Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-10-18

pNS Owe StSS@S
her husbands good opinion Of Marie.
and was promptly rewarded by seeing
his face brighten.
hear it."
Good health is making a wonder
full change in her. I think most peo-
pie would call her beautiful" Mrs.
Mendall continued generously.
MacAllistsr himself had called
what to make Of his sudden frown.
Yes. she's beautiful he returned
shortly. I'VE can't help that"
He looked down, scowling. and his
eye fell upon q beetle that was scutt-
ling across the hot step. For = mo-
nent Mrs. Mendall thought he was
going to put his foot on it, she Judged
it: was the. sort of thing :MacAllister
would do. But it such was his inten-
ton he changed his mind; He bent
and with elaborate cafN placed it on
the meager srass-plot that edged the
asphalt >
That's a safer road for We to travel,
see that ye keep to It," he said with
scornful emphasis. Dement, old
body-getting yer feet burned adven-
turing round on hot stone!
fe show about as much ms rs a
middle.aged man who's thinking Of
getting himself a young wife!"
The exclamation seemed to free his
ed up his expression was more pleas
ant. MRS. Mendall, I'm not minded
to say good.by to We yet. Just come
a step this way till I show We some
thing"
Mrs. Mendall followed him to tho
corner, wondering. He pointed out;
on the next street, . root that was al
most hidden by tall trees. "Ye see
that old house? That's the old
o,Rour ss place; I don't know II ye
there who in their youth heard none
Of all this talk OF economic inde-
pendence, 30 when O'Rourke, after
mortgaging everything he possessed.
took to hts bed with a stroke, they
were about to starve. O'Rourke was a
graceless old gallant, by the. way, and
fonder Of whisky and gay ladies than
he was Of his daughters-the kind Of
gentlemen they used to Grow m
times IN the South. . . weel,
two ladies were distractedly wonder
ing whether they could run a type
writer or stand in a store. the mort
gagee-not for sentimental reasons
mind ye, but but of honest respect for
the ladies, and with the intention Of
holding the property till it trebled in
value and getting rent for 1t in the
meantime-this man suggested to the
Misses O'Rourke that they had a
could cook. That they could let out
part Of the old house, and take a few
table hoarders. For a number of
years I rented their upper floor :.
"vVeel, now, to come to the point:
they set q table for a few who, like
myself, appreciate real fried chicken
with real>cream gravy and rice to
grace 1t. They make a c%opfection
called 'corn-pone.' ana their baked
sweet s.t sv potatoes come sv; gt 1.. from a
Mrs. Mendall. by stepping, over there
with me for a bit Of lunch? :"
Mrs. Mendall was completely sur-
prtsed. She had heard the gossip that
|circleu about the youngest Miss
O'Rourke and Alexander MacAllister:
that MacAllister had taken advantage
lot O'Rourke and then annexed his
daughter. She had considered II
aloofiy. If Miss O'Rourke had laid
herself open to criticism. 1t was Miss
Mendall had long ago taken that step
AWAY from4t1e Puritan intolerance
upon which she had been reared.
But that same .aloofness made her
think with edistaste Of possibly meet
ling Freda O'Rourke, and in spite Of
the fact that while MacAltister had
been giving her the O'Rourke history
she had had an intense feeling Of pity
for Miss O'Rourke. It had occurred
70 Margaret Mendall that every morn
ling. while she awkwardly punctuated
Ia typewriter and essayed shorthand
In q class comp8sSd OF young girls far
more apt than she. that the middle,
aged woman who had been trained to
no profession but the s~upervtdon Of .
household was s1dly handicapped
when brought face to face With some
Of lies. problems. II vas that $realt-
zadon which had led her TO do Just
what she had been doing for the last
two wseks-secretiy prepare herself,
for contingencies. But that
wAs NO reason why she should enter
Freda O'Rourke's house.
Mrs. Msndall had swiftly decided
upon q tactfu1 excuse, but when she
locked UP, With the disarsmipg dimplA
Edeeptn her chsek, she ~ swiftiy subs
[stttuted q Aeceptance. THANK you