Evening star., 1928-04-01

| How long will it take?"
! He oughta he back by o'clock"
Are you Mrs. Asheley?"
! She nodded, too naive to lie to him.
Come in" she said
yes. I'll come in." Big Stckney
agreed
THE house don't look very nice" she
apolosiyed. Teddy keeps things messed
up so. He's asleep Just now. He always
has his nap between half past one and
three"
You've boy?"
MY, YES. He'll be three years old in
September. You're from Laramie, amt
YOU? Mart said something about a man
comm from Laramie to see him about
his lambs"
Il left Laramie at 10 o'clock" the
marshall replied, ambiguously.
She led him through her cluttered
kitchen to the cooler living room. Its
pine board sheathing had been painted
buff A rug of riotous colorS served as
carpet The room held a golden-oak
piano, a table, one or two mission rock
ers. a roll-top desk and Swivel-chair-
obviously secondhand. from its batter
ingS--a bookcase. woven-reed peram-
bulator. Full-page Autographs from a
woman's magazine served as pictures
for the walls.
The woman sank down in one of the
rockers. Apparently, she considered that
it devolved upon her to entertain this
affiuent stranger until her husbands re-
turn.
Stickney's inspection of the room
showed him what he sought. On a
mantel-Shelf stood black ebony clock.
two vases and some minor trinkets.
And. as though placed there purposeiy
for him TO walk In and find 1t, that
shelf likewise held photograph on a
wire easel
1t was the portrait of a man in his
thirties. in soft-collared shirt and rough
clothing. one arm resting along the
back of chair The eyes held tired,
defiant expression.
rs that your husband?" asked Mar
shall Stickney.
why, yes. sir Amt you ever met
himP"
''Yes. I've met your husband. But It
was several years ago. How long have
you been married.
I'm nineteen nineteen. just after
Mart come home from France"
What's that! Your husband Is
World War veteran?"
He was overseas two years. That's
why we wasn't married before"
You knew him before he went over?"
'Lawsy. yes! Why, I've known Mart
ever since he went to work for my
father, back in nineteen-eleven."
SO he worked for your father?
Where?"
ITO Iron Mountain. That's up back
o Laramie Dad run store and give
Mart a Job. When he was drafted to go
to the war, We found out how much We
thought of each other. If he come back
alive. we agreed we'd get married. I'd
"a married him before he went, only he
wouldn't have 1t. He claimed it wouldn't
be fair If he come back smashed up"
did he ever tell you much about his
life before he came out to Wyoming?"
Why, yes. All there is TO know,
guess Just whatta you mean?"
Where did he say he came from?"
New England. Some place in Massa-
chusetts, think"
He never mentioned Vermont?"
Vermont" Her wistful eyes were
large. why, no. I've heard him say
he's been up there. because he told us
once how they make maple sugar"
But he never told you he lived
there?"
She shook her head slowly. Did hep"
Yes. your husband lived in Vermont
quite a while"
Funny he never said anything about
1t to me-"
He never told you his reasons for
coming West?"
He told us it'd been terribly hard to
make livin' back East He'd come out
to Wyoming to strike better luck
Has he?"
we had our ups and downs, like all
folks" she parried. only just the last
two years we got goin' real we'll"
You own this rancho"
Her face lighted up Just this Spring
we finished maxim the payments.
Mothers been dead since was girl,
so, when father died, his insurance
money come to me. I added 1t to what
Mart had saved, and We bought the
place from the Travers boys"
Your husband had saved money!
why yes. Why not? Thirty-four
hundred he'd got laid by--when he
come To go to war"
Mart Benson saved thirty-four hun
dred dollars? / can't believe it"
Mart Benson? My husbands name
amt Benson" She sat up straighter.