Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1930-01-10

ana IN shower OF MOWERS anu TlC0i
they ran down the walk. With her
foot on the running board of the car.
she paused. Her eyes swept the
small sweet sea Of loved and loving
faces. She found the bright eyes of
Marjory and Miriam, found her father
standing u little away BY himself.
Then she found Ginger, a small. SOL
emn figure. with lips forced to a
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 instincr 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. chorus OF
prophecies, surrounded Ginger, with
the captured bridal bouquet in her
hand But she heard none OF 1t. She
was going home. She answered no
smiling thrusts, called no responsive
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 its bigness, for she and Helen had
often complained iaughingly 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 1t 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 she found a 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, "fxing 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 against
the wall. She climbed dlsmally, pull
ing herself, a 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
1t 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 q symbol Of
Helen's trust.
IF I'm not whole lot better after
this, I'm q 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 be when she hears
about my home for the blind"
There was certain confidence in
her manner as she slipped the small
gold band upon her finger. After all,
already, she had taken the family
affairs in charge. The FIRST links OF
her chain were firmly forged.
(TO BE CoNTINUED)