The Glenwood post., 1922-10-19
By
Zona Gale
sses~~s<e~s~~~s
Oopyright By D. Appleton and Company

ue'tI HeTsell SlI1p.
1t was incredible. He was like
bad boy with frog. About that
photograph of Ninian he found
dozen ways to torture her. called at
tention to it, showed 1t to Cornish,
set 1t on the piano facing them all.
Everybody must have understood-ex-
cepting the Plows. These two gentle
souls sang placidly through the AL
bum of Old Favorites, and at the
melodies smiled happily upon each
other with an air from another world
Always 1t was as If the Plows walked
some fair, inter-penetrating plane,
from which they looked out as do
other things not quite of earth, say,
flowers and fire and music.
Strolling home that night the
Plows were overtaken by some one
who ran badly, and as If she were un-
accustomed to running.
Mis- Pillow, Mis- Plow!" this one
called. and Lulu stood beside them.
"Say" she said. do you know of
any job that could get me? 1 mean
that I'd know how to do? A job for
money =. I mean job. :"
She burst into passionate crying.
They drew her home with them.
Lying awake sometime after mid
night, Lulu heard the telephone ring.
She heard Dwight's concerned as
that SOP" And his cheerful BE right
there"
fN,...y Il rnfn CtpI. c,1, h nd
him tell Ina. In few moments he
ran down the stairs. Next day they
told how Dwight had sat for hours
that night, holding Grandma Gates so
that her back would rest easily and
she could fight for her faint breath.
The kind fellow had only about two
hours of sleep the whole night long.
Next day there came message
from that woman who had brought up
Dwight-'made him what he was"
he often complacently accused her. 1t
was note on a postal card-she had
often written a few, lines on n postal
card to say that she had sent the
maple sugar, or could Ina get her
some samples Now she wrote few
was going to die with cancer. Could
Dwight and Ina come to her while
she was still able to visit? If he was
not too busy.
Nobody saw the pity and the terror
of that postal card. They stuck 1t up
by the kitchen clock to read over from
time to time, and before they left
Dwight lifted the grlddle of the cook
Ing stove and burned the postal card
And before they left Lulu said:
"Dwight-you can't tell how long
you'll be gomez"
"Of course not. How should I tell?"
"No. And that letter might come
while you're away"
"Conceivably. Letters do come while
a mans away!"
"Dwight-I thought If you wouldn't
mind if l opened it"
Opened it?"
Yes. You see, it'll be about me
mostly"
II should have said that it'll be
about my brother mostly"
"But you know what l mean You
wouldn't mind If did open it?"
But you say you know what'll be
in it."
$50 did know-till you've got to
see that letter, Dwight"
"And so you shall But not till 1
show it to you. My dear Lulu, you
know how ] hate having my mail in
terfered with"
She might have said: "Small souls
always make a point of that" She
said nothing. She watched them set
Off. and kept her mind on Ina's thou
sand iniunctions.
Don't let Di see much of Bobby
to have Mr.. Cornish come up to sing,
of course you ask him. You might
ask him to supper And don't let moth
err overdo. And, Lulu, now do watch
Monona's handkcrchef-the child VIII
never take n clean one If I'm not here
to tell her. -"
She breathed injunctions to the very
step of the bus.
In the bus Dwight leaned forward
"See that you play post oflic5
squarely, Lulul" he called, and threw
back his head and llfted MS eyebrows
In the train he turned tragic eyes tf
his wife.
'Ina." he said. It's ma. And she's
going to die. 1t can't be.
Ina said But you're going to hell
her, Dwight, just being there witt
her"
1t was true that the mere presence
of the man would bring kind Of fresl
life to that worn frame. Tact ant
wisdom and love would speak through
him and minister.
Toward the end of their weeks alb
sence the letter from Ninian came.
Lulu took it from the post ofnc'
when sne went for the mail that eve
ming, dressed in her dark red gown
There was no other letter. and she ear
ried that one letter in her hand a