Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-12-25
Asking
Time
A Case of Perseverance
By ELIZABETH GAINES wILcOxsON
Copyright by Frank A. Munsey Co.

TFTTTT%T'T'TFTTT%
Valor McGehee, the boss of the light
erage business, tenth owner In the
Crown mine and owner Of the little
sawmill up the creek, was q stalwart
person of easy manners and the scars
of fair fights.
Every day at the same hour he came
sauntering In and straddled the bench
not far from the sandwich board where
Mrs. Taylor was always busy slicing
bread and butter.
Her long, oddly slantlng, light gray,
wise eyes gave him n look of imper-
morning and briskly lifted two thick
sandwiches to a crockery plate and
without losing n motion poured a cup
Of coffee. These she placed before him.
He breakfasted leisurely. AS he ate
he talked with the cook.
"D'you know what day this isT' he
asked one morning
She flicked an inquiring glance at
him, drove her knife through the loaf
and repeated:
"Do 1 know what day it ISL Sure.
It's Friday" And she smiled. She
had battling, secretive smile.
The man smiled. too, watching her
face.
"D'you know why 1 call you Mona
Lisa" he drawled banteringly.
"Friend of yours l remind you of"
she offered, another smile lurking in
tho corners Of her mouth.
you've guessed 1t. She had smile
like yours. 1t was q ticklish PROPOSE
ton, that smile of Mona's. You could
never tell whether 1t was with you or
on you. But what particular Friday Is
thisr
"The day OF the month? The 10TH"
Correct" said the man. (Which
10th2"
She caught up big wooden bowl
and began piling up the sandwiches
into 1t with the automatic speed Of
machinery.
She shook her head at his question.
(which 10th would you sayr
1.-TWO months ago today you arrived
to open up this haven for the hungry.
That's what happened to turn the
10th into n special red letter day." he
explained
$50 / did"
"And was your first customer" no
reminded.
$50 you WERE"
And I've never learned what your
name is," he pursued.
Nor She favored him with q tail
eye glance, her hands flying with the
motion of closing two slices Of bread
and butter over one slice of meat.
after my saying 1t to you so often
Mrs Harry Lane Taylor'-Just like
thatp
She threw out her hands in u jaunty,
spread eagle gesture and whisked
around to the stove to replenish the
fire and readJust the Jars of baking
beans.
The man smiled after her. He had
said the same thing sixty times-once
every day for sixty days.
In n minute she was back at the
sandwich board, her naturally pale
face fire flushed.
"And 1 am going to nsk you some
thing else"
Something newf" she queried and
laughed. She had a frank, clear laugh
at variance with her yelled expression
and secretive smile.
"Are you n wldowT
UGnnt.,e 10 7 n
me that once"
Thirty times" no corrected. i've
a reason for wanting to know"
Her long, slantlng gray eyes rested
upon him for a moment while she
answered with mock seriousness:
"Have you? Well, I'll tell you how
to get out OF telling IL anybody asks
you If Pm n widow. You Just say you
don't know"
He grinned.
"All right for youl I'm going to keep
on asking till you answer. I'm coming
once an hour and ask till you answer"
NOW, / call that downright perse-
cution," she protested, turning to hang
up the sandwich board.
McGehee slipped coin, the price of
his breakfast, under his cup, swung
his feet over the bench and stood up.
"I'll be back in an hour" he prom
ised.
More than half an hour after he was
gone n stranger entered, letting the
door blow backward and charging the
room with an icy wind.
He was ragged and dirty and gave
evidence not only Of poverty, but of
dissipation. His hair was mixed with
gray, and he wore sandy mustache
and stubble beard. If ever there was
n disreputable character It was he.
And yet there was about him some
thing that gave evidence Of better
past.
He seemed rigid with cold and stop
ped minute as II he needed to relax
to breathe, then slipped over the bench
hugging his hands together.
Turning with her customary alert.
ness, Mrs. Taylor mechanically picked
up a cup. AS her eyes fell upon the
newcomer her face whltened, and she
went taut from head to foot She
automatically put down the cup. A
mirthless smile twisted the mems
mouth.
I've got the money TO pay for It,"
he said.
His voice was mixture Of groyel
Ing. pleading and sullen defiance.