Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-08-19
A GRAIN Of MUSTARD SEED


obviously frightened by her extraordinary
: behavior. n was balancing for flight
when her courage lent her its voice.
"Don't-please don't go. Your name
is-must be-Gill-Godfrey GILL"
"Y-yes-yes." 1t was the voice. pleas
ant. hesitating, that o have gone
with the man in the picture.
You're perhaps-you must be-his
son."
He flushed, and something that could
best be described as a sort Of sardonic
ripple went all over him. "Yes-of course.
l do look it. don't ? They tell me l act
it. too. But, see here. you couldn't have
known himl"
To her eyes he looked adorably puzzled
and beautifully distressed. as though
here were a responsibility that, as his
fathers son. he VOL be loath to as
sumo. She hurried to relieve him.
If he hadn't once been so wonderful"
} den augmentation OF her sympathy.
J How proud you must be to be his sonl"
The young man, embarrassed, almost
frightened, seemed. just as the picture
seemed. to be looking every way at once.
You see," Fanny went on, with her
eager, rushing murmur, "he saved my
mother from-how can / tell you?-the
sort Of easy, TERRIBLE mean, II 1T had
J mt been for remembering him, Id-last
night-Id nave 'bettered myself in the
way that would have been the end Of
me-and all she did for me; and all he
made it possible for her to do for me.
I'd have had to burn his photograph.
Oh, yes. I couldn't"-she lowered her
I voice, but her eyes stayed on his-"have
| said my prayers before it ever again
the way she taught me-"
"You-say your prayers-before my
| fattnrfr ,sat,,~~1y rrI1.o .~~- 49,.
! sand question marks in his voice.
Fanny nodded. always. Yes. I said
them-let me tell you!-extra hard last
t night. For If 1t hadn't been for that pic
ture-its eyes, just because they don't
, force anything upon you. leave you free,
s beg you to be free-they were there on
r my bureau When / came in. / washed
l off MIR. Stein's-kiss-before them" She
r laughed here, then sobered to finish her
4 story. $50, mex morning / lost my job.
/ That's why I'm here. I've answered fifty
ads, / think. This bench seems like
home. But-isn't it queer that you
you-YOU should nave been here Just
: here today?"
} 1t was SO obvious that she expected
7 him. being 80 ~miraculously sent, to oc-
7 cupy the extraordinary uncharacteristic
shoes Of his fathers past Good Deed that,
What can you do?" asked Godfrey Lor-
: rison Gill, blinking at her.
Sew" She held up her delicate and
energetic hand.
~Thoughtfully Lorrison took out a card
? from his pocketbook-one Of his moth
J er's. Shed given it to him to send with
e some flowers to a relation and he'd for
gotten. Never before had he been q
T benefactor. and he felt awkward, hypo-
critical. In fact his first charity bore
T legible evidence Of sharp contriving and
7 committed him to future maneuverings
as we'll.
This is my mothers card. I'll write
q a line on 1t to q dressmaker-Miss julia
not far from here. who'd do, / think
. almost anything my mother suggested
t Mother made her. Mothers written he
own name here, n I'll just scratch In
above Vt. I hope you can find q situation
y for the bearer of this card Your name
is-?"
Q Fanny Brett"
g. for Miss Fanny Brett. whose
y skill n industry / can emphaticall,
: recommend" He was very serious, read
ing this aloud to her.
ST am-you can-she could" suffered
Q Fanny. But you don kno it, do you
q And what will your MOTHER"
: Eyes, I do. BY looking at you. Bette
: take it right off to Miss Julia-therel
: the number. You'll Just have time be
fore she closes. I'll speak to mothe'
quickly, SOS she can recommend you anc
! ar me out" But he knew only too
we'll that Miss Julia's inquiry would hav,
! to be intercepted before it reached hi
. mother, that he himself somehow woult
have to bear himself out. Tim afrait
now. though, that ! have to leave you
L."
Have an important engagement" sh'
rather astonishingly helped him out. Sh,
held the card. stood up, and gave him
look Of azure gratitude, of deep q
sapphire worship.
"G-good-by," he stammered. all on
painful flush. "Good-by, Fanny Brett.
You are SO ado-orably, wonderfully
gloriously-like himl Oh-good-byi'
He vent at the pace Of fight. But hi
head had stopped aching, the blank ant
terrified depression had been exploded
like a poison gas balloon; its fumes wer
dispersed in the blue, still hour. wv
thank thee for u creation, preserva
ttOn." Some one on this unlucky birth
day, had actually been thanking God 70
a him, for the preservation OF his father
l. soni And how it a him feell Queer
Excited. She was so very pretty, too, tht
10 little Fanny Brett.
It was with some vague hope OF pro
II pitiation, Of a fresh start and q forgive
ness, that Lorrlson, the day after hi
mothers return with her new husband
rs approached their upstairs breakfast room
He had breakfasted downstairs himsel
after q wakeful night, during which, i
sr the swept and garnished chamber OF hi
ID Gill temperament, he had fought despair
ingly with the inevitable seven devil
,e which seemed instantly, on Advances al
rival, to have intruded themselves there
"a in.
f. In spite of their shriekings OF mocker
is and lustful pride, he had composed
IL speech for Adriance mi his mother. n
had 1t In his dry throat and on his nerv
In Gus tongue, q bitter regurgitation Of hu
I'd mility. apology, promises OF bettermen
Of II only, just this once, his mother woul
ne believe 1t possiblei With one han
1t against the door, just softly opened. h
t. waited to command the nervous tremC
ed OF his knees. He had always been afrai