Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1922-02-09

the darkness here and there like dim
firefIies The dreary. dusty little city
became. for the moment, austerely
beautiful. Dusk deepened also in the
third-noor-backn Of Mrs. Gammage's
third-rate roomIng house. In the room
a girl sat crouching in a broken chair
and shiyel3ng In spite OF the heat The
shiver came because for the first time
In her eighteen sheltered. coddled
years, Betty Martin sensed the APP
proach Of Beast. The name Of the
Beast was Fear.
II all came about because John
Martin had q fiash-in-the-pan temper,
because Betty had inherited the same
land most of all because a quiet
mother rested in a quiet grave on the
hillside with only clumps OF pale hare
bells for company. Had she been with
them 1t never would have happened.
Seventeen years and eleven months
of having ones own petted, pampered
way does not. somehow, prepare one
for a fathers apoplectic rage and
harsh sundering of loves young dream,
To Betty, the young man in question
seemed passing fair, but not to be
taken seriously oh, no, not yet i--un-
til that same fathers foot was put
down with thunderous emphasis Then
well then, daddy had ordered hes
mind you--and Betty's quivering lips
Strengthened in the darkness as she
lived 1t over for the two hundredth
time-to choose between Billy Devine
and getting out to earn her own living,
or being nice and obedient little
girl BETTY got out. Betty also left
behind the check for $500 which her
father had deposited stealthily on her
dresser.
With the change she had on hand,
Betty started out for the nearest city,
head held high and courage in her
heart. Two weeks later, as she sat
in her stuffy little room. her courage
had evaporated her heart (she
tlfought) was broken, but her pride
stu held. Sixty-seven cents and her
landlady had ordered her out Of the
house with one weeks rent unpaid.
For Betty had not vet learned a single
move In the grand game OF bluff. After
all. she was only a child.
She did not know how to get work.
She did not know Of ''uncle" who
would have cheerfully advanced her
$50 on her rings. She did not know
why Mrs. Gammage eyed these, same
rings and her beautiful clothing 50
she did not know that this
same girlish finery had already
.queered' several jobs for her; she
did not know where to go to find kind
hearts. In fact, the only things she
knew how TO do well We're to make
delicious fudge and wheedle checks
out Of daddy. But go back to- hinla
Not she. She'd spend the night on
The park bench first-which she pro-
ceeded to do.
Policemen were few and far between
In this little town, so no one said her
nay when she dragged herself and her
suitcase to a bench In dark corner
of the park. She had decided to 60
without supper The town clock struck
nine. The town clock struck ten, and
with each succeeding hour It seemed
to boom more solemnly. She crouched
closer to the friendly shadow. Fear
the. Beast, cronched beside her. Would
would daddy find her starved body
hid away in some park corner? How
long did one live without eating? Was
1t very painful to die that way?
Eleven o'clock, and how tired andzr
hungry she VAST Footsteps sound
er on tile nearest path and she held
her breath. a man, alone, walked
past. She could not know that he was
the kind-hearted father Of four girls.
So the Beast, snarling bit now, drew
d step closer. Suppose, in the middle
Of the night, some man should come !
She stllled a scream withA both hands
pressed against her lips. She lived
a year for every hour of that slow
passing night.
And for exactly thirteen days and
ten hours, John Marlin had been tear
ing his hair and rushing frantically
from one city to another, from police
station to police station. He had come
home to lunch. with a peaces0ffering
under his arm, to find Betty gone and
the check where he had left it. And
from that moment peace knew him no
more.
AS last resort, he had come to
the little city nearest home (for he
had felt sure that Betty would feel
the lure Of distanceJ and he had
spent two days tEaeing Betty to Mrs.
Gammage's rooining house. That eve
ming III had said things terrible
things--to Mrs. Gammage which that
worthy was never to forget. Then he
hunted the streets, the lodging houses.
the hospital, the morgHe, hour BIZ hour,
aided BY corps Of detectives.
BY one o'clock Betty had fallen into
an uneasy tloze. Her handbag dropped
To. the pebhled walk with 4 thud. 4
fnrtive shadow slipped nearer, grinned
wolf1shly as he laid i poasesSIye hand
upon Betty's arm. The breath Of the
Beast famed the girls white terror