Long Short Story Upset To Music

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 99, 29 April 1939, Page 6 (Supplement)

Long Short Story Upset To Music

By--Nolan Wood

RIPTIDE! An ironic yet not unpleasant smile flickered at the corners of Warren Maxwell s mouth. What could he do? The radiogram in the smokeroom of the Corner Cafe issued forth the rhythmical symphony of the plaintive fox-trot echoing his own perplexity about being torn between two loves. Mllllv was c■ 11r11i11-_r I" tike his order. Tim (it 11nr waitress had n<»t liim a iii■ >tii<mi 1. nr two pre\ i• ni-> Iy, but f 11 0 had displayed crnl it ii bio observa nee in leavin- li,in fur Molly. Mollx smiled at, liim, looking almost as prrttv as a girl <m a poster, and a sensible person \vllu 1< 1 have not iced that her charms wore nmrp tluin kin deep. Warren felt his heart behaving absurdly, no tho crooner sang about a new |nv<> railing. Warren's primp on his writing pad tightened; ho fe't nearly as stupid as n lien ho '.ad miscalculated his funds and foilll<t himself unable to pay the hill. A nasty situation, as the business «>f the Corner Cafe wn# conducted on a otrietly cash basis. Molly, sensing his pre<lieamerit, had Mmn to his rescue. When Warreu had recovered his wits—and incidentally his humour he'd wondered how many betide* himself had over had the experi*nce of being tipped by a waitress! Waitress' Smile After •that their friendship had ripened considerably, but she ws retieent al>out herself. Warren paw he wan far too good to tie a. waitresn. His bints evoked no explanations. There wm a mystery about her, ho decided. fTe gave lier an order for Welsh rarehit, and a cup of ooffoo which would cost liim a n ill-afforded ninopence. Molly received the full benefit of the whimsical and pleasing smile which lit lip his grey eyes as lie spoke. "I've just about enough dough this time." She smiled back sympathetically. "Xo luck with your writing* yet?" "Lots of encouragement—but thatto • II," he responded lightly. Something in hi* bantering tone ma<le her drop the musk over her face again. She was still ori duty, and the two business girls at the next table were watching rrut of the corners of their eye*. The smaller one wss interested in Warren. "Who selects the records I" asked Warren quickly before she could slip away. "The manageress. Do you want to make a request!" "Not particularly. She must have mown that I was here when she selected' Riptide.'" "Don't you like itt" The tone of hie reply was unfathomtble; the cryptically delivered words tuzzled her. _ "r love it!* He watched her as she harried away, ♦lightly flushed, and the word# of the iong about being caught in a riptide :vent round and round in hie mind. He wss caught in a riptide between 7 red a and Molly! What should he doT He could scarcely escape marrying Freda now. She had waited nearly two pears for him. Warren supposed that 'Je was still in love with her, but she lind never caused a lump to rise in his ;hroat «S Molly did. But Freda had money. . . . That had 1 ,0 be considered if you were a struggling young author. The alternatives were a* plain as two pikestaffs. Freda meant security, comfort, leisure and perhaps fame. Ambition had ever been a weakness of his. With Moljy he would probably have i month or two of wonderful happiness, but followed by struggles against poverty, disillusion and frustration, which might destroy even a happy memory. There- was no choice! Yet he eould reach no decision; he was caught in a riptide. It would he a risk for Molly, too. An impecunious young author is no great attraction, but merely a time-worn joke sadly lncking in sparkle. Of course, there was always hope! He smiled to himself. Another riptide! If you wanted to prosper in life it was best to avoid cross currents or fight out of their ffrip. Life—And Molly

.Another tune failed to distract his attention! he wondered about Molly. Was she caught In A riptide, or, worse •till, in ofie of life'* whirlpools where the victims were just carried senselessly round and round with dizzying futility to be sucked underneath in the end? Life was hard sometimes —but always fascinating—it was Warren's firmest philosophy that it should never be allowed to get you down. Then lie smiled again at his own inconsistency—the quick, amused twinkle that caused people to glance curiously at him. If he had been captain of his soul and master of his fate he would have married Freda and loved Molly. The fnt man in the alcove opposite looked as if he had arrived at a similar solution. Molly wm approaching with kia smirk; he felt glad of W« acrnplea. Hnr smile was Irresistible. To-morrow wis Sunday, perhapa she would go on the rivor with him. He could manage if lie cut hie cigarette* down for • while. The wavlnes# of her hair and lt§ faint ncent came near aa she In id his things out. An accountable nervousness came over him. "Von do anything special on Sundays!" he asked, trying desperately to appear casual. She knew what whs coming next, but wa« equally anxious that Warren should not, discover she did. Her blue eyes glanced away, a touch »f hiistiness showed In her voice. "Nothing particular; I read a book and have a. lazy day." A lazy day in the «unshine with Molly! Hb pictured lier in a flimsy summer frock with the faint breeze playing in hep brown hair. It would be paradleet TT i« next words were never spoken, hie idyllic vision was shattered into a million whirling fragments. Ha could only stare at the apparition watching him by the table wltJt the tiniest glint ,of amusement breaking through sphinx-like featurto. FrsdaJ

She slid elegantly into the basket chair by his side and removed a pair of white gloves as she gave her order. Warren laughed rather shakily. "Freda, w'.iat a shock you gave me!" Freda, examined her make-up in tlie mirror of her handbag. "I thought you weren't going to recognise me." lie smiled back wryly. "You must allow for the surprise. If 'bis had been a West End hotel I might have expected you." "You were too engrossed with that, waitress," said Freda, with a trace of reproach fulness. Warren made no den al. '"('aught red handed!" he admitted. "What a coincidence you dropped in hero." "You were out. so I just dropped in to kill a little time." How strange she should have come at that moment! The workings of chance had always fascinated him. Tt amuwl him to see Freda sitting there completely unaware of bow vitally she had timed her entrance. Perhaps Freda was hi" destiny. Ho did not, speak of these things. "My digs are hardly the ideal spot, to wait—for anything," he remarked jocularly. She regarded him steadily. "Why do you keep sticking it. Warren?" She parted her dull blonde hair carefully, tho red moons of her paint fingernails gleamed like rubies. "You needn't," she added, with a gcture. Now was his chance to escape the riptide. A few words were all that was necessary. Somehow be could not utter them. But for the music the tension would have been unbearable. "Riptide." There was that record again!

A smothered exclamation of annoyance escaped him as Molly lifted the coffee off the tray. She gave a sudden start, and the cup ma do a crazy wobble and finally shot out its contents all over Freda's exquisitely tailored blue gown. Freda was icy. She ignored Molly's apology. "Kindly fetch the manager!" No appeal came from Molly; only the faintest trace of a coldly contemptuous smile appeared at the corners of her mnut h. "Certainly, madam!" Freda's cold, merciless rage was a revelation to Warren. "Freda, you can't do that—she may bo dismissed. Molly, wait a minute," In- implored. "Molly!" The reddened lips curled scornfully. "She ought to be dismissed if she can't do her work properly." Freda mopped herself peevishly with a handkerchief. Molly's magnificence in face of disaster had won Warren's admiration. ♦ * * ♦

"It's unjust, Freda, and you know it!" The hot words tumbled out indignantly. Freda stood up, her tone was level, but her eyes were blazing with suppressed fury. "Seeing that the welfare of tho girl is so much to you, my presence is. hardly necessary." He rose, too, and watched security and comfortable marriage -walk out of his life to the strains of "Riptide." A short laugh expressed his relief at escaping from his own mercenary spirit. He became suddenly aware of the curious looks cast in his direction. Feeling awkward and self-conscious, he sat down again. Ho decided quickly upon the sensible thing to be done. He had been thrown clear of one riptide; it would be folly to drift into another, and let his pessimism and fear of losing Molly pull at him like invisible foes. He waited for Molly as he had done several times before, and proposed when they had only left, the Corner Cafe about 200 yards behind. It had been a fateful night, but Warren was absolutely unprepared for the final knock-out blow. She smiled not unkindly, but her tone was mocking. "What are you going to use for money 1" Shrewdly she watched the shaft wink home. "I'll work like 10 men for you if you'll have me when I've made good," he protested, adding with touching impetuosity: "I simply didn't dare to wait!" He failed to analyse the laugh she uttered; he just thought something torrible was about to happen. "There's no need to wait," she said sweetly. The world spun dizzily. "I don't need to be a waitress." she explained. "You see, I was afraid of being married for my money." For a moment she thought he was going to be ill. ♦ ♦ ♦ * Subsequently Warren Maxwell made a name for himself by writing stories nbout the strange vagaries of Fate. Naturally, he. believed that his own happiness was due to an accidentallysjult cup of coffee.

For Molly never told him that it was no accident at all.