Evening star., 1924-04-27
SAM PAVITT, HERO
BY ALMA AND PAUL ELLERBE

hair, that she had pulled before the
| sun sealed 1t for the day.
| There were fresh sprays of yellow
rabbit brush in a vase on the little
white-covered breakfast table, and
mound of chokecherry jelly in q
| green glass dish. Jackie, Self-con-
scious and important in conspicuously
lean rompers, looked like something
from Il confectionery store. Samuella
| in 4 yellow dress and an old blue
hair ribbon made a stunning top fol
the gatepost. She had been there fol
| fifteen minutes already, but she sal
on stanchly, her legs gripping the
post, her back straight. her hail
blown backward by the wind. hei
tion from which her daddy would
come, as patient as an Indian
Ella put the last touch to the table
| and looked at the clock. Seven
| twenty-seven. Old Man Gile was
rarely late. She went to the door
and looked out. Her heart seemed &c
be beating in n bigger place, to have
more room to pulse in. She had been
ashamed of her fears before Tunck
PearSe was out of sight. She felt
that she ought to find Pearse and ex-
plain. She felt that it was she who
had wronged Sam.
The familiar blat of Old Man Giles
horn came down the wind.
Hes coming. He's coming
Samuella sang out from Nhe top OF
| the post.
Elias heart gave a tremendous
bowl Of batter. called, "Daddys COM
ing" to Jackie, and went out She
ran toward the gate like girl.
| And Fate took her head-on like
that as a hunter takes a wild duck,
| and let her have it's charge full in
the face. She stopped so suddenly
| that she almosSfell. The man on the
seat with Old Man Gile wasn't Sam.
Samuella, staring at him with big,
| resentful eyes. filled the moment for
! both of them with her high, disap-
| pointed voice: Where is my daddy
| Your daddy didn't come this morn
| ing, Sammy Old Man Gile doomed
| out cheerfully. But he's sent you
| n present Something pretty nice.
Morning, Mis- Pavitt- Meet Will
Reeves. He's going out to McKeever's s
to help with the disking for a spell.
| it's kind O. heavy
He went around to the back of his
little car. The man who wasn't Sam
! followed. Together they unloaded a
wooden box. One at each end, they
carried it up the walk. II was long
and heavy. They had to go slowly.
"Phonygraph," Old Man Gile said
| to Ella as they passed her. One of
those big, toney ones
! SamuelIa danced excitedly ahead.
But Ella Pavitt fell in behind, fol-
| lowing the big wooden box as if il
had been a coffin: walking slowly
and unseeingly, like a mourner.
:: !: :;
CHE put the children to bed early
~ that night and watched for Sam
alone He always came by the eve
ming train the second day. when he
had been drinking. She mended the
children's clothes as she waited. She
| had taken off the strand of pink
beads. But she had forgotten the
| evening primrose in her hair.
| Her face was sharp and set. and
| the lines that didn't show in her
| forehead when she was rested and
| happy lay across it heavily. The sap
and spring of youth had gone out of
| her body. Her mind rocked with
her chair, back and forth! Did he
/ lose it all, or did he clear the land
MI a
| impossible that it could repeat itself
| like that, minute after minute, with
| the same poignancy, but 1t did.
The house was wide to the night.
She heard the premonitory rustlins
Of the wind that brought the rain,
and then the friendly plangent pat
ter over all those level, waiting
miles.
After a long. time the horse whin-
nied in a way she knew, and Sam
came to the doorway, and stopped
| there.
His clothes were sodden with rain.
His empty sleeve hung like dish
rag. Runnels of water poured from
it and from his trousers legs and
the skirts of his coat. The dye in
| MS nat naQ run anu hiaoe d ueeP
green stain on one of his temples.
His face was CHASTITY pale and hag-
gard and sunken and twitching with
pain, and he shook all over with the
| cold. The medal on his coat CLEANED
| in the lamplight.
He stood in the doorway as if he
| didn't know whether to come in or
not: looked in at her like a wounded
| dog. His eyes sought hers timidly,
| and yet with avidity, and as soon as
! they had found them looked away.
"Thc moneys gone" he said hum
| bly,. The words seemed to be jerked
| out of his shaking body. II got to
drinking. lost it-I-Tm not fit to
come in"
The chair creaked forward a little.