The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-02-19

out new clothes and by reuuCtnS
grOcer's bill, she could save two hunureu
dollars a year. She wrote it out, IN d 4Sat,
spidery hand, in a ruled NOTEBOOK. I've
years. A thousand dollars. She WOulV rent
the house and go to Paris.
And so, for the first time, sne Des"n 10
speak of my trip abroad" There was
about her a new dignity and a new $780,
ness. She was like a woman going Io"aIH
a lover. My studio in the Latin QtaLCeL.
Or: My work at the salon VIII DJ o4e
gift of Paris to Paris" This was a uellcaJe
allusiOn. But no one thought TO smile
Gerry's dream Of Paris, France Nus ne-
coming an accepted fact. And she nau tne
small personal triumph she had e4peGSeu'
Il wish / were you, Gerry Reynolds; free
to 90 and come. I'm tied down WIN D4Dles
and homework SOS I can't call my soui my
own"
20, now, Nellie, I know you'd do 1t all
over again if you had to-" -,
Maybe. But life isn't what they q ike
to have us believe. The real thing lsh / as
good as thinking about it,"
Gerry went on painting. Her memory OF
the canvases exhibited at the far was not
insistent. She was not limited Dy Lhe
doubts and cOnfusiOns which beseI her
contemporaries. She knew nothing OF I'M
pressiOnisms. She had never heard OF LhOSe
disturbing and revolutionary trencnHeh
who were painting in trems Of hshI' 10
Gerry a landscape was a landscape. ana
her formula never varied. she painted
girls with cherries and children Win XII
tens and cObblers and moonlight. Sne re-
mdlueui uuChdAAGuStu3 lhS OAAJ
Paris.
When Joe Burch married, the Gerry of
Maisie'S creation died and the real Gerry
came into being. Life had always been NE
with the glorious and remote possibility
that Joe Burch might ask her to marry
him.. Now life was life with the pOSSlDllty
left out. Joe BurCh married Astrid Ericsson,
and they went to live in the house ne mad
built out on the prairie. Gerry reaq the
notice in the Star and caught herself all
crumpled up on her bed, sobbing as II
she never could stop. What's the matter
with meE I'm crazy. / didn't love MN. l IN
happier as / am" And she lay on her
back, dry-eyed, staring up at the crack IN
the ceiling, exhausted.
Ten dollars. Forty dollars. A hundred
dollars.
She told herself she would rather be an
artist than a farmer's wife. Astrid BurCn
cooked for Joe and the hired men, cleaned
the big house, washed, irOned. Her hands
were swollen and pink, her strong arms
looked always as if they had been i'm
mersed in hot suds.
Gerry cooked her own meals and ate
them alone. She always set a place Tor
herself in the dining room, using MalSleS
wedding linen and the silver Will had IN
herited from his grandmother. She always
removed her apron, smOOthed down her
dress and ate with punctiliOus attention TO
the ~niceties. No one but the grocer knew
she hadn't enough to eat.
As she grew older, she grew thinner. Her
black hair was streaked with gray. Her
eyes, seeming always to look ahead at
some vision, were magnificent.
Two hundred dollars.
Five hundred dollars.
"A nice steak today, Miss Reynolds? We
have some fine p~OrterhOuse."
NO, thank you, 1 prefer a small slice OF
ham. Very thin. Only one slice"
THAT woman dom eat enough to keep
a bird alive. Ham! Ham! Ham. Or maybe
a chop. But mostly tea and rice"
!; Six hundred dollars.
Mrs. Joe Burch's Scandinavian good
/ looks 6"iCAnnnqTnn hnhiud In VnTG of fat Rui
Joe Burch, waxing richer, remained always
Joe Burch.
One day he came into Gerry's office al
He stood by the doorway, his thatch Of
outstanding hair touching the Intel, his
eyes, with that humorous twinkle, taking
in the framed photographs Of Metre Dame
and the Louvre, the potted plant, The or
derby desk and Gerry behind it-Gerry
Curator of the arts.
Thought I'd drop in n see how you're
getting along. They tell me you're goini
2 to Paris"
Gerry flushed a dull red from throat t.
forehead. Some day And then shI
blurted out: I'm saving the money. w
= got six hundred dollars saved
{ Joe Burch came in, closed the door, an,
= seated himself beside her. Then she kney
he had not changed. He smiled at her i
that old Way-as if she would agree wit
, ANYTHING he might saw. because She coul
not help herself. why, you're noj gOin.
: to France with six hundred dOllars!'
I'm four years III have a thousand. An
1 sFOEr Years. His eyes deepenet
+ why, good Lord
Y Don't pity mel"
Il don't. Only it's all wrong. Waitin
@ twenty years for something TO happel
4 Why, dreams have got to come true. The
4 do! I've never had a dream that didn
come true if l dreamed it often enough
4 It's some sort of law. But twenty years
$ He broke off and stared into the crow
@ of his hat at a gilt label inscribed
"HirSh's Emporium" Then he said: II
ashamed, Miss Gerry, when l think Of Il
salary you're getting. Why, you're II
2 leading citizen Of Paris, an influence Il
good. We're back numbers out here.
guess we didn't realize how much yo
we're worth to us"
He leaned forward, and, for the secon
time in her life, Gerry noticed the wrinkle
lie in his skin-lines carved there by sun al
It wind and dust and rain. III tell you VIII
I'm going to do. I'm going to hurry III
dream along. I'm going to give you
thousand dollars, and you can pay Il
N back when you get rich."
It Gerry shook her head. In a panic, 81
l. cried: No! Ne! 1 couldn't! It's impo
sible -
said you hated me?"
le Covering her face with her hands, 81
trembled violently. Il didn't! l don't.
n isn't that"
Because forgave you a long time az
And I'm married. And we're grown u
lie ! yO0 anu ASGLIAnS ~ ne O4u 4OAAos IL
y isn't the time to be foolish. I've alWa.
3 been fond of you, Miss Gerry. Call it VIII
you like. l always admired the way "
went out after your dream. l wasn't
You had your mind set OE a city, a bi
n beautiful, white city full of statues al
40 parks and pictures. You didn't hate n
You were just fighting the best way v
~ knew how to get what you hankered f.
Now, l had a dream Of my own. And J.
got 1t. Twenty thousand acres of pra1ri
f. al IN 6IoOm!, He put his hand briefly
hers. What do you say?"
y She shook her head. you're awful
kind: But don't you see, if you gave 1t
70 me- 1t wouldn't be mine? I've got to ca
10 Well" he said, slowly, perhaps you
p Eight hundred dollars.
- Nine hundred dollars.
n Gerry knew, now, that she would ma
10 fultlment. Her cheeks always burnedi
- bright, feverish spot Of color painted b
cheek bones. A year
~ she got out the tailOr-made suit she ~
~ worn at the fair; cleaned and mended
1d pressed the monstrOus sleeves, stuffed the
with tissue. Hanging in the closet, the ga
a menC mad a frivolous, eager look. The STU
Nc was as good as, new. The silk peCtlco
" rustIed crisply. From its round box Ger
took the cherished hat, a "~sailOr" OF I
II nineties. She hooked her gaunt body IN
- a Watered silk afternoon gown trimm
with circular ruffles. From the bodice
~ OuOr of rose E0chpf f1oofoG mn ocqQfled nl