Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-11-21
By Philip Ransom

"Ah." she interrupted. ~these medal
ribbons?"
Never mind that. got through,
but. curlously enough. l hardly ever
came home. did ~ want u cvsne
home. I've got no people ~ worry
about me. I'm in the English eastern
line-and I've stuck II the east ever
since. II suited me. | thought, Some
thing about il. | mean-freedom or
something
suddenly l woke up. knew I
wasn't living at all. WAS putting In
time-feverishly, OF course. Lots OF
people do that without knowing it. Ii
very often is called freedom" He
stopped. as if expecting her TO make
some remark. She waited IN silence.
1T was Mary Carwin. Of course. I
knew that one morning IN Penang.
after oh. never mind. /
knew it suddenly. l arranged for y
home ship and long leave when / got
here-that was easy enough. The next
thing is to find her-that isn't"
And them" She crouched inStinc-
lively towards the fire and turned her
back to him.
Il shall marry her and settle down.
I've made money, but I've wasted about
twelve years"
She may have-gone under. You
don't seem to have thought of that,
ever"
Gone under! She's got the pluck
of the devil-that's why /"
'Or married" she interrupted hasti-
ly. Or she may not want you. You
treated her abominably, anyhow. I
gather. She may hate the memory of
you-probably does. She may have
made a life of her own by this time.
That is more than likely. Twelve years
is a long time, you know, out of a
woman's youth. Women have to make
their lives out of what they've got left
after they've-grown up. Men don't
seem to know this. but it's true. Men
are mostly children all their lves-at
least, I think so"
In that case there is always the sea
again. It's in my blood-bOrn in me,
the sea and rowing and adventure. II
it's born in you, only a woman can
fight it-one woman / mean. Mary
Carwin could, if l found her, and she
chose. You know what l mean-f she
chose. Not otherwise. I'm proud.
though I've nothing to be proud Of.
That is the sort of pride which Is life
and death. The sea respects that, too
His voice died abruptly. Send that
woman in, please" he said roughly.
i've talked too much. I can see that
I've tired you"
Good night she said. Il can't
imagine why you have told me all
this, but I should like to hear what
happens when you find her-if you do"
He made no answer to that, and his
fingers did not cease at their task
for one second. Nor did he look up
as she left the room.
vi.
Mrs. Felpitt did not see her unwilling
lodger again until the day he left. He
sent no message to her by the sallow
nurse, nor did she offer to go up.
Mrs. Felpitt chose a time to say
goodbye to Captain Stargess when the
doctor was with him. The man called
after her as she was going. She re-
turned slowly, her heart beating heavi-
ly, her eyes startled behind the dark
glasses. He beckoned her to his bed
side.
"You won't forget Mary Carwin," he
said in a low voice, his stormy glance
searching her as she stood close to
him, IF you hear Of her, I mean. Would
you let me know, if you did neal OF
her?"
Dill lltSlJdtCu " a ANS
laughed suddenly.
"Why?" she said hastily, drawing
away from him, why do you ask
that?"
st wonder! Never mind. Goodbye
then, Mrs. Felpitt. I can never be
Know" siGj
She had no answer for that as she
passed silently from the room to make
way for his stretcher bearers. When
he had been carried downstairs and
down the garden path and the ambu-
lance had driven off, she went slowly
UP to Alan's room again. She had kept
her great piece Of news about his fu-
ture in the Office in Radminster to tell
him when he came. She pOndered this.
She would tell him on Christmas
eve, when he and she were alone to-
gether.
She stood suddenly rigid, with the
in her hand. A large envelope stared
up at her. AS she took it up the crisp
crinkle of paper money informed her
of its contents long before she had
read the inclosed message.
IF you are too proud to accept my
board and lodging for yourself, you
may be able to find some other use
for this" 1t was initiated j. A. S.
She shut the drawer quickly and went
on with her work, her color coming and
going, the money lying uncounted on
the floor. In the end she picked it
up deliberately and counted the notes,
making a rapid calculation. The sum
Just about covered the expense to
which the mar had put her-neither
too little nor too excessively gener-
Gus. She locked the notes up in her
own private drawer. Alan should have
the benefit of this.
VII.
The three weeks which had to elapse
before Alan's return seemed to hang
on Mrs. Felpitt's hands, in spite of
the fact that there was plenty OF work
in arrears about the house and garden.
She found herself restless and irritable,
now that the strain of having that
man in the house was removed.
At last the boy came, happy and
self-confident and strangely inditfer-
ent. She actually felt a moments
shyness as she clasped him to her.
You're glad to be home again, son?"I
she asked with studied carelessness.
"Um?" he replied. Rather, of
course I am. Did 1 tell you how we
ragged old Smithers? Some of the
chaps at school" and so on for an
ecstatic half hour. And then till bed