The times-herald. [volume] (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929, 1919-05-03
CHAPTER X.
A Desert Dinner.

dinner. 1t would have been easy for
her sister-in-law to postpone II. How
could she expect Tom to go through
with 1t She couldn't understand
Gertyl
An hour ago, hearing distinctly the
whlr and splash OF egg-beating. she
had run over to the neighboring tent.
The clinking of the cake tins had sud-
denly silenced. Excuse me, won't
your" Gerty's voice had come from
the lean-to, the little kitchen shed.
I'm lying down."
'Lieing, yes" grimaced the Hardin
mouth to its reflection in the mirror.
How many times that week had she
been repulsed by locked door, a sud-
den curtain of silence or "Run away
for q while. I'm trying to catch a
nap" Easy now to see why Gerty
had wanted to "hold the reins" that
week!
She didn't need to pierce those can
vas walls to know that there had
been feverish activity for this dinner.
A new gown would appear tonight,
made secretly. An exquisite meal,
and no one must comment on Its elab-
oration. Twice Tom and she had
been asked to take their lunch at the
hotel. Because of headachep A
headache!
Toms wife could not even shop
openly! Bundles had always the mir
of mystery, never opened before Tom
or herself. She must have yards of
stuff laid away, kept for sudden emer-
gencies.
"She can't help IL. It's her DISPOSE
tion. She cant help being secretive.
Look /at your face, Innes Hardin -
What was it to her, the pettiness of
a woman whom an accident of life had
swept upon the beach beside her?
Gerty was not her kind, not the sort
she would pick out for friend. She
was an oriental. one of the harem
women, whose business II Is I'm life to
please one man, to keep his home soft.
his comforts ready, keep him con-
vinced, moreover, that 1t is the desire
OF his life to support her. Herself dis
satisfied, often rebellious, staying by
him for self-interest, not for love-ah,
that was her impeachment. "Not low
ing"
Soberly she covered her plain bras
siere with white waist of cotton
ducking. A red leather belt and GRIM
son tie she added self-consclOusly.
Where Is my bloodstone pin?"
Hadn't she spent an hour at least,
matching that particular leather belt?
But he was a man. In battle. The
headgate held up; II was too bad.
Silent, Bodefeldt. Wooster, Grant, all
of them fighting mad because of the
deadlock at the Heading. All up in
arms, at last, against Marshall, be-
cause of this cruel cut to their hero,
Hardin. Her eyes gIowed like yellow
lamps as she recalled their fervid par
tisanship.
"Only one man who can save the
valley, and that's Tom Hardin" Woos-
ter had said that; but they all be-
lleved 1t. The loyalty Of the force
made her ashamed Of her soft woman
fears. For there were times when
she questioned her brothers ability.
He had large. loose way Of handling
things. He was too optimistic. But
those men. those engineers must know.
1t was probably the mans way of
sweeping ahead, ignoring detail. The
verdict Of those feld-trled men told
her that the other, the careful, plan
ming way, was the office method. Rick
ard, as dinner neighbOr, she had
found interesting; but for great un-
man who would let a
Gesty Holmes jllt him, ruin his life
for him The whole story sprang at
last clear from the dropped innuendos.
She adjusted a barrette in her
smoothly brushed hair. Slowly she
walked over TO the neighborlng tent.
Gerty frowned at the white duck.
'You might at least have worn your
bluel
you're elegant enough for the two
Of us. Isn't that something new?"
Gerty said carelessly that she had
had II for long time. For she had
had the material long time 1t
wasn't necessary to explain to her
sister that IL had been
made up that week. She hoped that
she didn't look "fussed up" Would
Mr.. Rlckard think she was attaching
any importance TO the simple little
visit? For II was nothing TO him, OF
course. A man Of his standing, whom
The great Tod Marshall ranked so
high, probably dlned out several times
each week, with white-capped maids
md candelabra If Tom had only
made the most Of his opportunities.
What gamble. life to a woman
She made a trip into her bedroom
and took reassurlng survey In her
mirror. The lingerie frock would look
simple to a man who would never |