Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-06
On the Edge of the Sand Dunes.
Z n" ley don't even care enough
for this town to give ii a
name. Call it Blankville.
4 Blankville, And YOU ex-
pecL me, Dan PaVtN, 10 IN

pect me. Dan Payey, to live
my life out in BIankville!"
Now, Katie. YOU know
~ know nothin. l know I've
not a good neighbor an nothing.
not even decent tree to look at all
day long. Only this everlasting
prairies and the station there with
'Blankville' staring me in the face
an now, and then train passin by.
You forget the fact'ry honey"
Eyes, the fact'ry," with mounting
scorn. "Blankville is a God-forsaken
hole where q few houses are built be-
cause men that work in a powder
factory must have homes-if you call
EN- homes-and powder factory has
TO be built way off from nowhere"
'It sure does, old girl
Katie's black eyes snapped God
knows it wouldn't matter if all O us
were blowed into kingdom come.
There's lots more to get work. But
I'm through with it. If you leave
for the fact'ry tomorrow, don't ex-
pect TO come back to the house an
find me here Her anger mounting
as he appeared cooler, No. sir, you
needn't. Because I'll be gone. Ill
not live here another day.
Take care there. Katie" his voice
was ominously calm, don't say more
than you mean, by any chance" Dan
Pavey, big blond, good-natured, had
come home too often of late to the
nagging of Katie, his young wife; he
was tired and he was breaking under
the strain of 1t. He had taken work
in the first place in the factory at
Blankville because 1t paid well; he
was no more in love with the town
than Katie herself, but being busy at
work all day long he hadn't the
time to concentrate on despising 1t
as she did To her 1t seemed as if
she could see nothing but sand. sand,
sand!
"I'u not take care. mean itr' her
voice rising.
"All right he growled, you mean
1t, Now lay off the talk an let me
sleep, will you?"
Katie was sulky the next morning
and didn't. get up to prepare Dams
breakfast. Her head ached, her heart
burned. She heard him clumsily
working around the kitchen cooking
his own coffee and eggs and bitter
thoughts filled her. He didn't care,
that was it, didn't care that If he
had son--God bless tit must be
born in this forsaken place. No.
what's more. every day he risked his
life at the factory. careless that he
might never see his own baby! All
for the money that no one might live
to want.
The door slammed on her tears.
Dan had gone to work without look
| ing in to say good-by. Katie pulled
herself out of bed, dressed feverishiy
and staggered out to the kitchen. Had
she not felt so Ill, so bitter, she would
have been touched at Dams clumsy ef-
forts to clean up-and, yes, he had set
a place at the table for her, and had
two eggs laid out for her to cook, and
the coffee simmering on the back of
the stove.
But she steeled herself. No, he
couldn't get around her that way.
She'd go-she'd leave for the city.
She'd given him warning. Now she d
go.
A sudden terrific thunderclap that
shook the house and broke the kitchen
window pane and threw her against
the wall might have been fate's own
answer to her. black mood. AT first
she was thrown into a daZe, not real
lzing what it could mean. Thunder
No. Then came the sickening realiza-
ton. The powder factory! What she
had feared had happened at last!
Katie rushed to the door and the
curtain at the broken window fiut-
tered in above the lighted gas stove
ominously close to the flame. The
ugly row of houses, all alike, that
lined the road had all similarly
spumed out their occupants. Wom-
en-, disheveled and distraught, had
run OF of doors and We're asking
T each other, frightened, dry-eyed:
What is it,"
A half grown boy ran down the road
1.-THE fact'ry"' he yelled.
t'The fact'ry! An explosion! Men
killed Every one now was run
ming. Katie with them; little,
scared group, horror-stricken. for the
lives of their men had been snuffed
outand she had quarreled with Dan,
her dear, good-natured Dan!
Already when they arrived at the
gray Enclosure to the factory a cor
| don Of guards were drawn around
it to keep out the excited women.
ALI one wing of the factory had been
| destroyed and Katie learned it was
the, left wing where Dan worked.
The gray November sky blotted out