San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-27


as a hunter takes a wild duck, ant
! let her have its charge full in the face
She stopped SO suddenly that she al
most fell. The man ON the seat witt
Old Man Gle wasn't Sam.
Samuella, staring at him with big
resentful eyes, filled the moment fol
both of them with her high, disap
pointed voice: "Where is my daddy?'
"Your daddy didn't come this morn
ing, Sammy" Old Man Gle DOOMED
out eheerfully. "But he's sent you ,
present. Something Dretty nice. Morn
ing, Mis- Pavitt. Meet Will Reeves
He's going out to AeKeever's to helI
with the disking Tor spell. Gi:ame ;
boost with this thing, Will; it's kline
o. heavy"
He went around to the back of hi
little car. The mdh VINO wasn'r San
followed. Together they unloa !ed ;
wooden box. One at each end they car
ried it up the walk. 1t was long ant
.eavy. They aaG to go slowly.
"Phonygraph," Oh Nan Gle said t.
Ella as they passed her. "On' cf thos'
big toney Ones"
samuella danced txcitedly ahead
But Ella Pavitt fell in behind, follow
ing the big wooden box as if it hat
been coffin; walking slowly and un
seeingly, like a mourner.
She put the children 10 bed early
that night and waited for Sam alone
He always came by the evening trair
the second day, when he had beer
drinking. She mended the children's
clothes as she waited. She had taker
off the strand of pink beads. But She
had forgotten the evening primrose il
her hair.
Her face was sharp and set, ant
the lines that didn't show in her fore
head wncn sac Yves restad am happy
ley across ir heavily. The sap ant
spring Of youth had gene out ct hel
body. Her mind rocked with her chair
back and forth "Dad he lose it all
or did he clear the land before lIe be-
gan tt play:' 1t seemed impossible
thar it could repcar itself like that
minute; after minute, with the same
poiguancy. hut it dc.
The house was widc TO the night
She heard thc rremonitrry rustling Of
the wind that brought the rain, and
then the friendly plangent patter ovel
oil those level waiting miles.
After a long time the horse whin
MED 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
or his coat. Ghc dye in his hat hat
run and made deep green stain or
one of his temples. His face was ghast
ly pale, and haggard and sunken ant
twitching with pain. and he shool
al over with the cold. The medal on his
coat bleamed in the lamplight.
He stood in the doorway as il HI
didn't know whether to come in oil
not; looked in at her like wounded
dog. His eyes sought hers timidly, anC
yet with avidity. end as soon as they
had found them looked away.
1.-THE moneys gone" he said hum
bly,. The words seemed to jcrKed vu'
of his shaking ody. II got TO drink
ing. l lost it-I-I'm not fit to come
in"
The chair creaked forward a little.
"Did you lose 1t all?"
"Yep. Every dollar"
"You didn't tend to the mortgage, VI
buy the tractor. or the groceries, or the
clothes or anything before you begar
to play?"
"Good God. no! Don't you suppose
I'd tell you If l had?" His teeth were
chattering with the cold. Il lost every
dollar of it except the price of a--l
the word gagged in his throat-"f
monograph I'm a regular low-dowr
dirty cur. I'm not fit to crawl back tc
youi"
She looked at him with cold, steady
acquiscence.
"And l wouldn't come" he j9rked
out. If it hadn't Geemed yellower not
to-"
"Yes." she said in voice like hei
look. lit would have been yellower."
The look shifted to the medal OF
his coat, and she let it rest there, but
without intention. Her mind was de
void of Observation-Disclosures
dead-absent.
He scuirmed beneath her look. II
seemed 10 heat the cleaning medal or
his coat and make it burn him. He
NTtHtu'u IL oll, ltdIlHk tut tiotA
tshe'd have to mend that), and flung
it from him.
"Fll never wear the burned thine
again !" he chartered, the lips of his
weak mouth trembling from cold and
misery. But Ella pavitt knew that
he would.
She sat on with her quiet hands il
her laps and looked Mt him as inn
personally as if he were tramp who
had come in out of the night; or as il
she had taken strong. quick drue
that he'd killed all her feelings.
For Gods sake, say something, Ell
Call me anything you want to, but
don't sit there staring at me like
that"
She said: "You ought to have a eur
of tea and get out of those clothes and
go to bed"
She laid her work aside and got ur
and filled the heating stove with pa
pers and dry cottonwood twigs ant
sent fire roaring up the stack. Sht
wept into the kitchen to get the ket
tie. Through the open door she saw
him draw near'to the warmth almost
/ furtively and stretch out his hand. Hi:
face was white and drawn with pair
and misery. As she came back into
the room he sobbed almost without
knowing it. The sound of il smashed
the invisible wall that had stood be
tween them. and freed her from The
trance that had held her. Freed her SC
that she could suffer too! That was
Sam Pavitt there-her boy and hel
husband, Fate might tear each o.
them TO pieces with the knife-blade Of
the other, but it couldn't separat,
them.
With an inarticulate cry she thrust
the kettle on the store and gathered
him into her arms, wet and dripping