The Washington times., 1930-08-12
Proposal Secret Guarded
For the Time Being
CHAPTER 8

seeing Cathie walk in in the
middle Of the afternoon that
her voice sounded harsh and
angry. It was because she was
flustered at being caught in
the steamy kitchen in the
midst of the ironing, after
she'd promised to send all the
flat pieces out to be mangled,
and. to lie down and rest every
day between one and four. And
besides Cathie COM
ing home like this, in the mid
die of the afternoon {.
"Darlin, you're sick. Some
things happened!" she cried.
Cathie looked at her out of
unnaturally bright eyes that
didn't see anything. Not the
ironing board. nor the heaped
basket of tightly rolled, damp
ened clothes, nor the middle
blouses and housedresses,
draped over chairs.
"Oh ma, please don't fuss.
It isn't anything. I had head
ache and 50 I thought I'd come
home and lie down."
And when her mother echoed
"a headachew and laid the
iron on it's little black iron
stand and hustled over to take
her hat and coat Cathie cried
"Oh, ma, don't. I just want
to lie down. Oh, ma, please
don't make me talk now. I'm
so tired, and my head does
ache, it does, it does!"
IT don't know what's got
into our Cathie," she confided
to Ruth a little while later
when they were setting the
table for dinner, and Cathie
still shut in her room not want
ing anything. not even a hot
cup of tea. She's that nervous
and run down. And then this
afternoon, coming home with
q headache"
Ruth polished the forks and
knives on q tea towel as she
laid them on the table. It's
working. used to try to ex-
plain to her how I felt, but
what's the use of talking?
You've got to go through it for
yourself" A long sigh. "She
didn't have any trouble at the
office. ma? With-with any
body. You know men aren't all
like Mr.. Browning-men in bus
mess. Sometimes I think"
All Right
Ma lifted her head sharply.
"You don't have to worry about
Cathie. She's tired, but she'll
pull through it. Cathie'S wiry,
like me. Go call her. She'll
feel better after her dinner.
But Cathie wouldn't come.
She said her head still ached
too much, and she wanted to
lie still in the dark.
She wanted to lie still in the
cool dark and think. But the
thoughts wouldn't come. Just
heaviness, and kind of wide
awake dreaming. and turning.
twisting, looking for a way out
-. a way out d. there must
be way out :. there always
Is, if you can just find it
Mr.. Farnsworth. When Cathie
thought of him the gooseflesh
came out all over her. It was
so scarry, thinking of getting
married, Of getting married to
Mr.. Farnsworth. Funny, too
like a movie marrying
your boss. ri
Funny he had never said
anything to her before. Never
showed he liked her. Never
touched her hand, never even
looked at her as if he cared
and maybe he didn't. He
hadn't said anything about low
ing her. 1t was about being
lonely that he talked. He said
he had been widower for IL
years.
He had been happy with his
wife, had never thought of
marrying again. Little ways
she, Catherine, had reminded
him of her. he said. She had
been fair, too, with a trail of
freckles over her nose. Cathie
= made him think of her again,
made the old loneliness come
back. He was alone in a IL.
room house. now that his son
was married and gone. :. 1T
would be very good of you," he
had said, softly, as if it were
hard for him to say it.
That part wasn't hard to be-
1ieve. He had always been
good to her. Look what he
had done for Nd.
"Oh. ma ma. if I could
only ask you what to dov
But she couldn't ask ma. Ma
mustn't know until it was all
settled, until she could make
up her mind tomorrow
she'd have to make it UP &.
she had promised had gone
home to think it over. and
here she was, not thinking at
all.
She pressed her burning face
against the pillow. No thoughts
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