Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-06-14
Florence Bingham Livingston.
Copyright by George H. Doran Company

Lettie gulped Her armor had been
pierced in a weak spot. She had had
nothing to eat since breakfast-and
that a meal Of exceeding sketchiness.
''You come long to supper and let
her look you over" he proposed.
Did you say stew2''
"Uh-huh."
"Meat in it?"
"Uh-huh."
is it an honest-to-goodness invite?"
"Sure"
Lay down, cut you in two?''
Crink took the oath.
"I'll co." she shrieked. ''You can
have all the junk here" She swung
her arm wildly and rose
Crink did not move; he was we'll
nigh paralyzed with strange glimpses
into life far darker than his own.
Get up" she shouted. "You little
ninny I'll lick you if you go back
on it now. Rattle your bones
lively"
When they had gathered up the
surface treasures, Crink escorted Let
tie through vacant lots and friendly
alleys to The Custard Cup-even to
the high privilege of the back-door
entrance.
"Penzie," he shouted, plunging into
the lean-to in high excitement. "Pen-
zie, look what 1 brought you. It's
Ten Second Lettie."
Mrs. Penfield set down her fiatiron
and turned to see what she had IN
expectedly acquired A pair of
bright black eyes stared back at her
unwinkingly out of a small sun
Drowned face.
.'Bless my soull' exclaimed Mrs.
Penfeld genially. saint this nice
Come right in, Lettie."
Lettie did not move Her express
sion was noncommittal-the hard,
wary expression of over-experieRce
estimating, preparing for possible
combat Her curly black hair framed
her face in ragged waves. Her pres
entation gown was of the simplest-a
one-piece garment, obviously intended
to close in the back, but long since
refusing to close at all. Finding this
a hindrance to untrammeled action,
Lettie had faced the garment about
and laced it down the front with bits
of Irvine, making use of the original
buttonholes and accidental perfora-
lions. Her emancipation from shoes
and stockings was no affair of recent
date. With the mere substitution of
a trifle of fringed grass for her scrap
of shredded cotton, Lettie might ap-
propriately have punctuated the peb-
bly, beach of sunny island in the
South seas.
Mrs. Penfeld, feeling her way in a
situation which she was far from I'M
derstanding, took refuge in general
hospitality.
'Sit right down here, Lettie," she
invited cordially, showing along a tub
of soaking clothes and wiping the
bench free of spatters. Il guess
likely you're a friend of Crink's, amt
youY"
pared to say. She took the offered
seat, but Immediately fixed her wary
eyes again upon her hostess.
'Do you live somewhere round
here, Letter Inquired Mrs. Penfeld
gently.
No answer!
Crink, wriggling -uneasily by the
door, felt that the time had come to
talk up his exhibit.
"She's awful strong, Penzie. Amt
any bulldog stronger'n she is, by
crackyI"
Lettie visibly expanded, wrapping
this tribute about her as a lady might
her silken robes. For the first time
her gaze vanderbilt a busy sauce
pan on the stove from which issued
savory odors no longer to be ignored !;
for the first time she spoke.
"I'll stay to SUPPER" she conceded,
with marked condescension.
"Sure you WILL" agreed Mrs. Pen
field warmly. 'We're going to have
a grand parsnip stew"
Crink, vastly encouraged by the re-
ception of the first point, proceeded
with another.
"Say, you oughter see Ten-Second
Lettie fight. I never saw nothing like
it-honest, never She splits and
scratches and pulls and"
Lettie, immensely pleased, looked
brightly into Mrs. Penfeld's face.
'T've got a helluva temper" she ac-
knowledged placidly.
"Have you, nowT' inquired Mrs.
Penfeld conversationally. THAT'S
good. Amt nothing can move things
Eastern temper. All you got to do is
to learn when to use it, else you're
likely to give the wrong thing a
shove"
Lettie was unwilling to allow even
this modification to dim the ulster of
her chief virtue. 81 don't leave moth
ing standing when get to going" she
continued; mot nothing, nowhere
nor nobody"
Having swept the earth clean of all
obstacles, Miss Lettie devoted her
whole attention to the saucepan,
working her thin nostrils after the
manner of hungry dog. Mrs. Pen
aoJ5Sc boon ovoS took in this detail,