The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-27
TlODA Y'S SHORT STORY
Hetty's Secret


 creamy freckled skin, rather large mouth, even, white teeth and a shapely nose, which had much to do with giving her the uppish air of which Brettsville complained. But there was nothing u6pish about the soul. of Hetty Bis we'll. She had her own reason fer marrying George Bellows-she loved him. Also, she believed in him and she thought he had had just as hard a time of married life as had Hattie. There was not muEH that Hetty's gray- green eyes had missed in the thirty eight years they had been observing the world.
 On the first nippy day of November Brettsville turned aside from its accus- toned path to stroll down the side street, where stood George Bellows un- painted story-and-a-half house. Word of what was going on there was carried about the. town. All that was to be seen was a big, blue-shirted, black-headed, hatless fellow, splitting wood, while from the chimney of the house blue smoke curled. The man was George Bellows and he was cutting up wood and clearing the junk which had collected on the place for more than a acC6uCs tNVHlcA AAkAQG r4L tnCAE VUSA- ness to have an errand- to the house, thinking Hetty was sick. But, in a blue print dress, she was making bis cults, apple pie and salt pork gravy for dinner, and. the house was as cozy as you please. Not a sign of a shoulder shawl, or anything else to keep her warm. They remembered those first chill days of fall for Mattie-how she had sat kuddled in a rocker, wrapped in blankets, refusing to get meal because she was cold. Or, in desperation, hunt ing about the yard for pieces of wood to burn. Oh, there was not doubt that George had been remiss as a hus- band to Mattie. As for Mattie-wel, she was dead now. - e''
 The neighbors. who had never seen George lift his hand to clear a thing off the place or to chop stick of wood, laughed and ptophesied. ''Wait. i, She's new. Another year and she'll be hus- ting round looking for shayings. She won't be so uppety then"
 During the winter the Bellows house was always warm, the yard was cleared of junk, dead trees cut down and ferti- lizer spread on a space that was evi- dentlyg to be garden. George did it all with head held high and trills of con tentments pouring from his lips. And besides all of this George worked at real woFk-not in Brettsville. The busi- ness of the town came from the sur rounding farm country. But he rode six miles morning and evening, on a bicycle he had picked up, to a factory. Moreover he did, it as though he liked it. People heard his whistle as he passed. = yss ...e
 i The next spring the Bellows house was painted soft green, with ivory trim, big garden was planted, flow CTS rooted eyerywhere-the place gave the impression of abOunding happiness. George worked nights to screen the porch. It looked as though they were getting ready to welcome some one. They were-jubilantly. Late in the fall Bobby, came, and George Bellows was so proud that the, town wore a smile. They had known that Mattie did not like children and they were glad for George.
 Then suddenly George stopped work ing and disappeared from ,Brettsyille in the. night. ...s
 @of course, it couldn't last,' said the town. .It's exactly what we expected. At any rate Matte didn't drive him to desertion. Of. course, Hetty says he is away oh business-what else is there for her to say?"
 But Hetty did not look or act like a deserted wife. There was a singing look in her eyes and she cuddled Bobby and whispered to him all sorts of secrets that made him gurgle with de light. She went to all the doings of the town and hired lame old Mrs. Mer- Till to care for Bobby while she went. George Bellows wife hiring helpl
 Georges. return savOred nothing of the repentant husband. He came in a long shining car. Rattling around in the back of the seat (Bfettsville roads are rough when frost has set the mud holesl was a whitehaired, bundled-up- figure that peered eagerly at the houses, audibly wondering whether So-and-S0 still lived there. George Bellows with even a junk car would have, made BrettsVilIe open its mouth. But this carl ..,
 Calls lat the Bellows home followed immediately, and in the course of time Inc truth leaked out when Aunt Anne was around. Aunt Aune was the buns
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