The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-07-31

helpless desperation, ST don't know
what to do. can't get any word t.
Mr.. Graham, and the taxi company
won't do anything to help me; just
say their taxis are stalled on account
of the storm"
dot Jim, he could go down to his
brudder, get horse, but 1t tree miles
down dere, and Jim he got so bad
cold"
'That is not to be thought of Katie,
I replied promptly, and was glad that
she had no way of knowing how strong
a temptation her proposition was TO
me. But Jim had narrowly escaped a
serious illness in the attack of grippe
! he had had, and sending him out in the
/ storm was out of the question.
"Oh, vell"-Katie's tone held all the
I stondity with which the foreign pea
/ SAINT mind faces physical tasks. 1T bad
1 storm, but Meester Graham, he not
babee, he not be keeIed if he do have to
walk. Marvin, now. dot dangerous.
railroad track and lake and brook and
no bridges, but Crest Haven, all
no freeze. Oder way, I guess. tink he
have vot you say-a hot neck by time
he gets here"
For a moment I was bewildered by
the girls queer expression, and then
as the meaning of her words came to
me, could not repress smile. wor-
ried as was.
You mean Mr.. Graham's expression,
Hot under the collar Katie?"
eyes, dots it," Katie returned, but
with no answering chuckle such as
usually accompanied one of her at
tempted witticisms. The thought cross
ed my mind that I had not heard one
of Katie's irrepressible contagious gig
giles for weeks, and mentally resolved
that when Dicky was safe at home
again T would find out the reason for
Katie's lack of spirits.
81 am afraid he will be pretty an
cry, Katie" I said, ''but it cannot be
helped. Tell Jim to be sure to keep
the fires going so that the house viii
be warm at 2 o'clock. Leave the tea
kettle on the back Of the stove, and lay
out as good a lunch as you can. / will
fix up something in the chatting dish
if he's extra hungry, and have some
hotocoffe ready at any rate. You and
Jim do not need to stay up. am 60
ing to try the livery stables now"
Katie departed, and I spent the next
hour at the telephone trying to per-
suade the proprietors of the livery
stables. grocery stores and other es-
Establishments to furnish me sleigh
for the last train. I even~called up the
local fire and police departments, to
hear polite voices express every shade
of astonished amusement at my re-
quest.
Then as a last resort sent two tel
egrams addressed to Dicky, one to the
F'latbush station. Brooklyn, and the
other to the Pennsylvania station. New
York, with requests that he be PACED
just before the last train, and, humil-
lated. but desperate, called the taxi
company again, hoping that the night
man instead of the manager would be
on duty.
Ny wish was granted, but am sure
the manager would have been meanly
gratified if he could have heard my
humble petition to his assistant.
This is Mrs. Richard Graham" 1
explained. Mr.. Graham is coming to |
Crest Haven on the last train and ex- |
poets a taxi to meet him. l will pay
you the same fare you would receive /
for the trip If you win meet him at |
the station, explain to him that the /
taxis are not running. and tell him that |
/ asked you to take care of any bundles |
he may have until tomorrow"
"AlI right, Mrs. Graham" the an /
swer came bach cheerily, I'm do the
best I can
Not until had hung UP the receiver
upon this final feeble effort to save /
the situation did I face the real rea-
son for my frantic efforts. realized
that while I was deeply concerned for
the physical inconvenience. the posi-
bility of taking a severe cold, which
Dicky might meet, yet overshadowing
these fears was the dread I had of his
anger when he should find that he had
to walk from Crest Haven through the
snow home.