"When The Earth Shook"

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 291, 18 November 1931, Page 3

"When The Earth Shook"

By W. Graeme - Holder

[The characters, in this story are en-1 tii'ely fictitious and have no reference! to any. person. J

*?• "Buzizy .Tennyson paused with outjifte4 a'ml !;Mr §yes; sympathetic- . -Sm >;lteid her he&d.uppn one side^br^ahtioregarded her old firfijd in- * fintly, then she .produced a clinical (■th.erniometer with'a dexterous gesture <M Jter h&nd. the mouth, please," shbjsaid. .iti her most severe professional man--neiO"We must see about that teniperastife. We c.an'j; haye unruly temperatures W this establishment." •' - Patricia tried hard ip be angry and found |t impossible. '•"'But'-' I can't afford to stay over. {JBuzzy.""" .'/•'Afford to!" snorted Buzzy- "You don't have to afford to. The Live Wire,s . aye not'supposed to be able to afford; ' gifting. U isn't going' to cost yo'u .anything, you foolish child. You'll fiaveto sleep in the Square, anyway, lb|gau|ie,tlje blooping .town's full of )j yfifugf es. . Give me those checks! ■ At once!" : ' Patricia handed over tile checks jv4thi)uj; .further priest. ""Now, you stay here until 1 get *tb move from here, or I'll boil your Tireafcfast egg hard." % shq |)ig girl sped away, |ind |ra| again fn a remarlcably shbrt spaceCarrying a suitcase in either hand with Apparent ease. She' was flushed arid t JfWould you believe it?" she asked. '•*The Mail'way Department dared to .'^Tgue.Vitn ifte.' Me! Buzzy .T,eunyson! | h&4 to sjjgw 'em. It's going to take 'dm two sQlid hours to sort the messiH'the guard's van. These things were 'right at the bottom. The handle's come adrift on tjiis-pfje; but >\;e can fix tfome on.!"' •" •

led the way to the street, and sai ffflip;wed meekjy.

attend to'our I 'faces first," \: . '!!'13.1 it .-!i «i iff.-,., 'hi . • i.i , %%}§. Bu|zy as they crossed the street, Sand tajk afterwards. .Boss's is as good as 'any. They've got a propeV T>(" ! '* ;! «'*• f ".'.,'•' ' "' ffflVGcf. for my appetfte."

'•>Th6'y walked insilende.to Riiss's,'am| feuzzy'Tennyson .mounted th&' stairs sfp at a time. The suitcase worried her apt at s}s, ex§ji^i^o^e^car : rfod ,; the broken-handled one with only

}ji''You should have been a- mail, Buzzy,*' 1 said Patricia, admiringly, as tney geaied themsflves at. a table-for-kwo pear the window. ißuzzy -Tennyson rose to her full height and leaned threateningly across 'attft x Q u,'re going to make such dett'ghtfully original remarks during your stay with us, Miss Weybourn, there's going to be another earthquake," she fondly. "What are you goipg ,to have? The usual?" -'Patricia'nodded. . ''' ; Tli be she proihised. f They';'ft|. and talked "afterwards. W*en Patricia had finaljy put down her cup, -Buzzy produced a cigarette _ca^B'jjndprolfored It .to Patricia. "Hswe Pat, and tell me all about yoursejfc How goes the glad- '', . ; a cigarette and lijt it carefully at Buzzy's lighter before sne replied,: "'!?*; '.' ■■'. ' ."I've got the sack, Buzzy," she "and I'm feeling fed W: wi,tfe ey.eryjthjng." -Buzzy -scpiinted'' speculatively at Patricia through-the manly cloud of §#lp%e -£s%g ff om.- her "What 4s- it?";,sh.e ; asked. ".Shortage in* the ieash, or shieks?" ' /'lt's . .'-pUYe ' 'madness!" answered sis* that the other sat back and stared ■ *&*> I'TT ?;<».< '»,<*.»< ■» :<y .•»..... i iii surprise. '"Madness! I —I —Oh„why nged we speak Of it? It's over noW — jftn^edj^-afed.Tni. just a fool who is tryjng ',to rjyi iyay from herself. Just afiJoobVJpx .: v. " !'■■: . ■, ■She 1 turned her head to gaze out of

jtb£ wihdb.y l and her friend saw that •her lasfeeU were wet, and her lips trembling,: . '■:•';■■. I '. Tehpyson shook her head and fi.9wo.ed 'at '.ash-tray. •"Th,at i §.rptten," she said softly. "As Otiiar Khayyana remarked in 1874, 'that's tfecfdediy ulnpty-do.'"

fight that y - ou sbwld laugh at j#j," nuitterpd Patricia.

laughing at you, Pat. You . t Jmow tJaltV . fHi ''iuß.t darned scVrry for ,ysy, £nd mighty glad that I d;s>ppe/ii;6jj.'you this afternoon/ I'm th§ tonfc you-heed, and you're'going ,tyy%Qt.'eso\},gfc ! oi me to set you on ' |fee her on fs» forward earnestly. Pp;"' sj|i#66fttfeu>d;' "unless yofi want Wjjtell }p'io>ttie,. Ican see that you've h|ijß a - it's" love that's responsible. : 'Tha't's the ■ "orily thing' that could knock a woman iiks. you endways. It had to come hack on"'you, Pajt.* You were too sure it didn't exist, |o It jus,t hajd to show you. But I'm jiQrry you had to go and love another

woman's man." IM*'; "?*•'•'

(Copyright, by W...qRAE!yiE-HOLDER —All Rights strictly reserved)

1 Patricia turned her head sharply, land the angry colour Hooded her pale I cheeks. ; "So they talk about me here, too"? i I'm a high-light in a national scandal''" she said harshly. "Don't, be so conceited," answered j Buzzy shortly. "Nobody ever heard of lyou down here; and I'd given you up j as dead, and cried myself to sleep on | that account, many's the time, No, old I thing. It just had to happen thai way. ! You remember we all 'prophesied it 'would. What we didn'l dare prophesy i was that the other woman would beat | yen. ' ' Hut that's what's happened. I She's holding him, and you're breaking ! your heart and your future because of ! it. You feel spiteful towards the whole. | box of tricks. She's hunted you. off the | .field—" l"' 4;, Slie's dead!" I "Dead? Then why—?" ! "Killed in Napier! She, and their i child—hi jNapier—where I'd driven rhemUV tSi' i Thore was a strained pause, during ! which the two looked at each other •steadily through the film of tobacco I smoke; then Buzzy Tennyson tapped gently upon the edge ; of i'the ash-tray. i "Aki't it hejl?" she asked the cir--1 eumambience softly, j j There was a lengthy silence. ! ! "Well?" asked Patricia at last, her ; voice unsteady. I Isßuzzy looked up, and her handsome ! features were wreathed in a tender i smile. "I'm on your side, Pal," she ans- ' wered sincerely. "We always said [you'd play the game—and you'ra playing it." : -" ; "Oh, but I haven't played it. Buzzy," I cried Patricia, beating her clenclied pa-'rids softly upon the'table-top,, "1 haven't played it!" r;■ \*ffe' was" my friend. My friend! I tried to play the game, Buzzy. Before jGod,.I did!" But I couldn't! I couldn't!; '.-•<. ii-i ' i ■ /.' '■■ ■ i ■' ■ ■ i ■ ■ II loved him too well!" I I• V. ",,] ' '<Your friend?"' •"-.,'-' "Grace —little Grace Ilarley. You re--.member her, Buzzy? She used to be &i;»T,.l}< : '! Grax'3 Devine. A - quiet, pretty little thing. And now she's dead—and I killed her!" Patricia bowed her head upon her Voided arms and was silent. A waitress, who had been watching the- two with interest, hurried to the table. "Can 1 get you anything, Sister?" she- asked anxiously. • "Nothing, thanks,-" -answered Sister Buzzy Tennyson in her most brusque hospital manner. The waitress departed reluctantly. The tea-room was not crowded at this hour, and the glances of the few customers scattered about the big apartment did not trouble either Buzzy. who was accustomed to bejng stared at on account of her stature, or Patricia, who cared for nothing on earth at the moment. (To be continued) |