Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-06
HER WAY
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BY JACK LAYTON.


end of the ''lightless' village. Nell had
difficulty in finding her way to the door
when she arrived on the evening train.
The brief visits to grandmother were
like coming home-in fact this same
little house was the only home the
girl knew. Years ago she had left it
to make her way in the city, and the
room there, which held her piano
chief asset of business-could scarcely
he called home. She was sorry that
grandfather would not be there dur
ing her one night visit, but he was
due at a meeting in the next township.
SO he had, upon her arrival at the sta
ton, intrusted to her care, the days
proceeds.
Custom had made the old station
agent careless in regard to the han
ding of that bag. For years he had
carried it home on certain nights when
he did not care to open the safe. The
girl, however, drew it from her muff
in relief as she entered the CHEEKY
room.
''There, grandmother" she said. "put
the money safely away" and grand
mother, as had been the custom, Slip
ped the leather bags handle over the
back of a chair.
Supper Is waiting, dearie." she said.
There was so much to tell after the
tea things had been cleared away,
that a stranger knocking at the front
door had to repeat his summons sew
eral times before being heard.
someone asking to spend the night,
probably" grandmother surmised.
"NIr. Southworth sent me-" the
stranger announced and was admit
ted.
As the girl returned from lighting the
passage leading to the spare room, her
grandmother fingered apprehensiyely.
sim sorry I let him stay" she said,
"he has such hard kind Of face"
'Don't be afraid, Gran" Nell smiled,
s'I'm not afraid-of anyone"
The man sat glowering into the fire
when the girl entered the sitting room.
'You live in this lonely corner of the
world?' he asked brusquely.
mo" she slowly replied, "this is one
of my overnight visits"
"The station agent is away, I'M
derstand?"
Steadily she looked up at the
stranger, her eyes wide and clear as
a child's, held his own as though I'M
willing. Grandmother and / should
have been quite alone in the darkness
If you had not happened along" she
said, and smiled.
The man drew his lips down grimly.
"What do you know of me?' he asked.
81 might be a burglar"
''Nfr. Southworth sent you" Nell re-
minded him.
The man laughed shortly. $50 told
you; it was a lie"
The girls face paled, and she bent
quickly over the fire. When she looked
up again her rosiness had returned.
"Well, you see" she said, as she rose
to her feet, 81 happen to trust you"
''Why should your" asked the man.
"Once upon a time" the girl an
swered, "a little lost child held out it's
arms to me, from the midst of crowd.
Because of its very helplessness it
knew that it might trust me-"
The man lit a cigar, with 1t between
his teeth he spoke slowly. $50 you
feel like that kid? Well, better not
trust too much these days"
"Tm going to try" Nell replied Sc
riously. She looked back at him as
she turned toward the stairs.
The elder woman waited agitatedly
in the bedroom.
'Dearie," she confessed, "Ive been
so nervous, that quite forgot the sta
ton money. Grandfather always hides
it somewhere. After we hear that
man come up to his room, do you
think we might slip down and get 1t.
Sometimes there are valuable papers
i'm the bag as well. ! am trembling
like O leaf. I'm sure / don't know
how I ever came to take a stranger
in with your grandfather away"
"Foolish!" comforted the girl, "what
harm has your stranger guest done
heretofore? When our visitor has safe
ly retired, I'll run down for the bag |
myself"
1t had been perhaps Is minutes after
the guest room door had closed loud
fy and all was still that Nell donned |
her blue bathrobe and slippers and |
with tumbled curls framing her love- |
ly face, crept stealthily down the
stairs. The absence of accustomed |
outer lights made the house doubly i,
dark. Swiftly she put match to the
living room gas-then stood blinking
into the staring face Of the guest, who,
cloaked and HATED, stood in the CEN
ter of the room. Nell laughed in EVIL
dent relief.
"YOu?" she said softly, "then you
had not yet retiredT
The mans stern face did not relax,
neither did he speak. The girl passed
to the door. 81 wanted to make sure
II was locked" she explained
ut Is locked" she murmured, sat
SIZED. Like a child she stretched free
arms lazily above her head. "Good
night" said Nell.
As though fascinated the man
watched the appraised arms and empty
hands; watched the slight figure as the
yirl moved past him toward the stairs