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The things they had had so much fun doing here-the long walks, the
moonlight swims, the little parties-none of this would fit in with what
Gene had lived around all his twenty years until this summer, an~
even if he couldn't see their difference, Jo thought she knew this
would be the one point on which they would be unable to agree .... "
And maybe some weekend you can come down to college when the
frat is having a big blowout ... " Gene was talking on, confident that
things could work out for them in the future.

"Maybe I will be able to," Jo added huskily in a well-guarded
almost whisper. But she thought, "big blowouts" at Cornell aren't
financed, or attended, for that matter, by people who make two-dollar
tips for two weeks service in the summertime to put themselves
through college. This was the kind of life Gene knew best and wasn't
a part of the Gene that she had learned to know and love these few
months. Her Gene would fade away as soon as the suntan that sh.e
had seen him in every day did, when he went back to Cornell and hIS
family. But she didn't feel like talking about it to him, so she didn't
say anything until they crossed the beach and stood close to each
other at the foot of the steps of her back entrance to the hotel. When
she thought of how much they had talked there, the silence sounded
so loud to her ears that she felt she had to say something-anything.
"Will you stop by to see me before you leave tomorrow, Gene?" and
hated its trite sound.

"Well, I had planned to get an early start. You know how Sun-
day traffic slows you down once the rush starts." He paused and then
added softly, "I'm really going to miss you, Jo. I'm going to try. to
get back down here before September. 'Course I know Dad's gomg
to have me in that office from morning to night once I get there."

Jo felt that crying feeling creeping up her throat and she hated
girls who always bawled when anything happened. She was deter-
mined Gene wasn't going to remember her that way. She dug her
fingernails in the rough wooden railing and swallowed hard, strain~ng
to force her face into a bit of a smile. She tried desperately to thmk
of something original to say, but all that came out was a simple
"Goodnight, Gene. I'm going to miss you so much, too."

He gently held her with his hands on her shoulders and looked
deep into her up-tilted face. Jo finally could stand it no longer and
turned away and slid quickly inside the screendoor. She wanted to
turn around and call him to come back, but she didn't because she
knew she wouldn't know anything else to say that time either.

The next morning Jo went to work as usual. Her customers filed

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