Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1923-07-06
The Rightest
Thing of All
By MARTHA WILLIAMS

kind, whiles cruel. Must be IL keeps
books with ITSELF" Jane Merry said.
throwing down the home paper only
partly read.
Her niece, Bertha, smiled roguishiy
at her, saying; Text, pleased 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"
He stayed over there-don't you
cali that heroic? I do Bertha flung
back Think Of staying on years and
years where all things are topsy.
turNy-where simply getting enough to
eat Is matter Of contrivance. even
when you have Uncle Sam for side
partner of sorts. 1t would be clean
beyond me-no matter how badly /
might have seemed to be needed His
job wasn't taking one-just a mat
ter OF endless accountlngs-trying to
straighten tangles that will never be
straight-and letting his own farm
here at home go to seed"
"Hls conscience kept him." Jaue in
terrupted
Bertha shrugged: 81 am mighty
glad ! have one of another sort" she
said.
Jane gave her a keen, narrow look.
saying medltatively after it: 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-
ily. and swallowed something that kept
rising in her throat She was hut
year older than BerthE 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 tn
proseeute-had said II was matter
between two gentiemen-oHly that and
nothing more. Gossip had made 81
much more Of I 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
II won't be pleasant for YOU here"
Bertha would have married him out
of hand Just then If only he had asked
her. He did not ask. He would never
ask any woman TO bear his name un-
Ill he had cleared II. Jane understood
and thrilled with sympathy She had
seen for a 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 eyesiglt, he had volunteered
In the last year of the big war. Get
ting overseas, he stayed there all
through the after-armlstice turmoil.
mucking and delvlng, doing his duty
as he saw it-ln his brief notes to
lane 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. It
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 $780, Even
Joe Gardner, who "had not remem-
hered" getting the money. now said
as much publlcly-after that. big do
ines were inevitable.
Bertha rejoieed 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
II would be wiser to let bygones be
bygones. He would come back empty
hnnded-of that she was certain-and
II would be well TO have neighborly
cooperation in setting to rights that
iul7Nb-cCCu Adtt4s JOG 0tlhuti fputu1
give It best of all. He was still
bachelor. still thriving nightly,
though he had brought back from the
trenches only left arm-plus 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-fouted with
him half the time, smiled on him the
other half. Jane swore-inside-o
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-
awnres-nnd found them offering
rather chilly welcome to Joe Gardner.
who had come to tell them of Pages