gents who usually sold furnishings to other gents had gone to the war. In the evenings, twice a week, Vera went with her best friend to the Services’ Club which was run by some hardworking philanthropic and patriotic women on behalf of the men stationed temporarily in and around Kamloops. The club was well run and only girls of good character were permitted to go there and act as hostessesand dancing partners for the men in uniform. It was there that Vera met a man called Haldar Gunnarsen.
Haldar was a good fellow and undoubtedly attractive in his dark way. He had recently been promoted to sergeant, and it was nice for Vera that Sergeant Gunnarsen danced with her, invited her to shows, and at last asked her to marry him. Vera was almost pitifully excited, because Haldar was the first solid man to pay her attention. He became the sole object of her thoughts and hopes. Other people were surprised at Haldar’s choice because Vera was not nearly as attractive as many other girls who went to the Services’ Club and would gladly have married Sergeant Gunnarsen. It is impossible to know why Haldar asked Vera to marry him. It was partly propinquity no doubt, and partly because one night, under the garish lights outside the Zenith Movie House, Vera had looked up at him with a dog’s adoration, and he adopted her, like a dog, that very evening. Once adopted, Haldar was good to her although – on the whole – he was not much interested in women.
Vera hoped never to leave Kamloops. In the nighttime she looked forward to Haldar’s return from overseas where “They” would no doubt send him, and planned to make a certain two rooms that she knew of very homey and pleasant. It never entered her mind that anyone – certainly not Haldar who came from the prairies – would ever wish to leave a town and go and live in the backwoods. She had not reckoned with Haldar.
We never really know each other before marriage, do we. How could Vera tell that before ever she had met her husband, a man had taken him fishing on a week-end’s leave. They had driven about twenty miles into the hills beyond Kamloops, and then they had walked along a forest trail to a lake which was but little known. The fishing was excellent. The man hadsaid that the lake belonged to old Adams but that old Adams had died and the estate was being settled and the place could be had for a song. He also said he’d kind of like to buy it himself but what would he do with a lake I ask you.
Haldar Gunnarsen on his next short leave went to see the agents for the property and paid a deposit. He called his lake Three Loon Lake because there had been three loons on it when he was up there. He was partial to the loon as a bird. During his years overseas his spare time was to be spent in dreaming of the lake and of the building he would do at the lake. He would someday live there. He really spent more of his spare time in planning about the lake than in thinking about Vera although he was fairly faithful to her.
Haldar’s suggestion of marriage (“What say we get married, you and me?”) was quickly followed by the wedding because there were rumors that the battalion was about to go overseas. What with the fluster of getting married, which was secondary entirely to the step-up of work in the battalion previous to entraining for the East, Haldar had never even mentioned Three Loon Lake to Vera. This was unintentional but a good thing. It would have been a pity for Vera to spend three and a half years dreading and combatting the idea of moving into the backwoods again; but that was what was lying in wait for her.
When Haldar returned safe home from the war and Vera became Mrs. Gunnarsen in fact, she was filled with happiness. Their association had been brief before; but now, day by day, in becoming settled in their home, they seemed to have a real union and much happy married secret give-and-take of the kind that neither Vera nor Haldar had known before but which had been
Haldar was a good fellow and undoubtedly attractive in his dark way. He had recently been promoted to sergeant, and it was nice for Vera that Sergeant Gunnarsen danced with her, invited her to shows, and at last asked her to marry him. Vera was almost pitifully excited, because Haldar was the first solid man to pay her attention. He became the sole object of her thoughts and hopes. Other people were surprised at Haldar’s choice because Vera was not nearly as attractive as many other girls who went to the Services’ Club and would gladly have married Sergeant Gunnarsen. It is impossible to know why Haldar asked Vera to marry him. It was partly propinquity no doubt, and partly because one night, under the garish lights outside the Zenith Movie House, Vera had looked up at him with a dog’s adoration, and he adopted her, like a dog, that very evening. Once adopted, Haldar was good to her although – on the whole – he was not much interested in women.
Vera hoped never to leave Kamloops. In the nighttime she looked forward to Haldar’s return from overseas where “They” would no doubt send him, and planned to make a certain two rooms that she knew of very homey and pleasant. It never entered her mind that anyone – certainly not Haldar who came from the prairies – would ever wish to leave a town and go and live in the backwoods. She had not reckoned with Haldar.
We never really know each other before marriage, do we. How could Vera tell that before ever she had met her husband, a man had taken him fishing on a week-end’s leave. They had driven about twenty miles into the hills beyond Kamloops, and then they had walked along a forest trail to a lake which was but little known. The fishing was excellent. The man hadsaid that the lake belonged to old Adams but that old Adams had died and the estate was being settled and the place could be had for a song. He also said he’d kind of like to buy it himself but what would he do with a lake I ask you.
Haldar Gunnarsen on his next short leave went to see the agents for the property and paid a deposit. He called his lake Three Loon Lake because there had been three loons on it when he was up there. He was partial to the loon as a bird. During his years overseas his spare time was to be spent in dreaming of the lake and of the building he would do at the lake. He would someday live there. He really spent more of his spare time in planning about the lake than in thinking about Vera although he was fairly faithful to her.
Haldar’s suggestion of marriage (“What say we get married, you and me?”) was quickly followed by the wedding because there were rumors that the battalion was about to go overseas. What with the fluster of getting married, which was secondary entirely to the step-up of work in the battalion previous to entraining for the East, Haldar had never even mentioned Three Loon Lake to Vera. This was unintentional but a good thing. It would have been a pity for Vera to spend three and a half years dreading and combatting the idea of moving into the backwoods again; but that was what was lying in wait for her.
When Haldar returned safe home from the war and Vera became Mrs. Gunnarsen in fact, she was filled with happiness. Their association had been brief before; but now, day by day, in becoming settled in their home, they seemed to have a real union and much happy married secret give-and-take of the kind that neither Vera nor Haldar had known before but which had been
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