The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-01-05
THE
GIRL;


ter Of dishes and the odor of frylng
steak.
! FHrr0ll acOwled down on his knuck-
ley hands, then his face lightcned
"Thcy're clean and honest" he said
looking hopefully up at her, III they
aren't much good with n pen. And pei
hhps she won't mind" The rising re.
hectlon made the last sentence a ques-
ton.
judith did not answer Her heart
was full ~ mingled contempt and pity
for herself
The silence made Farroll's forehead
moist. FumblInR for handkerchief
he pulled out n pair Of gloves h. had
arranged with care In his breast pocket
and moppcd his face with them; tnen
his glance fell again on the offending
hands and he showed them out 0f
sight under the table. They're Ike
hams" he groaned. "BIg frcckled
hams"
No one Contradicted.
'I'd better have worked the claim
and stayed at home" he went on. mi
snrably. I'm not At to use anything
but pick or Il wlndlass"
Judith caught sob in her throat an
forced 1t into laugh with words on
the tail of It, Prompted by an instinct
OF self protection, she said. steadily,
"Oh, nothing can make a thoroughbred
out or a draft horse" The words cut
her two-edged; she longed to press her
cheek TO the big knuckles, but instead
she finished, pcering at them over the
table. "And maybe she likes ugly
things"
The door from the kitchen swung
and banged against the wall. A rosy
waitress tripped across the floor with
n tray held high above the half wreath
OF holly berries on her head, Farroll
was conscious Of a puff of air as some
one passed him. and that the chair op-
positc was empty.
"A-'draft horse he repeated, when
the girl asked him II he wanted coffee.
Judith sped down the hall to door
beyond the one which bore in black
letters the word "Parlor" She burst
impetuously in. Her cheeks famed
dull red, like a Judas tree in April.
The ache In her heart made her gray
eyes look black
The room was small and low OF cell
mig Beside the bed a woman sat rock
ing and sobbing in hopeless sort of
way. There was a base-burner stove
with some tiny garments drying be-
fore it on the backs of chairs. Near
1t stood man In a shaggy greatcoat
with a bundle in his arms.
Judith strode to him. and the mother
instinct of the mountain woman made
fn
TON Morrison" she exclaimed, you
haven't had your coat off since you
drove the stage to the barn! You
haven't tasted a bite! Give me that
child"
The man looked up at her a dumb
misery in his eyes.
And the stage goes out in less than
a quarter of an hour she suggested,
Slipping her arms under his, she Grad
led the bundle, and began pacing the
floor, grooming, Hi diddle diddle, my
son Jon. The words were sigularly
out of keeping with the mothering
tones.
At length the man spoke, partly to
Judith, but more to himself she"
with a sideways motion of his head to-
ward his wife, she says the doctor
calculates it'll take two hundred dol
lars-or thereabout-to get the little
chap below to pay for the operation,
He's worse than ever before tonight.
I've got seventy dollars! Lord"
Hi diddle diddle--Judith stopped
short in the word to ease the bundle
down into the womans arms.
"The stage goes out in ten minutes" :"
she said. I'm going to bring Toms
coffee in here"