The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-05-08

The bread was cut In precise trianzies;
the butter had been shaved into for
eign-lOoking roses A pitcher Of the
valleys favorite beverage. iced tea.
stood By Hardin's plate. There was q
platter OF cold meats.
II came home to Irnes for the hun
dredth time. the surprise Of such q
meal In that desert. A few years ago.
and what had q meal beenf She threw
the credit of the little lunch to sulky
Tom Hardin lying on the portiere-cov-
cred couch. his ugly lower lip out
thrust against an unsmIllng vision II
was Tom. Tom and his brave men, the
sturdy engineers, the dauntless sur
yeyors, the Indians who had dug the
canals, those we're the ones who had
spread that pretty table. not the buxom
little woman darting about In pink
gingham-
is IT because I don't ike herr she
mused. her eyes on the pictures in the
style book which had Just come In that
morning. Certainly Gerty did have the
patience Of q saint with Toms hu-
mors. II she would only lose that set
look Of martyrdom, II was not for an
outsider to Judge between q husband
and wife. even IL the man were her
own brother. She could not put her
finger on the germ Of their painful
scenes; she shrsnk from the recollec-
ton Of Toms tempe: his coarse
streak, the GIngs fiber. her own mother
called IL. Tom was rough. but she
loved him. Why was IL she was sure
that Gerty did not love her husbsndf
Yet there was the dlstrust, as fixed
and as unjust perhaps as the suspicion
Of Gerty's little mysteries.
She said aloud: This Is your last
day. Ny week begins tomorrow
Mrs. Hardin adjusted a precise nap
kin before she spoke.
Il think will keep the reins for q
month this time" Her words were re-
Elective, as though the thought were
new. Il get my hand In Just as I stop.
I viii be running out for my visit in q
few weeks. II will be only fair for me
to do 1t as long as can
Again the girl had q sense Of subtle
v. Whenever Gerty put on that air Of
childish confidential deliberation. she
hunted for the plot. This was not far
to seek Her sister-ln-law was passing
out the hot season to her.
IT'S all ready" Gerty's glance was
winging. birdlike. over the table. Moth
ing had been forgotten. She gave q
little sigh Of elastic satisfaction Har.
din misin,erpreted II
Il ought to be able to keep q serv-
ant for her. II was like him to have
forgotten the Lawrence days; he was
never free of the sense of obligation to
the dainty little woman who was born,
he. felt, for the purple. There was
nothing too good for Gerty. BE felt
her unspoken dlsappointments; her
deprivations -Of course. she can have
no respect for me. I'm q failure"
Doesn't this give you an appetizer
demanded Innes heartily. and I'm
TO be lady for three more weeks"
The remark was thoughtless. A bright
flush spread over Gerty's face. She
caught an allusion to her origin.
Innes saw the blush and remem-
bered the boarding house. She could
think of nothing TO say. The three
relatives sat down to that most uncom-
Portable travesty, social meal where
sociabIllty Is lacking. lnnes said II
had been a pleasant morning. Gerty
thought II had been hot. And then
there was silence again.
Innes began to tell them Of her Tue
son visit. when Gerty laid down her