White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1921-02-06

sizes. You are not stock size, did yor
know that7'
IT should think not cried Gerty
bridling. my waist Is absurdly smnl
for the size of my hips and shoulders
Innes wondered If 1t would be safe
to agree with her.
"When will 1t be here?"
you'll be disappointed" Times
found herself stammerlng. but moi
for six weeks. | did not know whether
TO order 1t or not
"And | In Los Angeles with my sum
mer sewing all done! What good will
Ii do me then?' The pretty eyes
looked ready for childish tears.
81 know. That Is. I didn't know
| what to do" apologized Innes Hardin.
~ decided to order 1t as I'd found the
| place, and was right there. but | made
sure that I could countermand the Or
der by telegram. SO l can this very
afternoon. l knew you would be dis
appointed. l was sorry
"I1l need Ii next winter" admitted
Gerty, helping herself to some of the
| chilled tomatoes. I'm sure I'm much
obliged to you. l hope 1t did not put
you to much trouble"
The words raised the wall OF for
mality again. Innes bent over her
plate.
"Nhat made you change your plans?'
suddenly demanded his wife Of Hardin.
"When Sam came in with your bag, he
surprised me so"
MY boss kept me- Hardin's face
looked coarse, rouzhened by his ugly
passion. .Rickard, your old friend.
lie served a subpoena on me at the
station"
oh" cried Gerty. "Surely. he did
not do that. Toni"
"Sure he cid" Hardin's face was
black with his evil mood. I'm only an
underling, a %disgraeed underling. He's
my boss. He's going to make me re-
member it,
"You mustn't say such things" pout-
ed his wife. IF it does not hurt you,
If you do not care. think how | must
feel
"Oh, rot - exclaimed Hardin. The
veneer was rubbed down to the rough
wood. Innes saw the coarseness her
mother had complained of, the Gings
fiber.
81 suppose you think | like to take
orders. to jump at the snap of the
whip?' lie was deliberately beating
up his anger into a froth. "0h, sure, /
do. That's a Hardin, through and
through"
Again the angry blood flooded his
wife's cheeks. lie. too. was throwing
the boarding house at her.
You did 1t yourself" Gerty with
difficulty was Withholding the angry
tears. II told you how ii would be.
You would do it."
"0h. he'll !" cried Tom, pushing back
his plate.
His sister looked drearily out the
wire-screened door. Her view was a
dusty street. Hardin got up, scraping
his chair over the board floor.
"And to keep 1t from me-" persisted
the wife. ITO let me ask him to din.
ner-"
"Does that dismal farce have TO go
onf' demanded Hardin, turning back
to the table. You'll have TO have it
without me, then. I'll not stay and
make a fool of myself. Ask him to
dinner. Me. I'll see myself
lines wished she was In the neigh
boring tent. Tom was lashing himself
into IL coarse fury.
To her disma4, Gerty burst into
tears. 1t was killing her. the disgrace,
she cried. She couldn't endure 1t. She
couldn't stand it there; she had not
the courage 10 90 TO Los Angeles.
where her friends would pity her. 1t
was crushing her. She was not a Har-
din; she was sensitive: she could not
justify everything a Hardin did as
right, no matter what the consequences.
The pretty eyes obseured, she rushed, a
streaming Niobe, from the room.
The brother and sister avoided each
others eyes. lines rose and cleared
the table of the dishes. She made q
loud noise with the running water In
the shed, raeketing the pans to drown
the fnsistenee of Gerty's sobbing.
She kept listening for Toms step.
She wanted to 90 with him when he
left he must not reach the Office in
the ~blackness of that mood. She
wished he would not betray his feel
ings: yet she knew it was not he who
was to blame.
When she heard the screen door
slam, she flashed out the back way.
"GoingT she called after him. "Wait
for me-" She dashed into her tent for
her hat. She had to run to catch up
with him.
CHAPTER TX.
The Rivals.