The Ely miner., 1929-11-29
CHAPTER v
An Insight

That evening, the second OF July.
the two girls came down. late, to-
gether. Danny was paler than usual.
and her face had a drawn. hurt look,
which she explained by saying that
she had severe headache. Gaby was
gayer than gay.
kept watching her, trying to
catch her face in repose, to see If any
trace remained Of that dreadful ex-
preston had seen tp the afternoon.
Her face, nor one bit of her, was ip
repose for a minute from the time
she came downstairs until she went
upstairs again, after twelve O'Clock
that night.
She put la Paloma" on the phon-
ograph, and did a Spanish dance,
clicking her heels and swapping her
fingers until they sounded like fire.
crackers. She did an Egyption dance
sinking about, and contortioning. II
wasn't decent.
Mrs. Kicker was doing some tatting
As l watched her. decided that, ears
or no ears. she was not the woman ]
had heard talking, that afternoon. up
in the cabin. Hubert Hand had said
TO that woman that she had attempt
ed murder. She could not have been
Mrs. Kicker; not our Mrs Kicker, the
thin, silent woman who had lived so
decently with Us for so long. Those
tight, wrinkled lips had never said, 81
would kill her, and you too" John
had never said shivered. Wicked
thoughts and wicked words breed
wicked actions, and ! knew ii then
as now.
Martha came crying to Mrs. Kicker
''Gaby hurt Chad" she said. 81 wish
she would die. We could make her a
nice funeral"
Mrs. Ricker's fingers darted faster,
back and forth
Danny spoke. from the davenport
You shouldn't talk like that, Martha,
dear. II is wrong"
Her voice sounded as If II ached
She looked, lying In a huddle over
there, as miserable as I felt. l was
drawn to her. / went and sat beside
her.
Gould | do anything for your head
ache?" | asked. Get you some aspir-
in, maybe"
mo, think you. Mary" There was
so much gratitude in her big dark
eyes for nothing but common decency
on my part. that felt downright
ashamed Of myself
Danny" / said, straight out, never
caring much about uincing words, "I
know that something Is troubling you
Why don't you tell John, or Sam. or
even me about it? Just tell US the
truth. We'd all go far to help you. If
we could"
Her eyes nlled with tears. Bless
your heart, Mary" she said. "Bless
all OF your hearts. You are all so
good. here"
was enough annoyed with John
for coming up right then. to have
slapped him. l answered his question
for Danny.
There is plenty you could do for
her," said. You could shut off that
screeching radio, for one thing"
Danny wouldn't hear TO Johns stop
ping the racket Every one was hav-
ing such a good time. Bed was the
place for her. She couldn't near any
noise in her room, with the door shut.
And off she went.
know now that she would not
have told me anything that could
have helped matters. But | did not
know il then, and l was sorely disap
pointed. For those sudden tears in
her eyes. and her voice when she had
said, 'bless your heart" had con-
vinced me that there was sincerity
behind them. and honesty, and good
In the black days that followed.
Uhen ali OF US were living in the
dark shadows of doubts, and confu-
sions. and fears and suspicious. was
thankful, time and again, for those
certainties for that one f1eeting but
sure insight into Danny's soul
The morning OF the third vas bit
ing hot, with thai singing, piercing
heat that we nave, when we have