAUGHTER'S
[HE FELL FOR \ IT, FRANKIE. ) LOAD UP, BOYS, AND WE'LL
ESTABLISH AN ALIBI,
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IF YOU HADNT COME HERE AS GUEST OF HONOR, WE NEVER WOULD HAVE HAD SUCH
f WELL, I'M. GLAD
THE EXCITEMENT IS OVER. ! IL CERTAINLY WAS EMBARRASSED
ABOUT THOSE PARKING TICKETS)
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LOCK THE DOOR. SMILES
"CAN'T. GOT A PRWATE AND SLICK WILL STAY AND
GAME ON IN THE BACK \ OM
a WAY =—=aND 20 WITNESSES WiLL SWEAR THAT WE'VE BEEN HERE ALL AFTERNOON!
ON THAT DRESS SUIT! WELL, L EITHER GET MORE MONEY —- OR. THE SUIT | WHICH IS IT?
MY LAND! WHAT ARE ALL THOSE DIMES For? 4
«= ROWS THAT NEW CHAP GETTING ALONG T THE ONE 1 PUT ON A SHORT TIME AGO we 20°
ITS EWE DOMLARS For A PERMANENT . ~I'M GETTING ONE
1938 hy United Peature Syndieate, Ine. Cepr. ir ure yf U. 8. Pat Of.—Al rights reserved
WELL How LIKE
YOU MEAN HORACE ° HORACE NONXEST FINE , SR ~~ 5 1MPLY SPLENDID L 10E NEVER HAD ANYONE WHO WAS TALEND SOCH AN WTEREST
WW HIS WORK
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. ABBIE AN' SLATS FP HE KISSED ME-—ONCE=-AND RAN AWAY! OH (CHOKE/?)-=-=1 MIGHT AS WELL REALIZE IT NOW--RE DOES-§ N'T LOVE ME=~--
WON'T MoM Be SURPRISED. -SHE DOESN'T
KNOW ARSUT J
IF X HAD KNOWN THAT, IT WOULD NOT HAVE DONE IT, =-IM GOING TO PUT Your Har BACK
1
LESSEE , NOW = THERE'S LIGHT , GA® , TELEPHONE , An %
-~ Ordre TUE STILL GOTTA CUT DOWN SOMEWHERE |
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38 BY NEA SERVICE, INC. T. M. REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. —By Raeburn Van Buren BECKY!" WHAT D' 8 YA THINK = jooe| 4 LOVES YA!
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