*RH-92.6* well-dressed doughnut

[Horace Cruz]

The third, on the other hand, held out his lookand paid it back in kind.
For what had oncesatisfied her was no longer enough.
Whowas Paulchen that he should demand such a sacrifice?
About aweek or ten days ago, if my memory serves me. But she had, it seemed, her own ideas of honesty.
She had afat, foolish face, on which the one-time dimples had run to lines. But, on their way home, he halted on the wooden bridge that spanned themilky-green alpine river. Yes, that word fitted her best: stupid she was, and stupid sheremained.
Mysterious depths inthese eyes there were none.
Now whod ever have thought the old stick had so much feeling in her! Thosethat fell like smitten doves, only to flutter up again a second later.
What had it ever done for her, but robher?
And then it was, in handling the letters, that theforgotten proofs caught his eye. It was a very childs way of weeping;she made no attempt to hide them, or to wipe them away. Butshe could not escape: her hand was held in a vice.
His coffee gulped down, he went outand back on his steps of the day before. She had afat, foolish face, on which the one-time dimples had run to lines.
They lay just as on the day Elsa wastaken ill, virgin-pure of ink-mark or correction. A straw driven before thewind; a null; a parasite at lifes board.
He felt her lips move, andbending, caught the words: Oh, Ive been so . Hence, his original scheme, of snatching what he wanted and letting hergo, came to nothing. Sulkily, unwillingly, she crossed to his side. With a nature such as this he did not know how todeal.
Hence, his original scheme, of snatching what he wanted and letting hergo, came to nothing.
He was like a man whostood waiting, with every nerve on end, for a bomb that is timed to fall. To which, though her lips were still a-twitch and a-tremble,she made a brave effort to respond.
And admitting this broughton a fit of restlessness, in which he tumbled and tossed.
Now, thedays to come yawned empty as untenanted space. The third, on the other hand, held out his lookand paid it back in kind.
And he did not so much as turn his head after her, thoughshe had been both young and winsome.
Whowas Paulchen that he should demand such a sacrifice? Still more startled was she by Annemaries sudden dash from theroom, and the click of a turned key. Beforehim, on the whitewashed wall, the tiny, flower-encumbered windowprinted a silver square.
But in her, too, her tears set something free.
The one who came to take his order wasgiggling; giggling when she planked his KRUG down on its mat.
Ill give what I am bound to give, but no more; the rest is my own. There was nothing leftfor her to do but weep, and weep she did; he had never seen such tears. Or only thatof his watch which, hanging above his head, had suddenly begun afrenzied ticking. And this time the loss hit him harder than ever before. She had also learnt what it meant to care for a little child. 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.mur.at/pipermail/rh-92.6/attachments/20060918/832a941a/attachment-0001.htm 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/gif
Size: 4887 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.mur.at/pipermail/rh-92.6/attachments/20060918/832a941a/attachment-0002.gif