The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-06-08


She left the table as 1t stood and bur.
ried to Mrs. Enslow's.
Half an hour later, when the baby
was relieved, Mrs. Penf1eld went back
TO her interrupted routine. She
switched on the Light and began clear
ing the table-stopped In the act of
lifting a plate. Her eyes had fallen
on a chair overturned on the floor of
the living room. A slight thing. but It
had happened while she had been
gone. While all the family had been
gonel
Her heart stood still as she thought
of the money which she had failed to
deposit that afternoon More than
two hundred dollars 1t had totally
slipped her mind In the excitement Of
the Enslow catastrophe. She dreaded
to look In the suitcase. Seconds passed
while she stared at the overturned
chair, paralyzed by dread. AT last she
nerved herself to investigate. The
front door was still locked, but the
| back door had been left open, that the
children might enter when they re-
turned.
She went into the bedroom. The
suitcase was on the floor. The rickety
old fasteners were undone.
The envelope of bills was gone. So
was Gussie Bosley's package.
Mrs. Penfield sank back on the floor
by the suitcase, faint and sick. Her
blood seemed to have stopped. The
room whirled. She was hanging over
chasm black ruin.
Crink came IN.
Where's Thad. Penzie? Amt he
here 2"
"Thadl" repeated Mrs. Penfield, still
in a daze
Eyes. Hen Jimmy were playing III
the Catterbox back yard. and Thad
came home for his spools. Jimmy
waited for him till Mrs. Catterbox
called him in. He spoke to me outa
| the window"
my goodness We must find him
right off, Time he went to bed, any
how It's most dark"
They went through the house, look
| ing In hunks on the chance that Thad
might be hiding, moving boxes behind
which no one could be concealed. They
searched in the back yard, in the
driveway. No Thad
Mrs Penfield was alarmed.
"Crink, we must find him. Must !"
"Cracky yes" cried Crink. "We
couldn't live 'thout Thad."
They separated, each taking a side
of the driveway and ringing doorbells
In rotation. Some one was at home in
every fiat-except the Bosley's, where
the windows were dark and the eve
ming paper was still on the steps. But
no one had seen Thad since he had
left Jimmy Catterbox.
They went up and down the side
walk outside The Custard Cup,
through all the yards once more,
through Number At.
Lettie bounded In She had known
that Crink had rung Mrs. Sanders
bell, looking for Thad, but 1t had taken
few minutes for this information to
turn into anxiety in her mind.
"Have they found him?" she de-
manded.
The silence answered her. They had
all loved Thad, but no one had real
lied how large place he held.
Mrs. Penfield stood in the middle OF
the room, dazed, unable to see the next
move to make. Her face was chalky
white. Her brown eyes looked black,
they burned with a fierce fire. She
had totally forgotten the loss OF the
money. She had not even mentioned
It to the children. What was money
compared with Thad. the baby that
she had loved as If It had been hers
by blood7
Lettie had never seen her Idolixed
Penzie look like that. had never seen
her withdrawn from the ways of
speech. A mighty impulse surged up
In the child to make her Penzie happy
again; and 1t WAS as II the rising tide
of that impulse lifted a recollection.
fallen In one corner of her brain, and
bore It to the surface. Her mind was
illumined with conviction.
"I'll get him, Penzie; I'll get him."
she screamed waving her arm wildly
and dashing toward the door.
Mrs. Penfeld sprang forward and
caught the child by the shoulder. you
stay right here, Lettie. Amt no use
starting or at random. I'm going to
Mrs. Catterbox's to telephone the DO
lice, and"
'Leggol'' cried Lettie, working her
lean shoulder medly In the effort to
free herself "Leggol I'll get him."
'Tettie-"
'Leggo / gotta get him"
The frail cotton tore under Mrs.
Penfield's grasp. Lettie had wrenched
herself loose.
"Don't you worry, Penzie, darling"
she shrieked, as she darted toward the
door. 81 know where he is. I'll get
him; I'll get him."
CTo BE CONTINUED)