Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-09-15
CHAPTER vi.
Ono Wav Out.

Mat was winter OF big snow.
November opened with rain. Day
after day the sun hid his face
behind mnssed, splitting clouds. Morn
Ing, noon and night the caves of tho
shacks dripped steadily, the gaunt
limbs of hardwoods were line of
:, coursing drops, and through all the vast
reaches OF Fir and cedar the patter OF
zatn kept UP Il drcary monotone When
ever the mist that blew like rolling
smoke along the mountain3 lifted for n
brief hour there, creeping steadily
downward, lay the banked white.
Before the snow put stop to log
cling, Jack Fyfc dropped in once week
or so. When work shut down he came
oftener, but he never singled Stella
out for any particular attention. Once
he surprised her sitting with her ell
bows on the kitchen table, her face bur-
led In her palms. She looked up ut his
quiet entrance, and her face must have
given him his cue. He leaned little
toward her.
'How long do YOU think you can
stand it?' he asked gently.
"God knows" she answered, surprised
into speaking the thought that lay up
permost in her mind, surprised beyond
measure that he should read that
thought.
He stood looking down at her for a
second or two His lips parted, but he
closed them again over whatever rose
to his tongue and passed silently
through the dining room and into tho
h,,pl TO, u II
him matter of ten minutes.
It lacked week Of Christmas. That
day three OF Benton's men had gone In
the Chickamn to Roaring Springs for
supplies. They had returned in mid
afternoon, and Stella guessed by the
new note of hiIarity In the clubhouse
that part OF the supplies had been
liquid. This had happened more than
once since the big snow closed in. She
remembered Charities fury at the log
ger who started Matt the cook on his
spree, and she wondered ut this re-
taxation, but 1t was not in her province,
and she made no comment.
Jack Fyfc stayed to supper that even
ing. Neither he nor Charlie came back
to Bcnton's quarters when the meal
was finished. While she stacked up
the dishes Katy John observed:
Goodness sakcs, Miss Benton, them
fellers was fresh Mt supper. They was
half drunk, some Of them. / bet they'll
be half n dozen fights before mornin'."
Later there rose brief clamor. In
the dead silence that followed she heard
thud and the blinking smash Of break,
{,,o< ,x1o foI !, fle ~
struggle.
Stella slipped on pair Of her broth
er's gum boots and an overcoat and ran
out on the path beaten from their cabin
to the shore. 1t led past the bunk
house, and on that side opened two VII
curtained windows, yellow squares tina
struck cleaning on the snow. TIL,
panes Of one were broken now, sharl
fragments standing like saw teeth II
tho wooden sash.
She stole warily near and looked In
Two men were being held apart, one b,
three Of his fellows, tho other by Jacl
Fyfe alone. Fyfc grinIthd mildly, talk
ing to the men in q quiet, pacific tone
"Now you know that was nothing t.
scrap about" she heard him say
you're both full of fighting whisky
but clubhouse isn't any place t.
fight. Wait till morning. If you'v
still got 1t in your systems go outsid
and have 1t out. But you shouldn'
disturb our game and break up the fur
niture. BE gentlemen, drunk or sober
Better shake hands and call 1t square.
; "Aw, let 'em so to 1t, II they want to-.
Charities voice, drink thlckened