Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-11-15
Millions Against
a Man
By MARTHA WILLIAMS

peering through her half-drawn blind
at the car end, turning into the mar
row Burton drive. Not only narrow.
but unkept--a mute proclaimer indeed
of Burton blood. Trim-kept hedges and
shrubbery would have let in freely
curious eyes.
Instead of them long blossomy
boughs bending across the front walk
obscured whatever happened there.
This made Miss Dacy peevish-even
more than the fact that the house sat
diagonally across from her own, in
stead of full face to her.
A tightlipped body, so plump she
looked to have been melted and poured
into her clothes, she was chronic
sufferer from wasted efficiency. She
felt so wholly equal to managing
everybody's affairs 1t seemed fair
shame her efforts should be confined
to her own. They were very small,
yet sufficient-only the drawing Of her
annuity, getting her full dues from the
Italian who worked her tiny truck
farm and keeping tabs on the mission
airy money until she knew it was safe
in Lawyer Holden's hands.
He was the sole and shining excep-
ton to her scathing scorn of men in
general-even the most part of Bibli-
cal characters. Lazarus, Job and st.
Paul had her good word--as for the
rest, from King David down to st.
Peter. she held opinions that would
not look pretty In print.
But antipathy reached its climax
around Jimmy Holden. son to the law
yer. Him Miss Dacy could not abide.
He ran the plantation as he pleased,
spelling all the workers round about
with his ways, keeping foxhounds, 60
ing night hunting, too, and giving Sat
mer through. This was upsetting, any
thrifty person must admit; but even
that was not the worst. Jim not only
stood up stoutly for Phyllis Burton,
but made his mother and his twin sis
tiers do likewise. And that girl need
tualIy putting her hand to the plow-
a riding pillow to- be sure-wearing
overalls and short hair, and old clothes
years behind the style, because, for
sooth, she said outright she couldn't
afford new. She might alter them, at
trim up the rose bushes, and white
wash the side fences-when nobody
was looking.
Instead, she was up at dawn, In the
fields, doing a mans part, hiring as
little as she could, but paying roundly,
and worst of all, making such truck,
so fine ant favorous and well packed
and sorted, 1t not merely got the top
Of the market, but made other truck
look to be worth much less There,
perhaps, lay Miss Dacy's liveliest root
Of grievance. Her Italian, notwith-
standing he knew his business, either
couldn't or wouldn't learn the frills
Phyllis was putting onto Railways
getting books and new sorts of things
and seeds, and never Winding sun
burn nor blistered hands, no matter
who came round
sure of that. Why wouldn't they, pay
ing off heavy mortgage as she was
doing, when they could barely scrape
along from year to year 1t might be
all straight business. Miss Dacy,
though, had her doubts. Phyllis had
had bank behind her from the first,
and old man Young wasn't the sort to
do things for nothing. His scapegoat
son, Bill. was mighty set on marrying
Phyllis. Miss Dacy had charitably
made up her mind that the girl In re-
fusing him over and over was playing
for his widower-father. Deep-too
deep-for any girl to be, said the
moral policewoman to her gossips. But
just now all she could think of was
the wholly strange car that was halted
before the Burton piazza, while the
big farm bell changed brazen sum-
mons to Phyllis at the farthest edge
Of the place.
1T amt Young's, nor Holden's, nor
any sort O. agent" the observer solilo-
quized. "Cain't be the preachers,
neither-nor the sheriff's. No sech
luck as my seem him comet Must
a-come from good ways off by the
look of the dust. I'd give my best hen
to know all about 1t. Wouldn't be
stayin' SO and CALM In the boss if
somethin' wasn't in the wind"
The reflection bespoke almost psy-
chic insight For Phyllis Burton, en-
chanting in clean blue overalls, tous-
eled goldy-brown hair framing her
rosy face, stood face to face with
severely correct legal-looking person,
who extended his card saying with
almost abjectness: Miss Burton
you can't know my relief at finding
you-after running down the blindest
clues matter of three years."
what made you do itr' Phyllis
asked, in a shaken voice she tried
vainly to make saucy.
ITO put 1t briefly money and mat
rimony," the newcomer, Judge verrill,
said with a low bow.
"The climax of an old romance.