White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-12-20

Then she found Ginger. small, sol.
emn figure. with lips forced to n
grim smile And Helen tossed her
great bouquet, lilies OF the valley. for
get-me-nots and tiny rosebuds.
Ginger had not thought OF this.
must have been sheer instincl which
shot her 1.-the young arms high over
others to catch the precious trophy.
Helen smiled at her.
"My Ginger" Her lips merely
formed the words, but Ginger. staring.
read the syllables distinctly.
The cab rolled away.
a shout OF laughter, q chorus of
prophecies. surrounded Ginger, with
the captured bridal bouquet in her
hand. But she heard none of It. She
was going home. She answered no
smiling thrusts, called no responsive
Z greetings, to the merry throng about
her. She just set her small face
toward the old brown door, and her
obedient little feet carried her lead
emily toward It
Up the stairs, heavily. heavily. and
down the hall to the bedroom she had
shared with Helen. The room looked
strange-big and roomy. She marveled
at it's bigness, for she and Helen had
often complained laughingly OF its
slight dimensions. Suddenly she real
lied. One of the little twin beds was
gone, and the other, her own, was In
the center Of the space the two had
occupied. Ginger's eyes burned sud
denly. But she was glad that other
bed was gone. She had not realized
how It would have been, lying there,
and gazing across at that empty pill
low where Helen's brown hair, Helen's
gentle face. Helen's friendly eyes, had
been before
"She thought Of that" she said
aloud.
Conscious OF the weight OF the flow
ers. she crossed DULY to the desk by
the window. There size found fat
blue vase, filled with fresh water,
waiting to receive them
"She did that. She meant all the
time that should have her flowers"
Carefully, with fingers that seemed
unfamiliar and strange to her, she
loosened the white ribbons, folded
them carefully, and placed the flowers
in the blue bowl
Then she sat down. on the solitary
little twin bed, and stared at them,
stared all about the room.
"That's what she was doing all
morning." she thought, fixing this
room for me. Putting my things where
her things had been, Strengthening the
drawers. and tidying the closet. so
everything would be full of me, and
wouldn't show so much emptiness Of
her"
She got up suddenly, and turned
down the hall. The ladder was agafnsl
the wall. She climbed dismally. pull
ing herself, great weight, through
the trapdoor, and crossed the beams
to the dormer window. From force
of habit. she drew the small stool up
to the table, and reached for her
pad. And then she saw white en-.
velope.
"My Ginger"
She picked up the letter. It was
then she saw the velvet box. She
opened it curiously-a small diamond,
in an old-fashioned setting-her moth
er's engagement ring that Helen had
worn for sixteen years. Ginger held
it In her hand long time, and stared
into the dim recesses of the dusty old
room with grave. glad, wondering
eyes. This was to her symbol OF
Helen's trust.
''If I'm not whole lot better after
this, I'm whole lot worse than /
think am" she decided finally. II
know Helen expects me to keep a
,motherly eye on father and the twins,
and | shall not disappoint her. Oh.
how pleased she'll he when she hears
about my home for the hind"
There was certain confidence In
her manner as she slipped the small
gold band upon her finger. After oil,
already, she had taken the family
affairs In charge The first links Of
her chain were firmly forged.
(TO BE CONT1NUED)