The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-19
Chapter 20
THE DEAD OF NIGHT.

At first Ruth felt little badly at
refusing the invitations from the much
sought-after Van Zyrs and their
friends from the big estates near Mar
ketown. But after a while she real
lied that her present work was taking
so much OF her time that she had little
enough left over to give to social
functions. ---s-..~.....
Il can only spare two evenings
week. not always that she told
Langley once. They were watching
the concrete work for new factory
that was to go up, and Ruth had come
out to the new town in her hired car.
The evenings I'm studying law I end
up by reading to Father-you see l
get home early and he's always awake.
Sunday evenings I go to bed early, so
as to be fresh for the new week.
That only leaves me two to play in, and
il I spend them running about with
that rich crowd my old friends here
will say I'm snob and that I'm cutting
them"
Langley grinned little.
DO you like the members of the
Town Club so much as all that?"
The girl looked at him seriously.
"A few of them" she remarked.
There are some-Jane, and Robbie,
and the Perkins and Mrs. Anderson.
that like the things we do. OF course
most of them only care for dancing and
cards and flirting-Langley, have you
seen about the plans for the water
system | meant to ask you yester-
day.
Quite forgetting her talk about friv-
olous things, she plunged into dis
cussion over the new water system.
- ~ Id intn hn VI OF
the point named, she insisted, for that
brought it above certain village
which depended on the river for it's
drinking water.
1T costs thousands more your way.
which of course is the only safe way"
Langley agreed. "I'll get hold Of a
couple Of the men tonight, Thompson
and Reed. probably. But you know
how they're for holding down costs.
You can get more out Of these poll
ticians than | can, or anyone else IN
this town"
"Oh, no." Ruth felt embarrassed at
the compliment. She was sure she
had not done anything worth noting
yet-why should anyone say she mao
a great deal of influence with tht
political leaders?
So the winter days passed, while she
worked hard from early morning until
dinner time. But no evening went by
without a visit to the sick room
where her father lay.
The trained nurse was there all the
time now, Mrs. ONeil, with an eye
10 growing expenses, discharged the
maid Ruth had hired and took over
once more the entire work OF the Dig
house. And though Ruth's salary was
considered enormous for that period
and for so small a town, somehow 1t
never did mere than barely cover eX-
renses.
Duncan O'Neil grew so much weaker
that night attendance was needed. The
nurse slept then, ready to be called
if anything should go wrong, and Ruth
and her mother divided the night. The
girl insisted that she be allowed to do
this. though her health and her work
suffered because of the extra strain.
Yet what it amounted to mostly was
sitting alone, reading by low light,
Or simply being quiet, and watching
the little figure in the bed.
One February night she came on
duty" as she called it, at midnight.
She had given up her law studies and
slept early in the evenings, then at )
She went back to bed and slept until
breakfast time, her mother renewing
her.
She could not read that night. She
sat listening to the strange little
sounds that any old house seems to
make at night-creaks and squeak
:ngs, noises in the WALL a slight,
distant raltle-the whole effect little
eerie.
She thought back over the last three
or four years-the careless days at
school, with lessons that were easy
to get and a pleasure to learn, and
with long hours reading and talking
to her father. In comparison, he
seemed we'll and strong in those
days.
She thought of the plans she and
Myra had, how she was to go to the
city, and take a business course, and
learn to be competent" as she eX
pressed it, She was to get a position
and send money home, she was to send
money home. she was to make a real