Palisadian., 1923-07-06
The Rightest
Thing of All
By MARTHA WILLIAMS
90 by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)

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90 by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate)
ITS funny old world-whiles
kind, whiles cruel. Must be it keeps
books with ITSELF" Jane Merry said
throwing down the home paper only
partly read
Her niece, Bertha, smiled roguishly
Mt her, saying: Text, please! OF
course the sermon has one"
Jane nodded. "And one mighty pat
she said. Page Newton. You re-
member how he was bounded away
from his home county? Now it's get
ting up big reception for him when
he comes home next week-yet he
didn't do any particularly heroic thing
nor get wound worth speaking of. u
He stayed over there-don't you
call that heroic? l do" Bertha flung
back. Think of staying on years and
years where all things are topsy-
turvy-where simply getting enough to
eat Is matter of contrivance, even
when you have Uncle Sam for a side
partner of sorts. 1t would be clean
beyond memo matter how badly |
might have seemed to be needed. His
job wasn't taking one-just mat
ter of endless accountings-trying to
straighten tangles that will never be
straight-and letting his own farm
here at home go to seed"
"His conscience kept him." Jaue in
terrupted
Bertha shrugged: 81 am mighty
glad l have one Of another sort" she
SAID.
Jane gave her keen, narrow look,
saying meditatively after 1t: maybe
that's the main reason he stayed on
when the other boys came home"
what folks don't know. they can't
tell-except sometimes" Bertha flung
over her shoulder as she darted away.
Jane shook her head, slowly, heav-
fly, and swallowed something that kept
rising In her throat. She was but a
year older than Bertha. Being broth
erless, they had adopted Page Newton
in short frocks, and stood by him 10y
ally when the storm broke He had
been accused Of forgery-of signing a
receipt for money he claimed to have
paid His creditor had refused to
prosecute-had said 1t was matter
between two gentlemen-only that and
nothing more. Gossip had made so
much more Of II Page had begged fran
tically for legal action. The other
man had smiled restrainedly, saying ::
Better go somewhere else, my friend.
I'll never make you any trouble; but
1t won't be pleasant for you here"
Bertha would have married him out
of hand just then If only he. had asked
ask any woman to bear his name un-
til he had cleared 1t. Jane understood
and thrilled with sympathy. She had
seen for year where he had given his
love, so had locked her own neatly
away, resolving to keep ware Of all
things that might in the end help him.
Then, though exempt by slightly de-
fective eyesight, he had volunteered
in the last year Of the big war. Get
ting overseas, he stayed there all
through the after-armistice turmoil,
mucking and delving, doing his duty
ms he saw tin his brief notes to
Jane never even limiting at return.
Suddenly like bolt from the blue
sky. thanks officially came from the
highest source, for his work, his value,
his incredible patience. On top of
that-this home coming. Naturally, 1t
stirred the community-all the more
perhaps because it had come to feel
1t had done him gross injustice. A
man who might have got away with
millions, and nobody the wiser, wasn't
the sort to steal paltry $500. Even
Joe Gardner, who "had not remem-
bered" getting the money, now said
as much publicly-after that, big do
ings were inevitable.
Bertha rejoiced in them-Jane re-
sented them fiercely. She wanted
Page also to resent them--he ought to
refuse to be forgiven the wrong that
had been done him. Still, she knew
1t would be wiser to let bygones be
bygones. He would come back empty
handed-of that she was certain-and
It would be we'll to have neighborly
cooperation in setting to rights that
run-to-seed farm. Joe Gardner could
give it best of all. He was. still a
bachelor, still thriving nightly,
though he had brought back from the
trenches only left arm-plus a cross.
And he had tried tentatively to make
up to the Merrys. Jane knew Bertha
vas the magnet, and so knowing de-
duced something else. Bertha was
high and merry with him-flouted with
him half the time, smiled ON him the
other half. Jane swore-inslde-ove
the smiles-they were such black
treachery to Page.
The reception turned out to be
Hamlet" minus Hamlet-Page had
left the train ten miles from town
and motored home cross country. Thus
he came upon the Merry girls all un-
awares-and found them offering a
rather chilly welcome to Joe Gardner,
who had come to tell them of Pages