Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-03-20

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q very good name" she agreed. "And
/. Tor one. don't blame Tom when he
toOk Il on himself to forbid him the
hose and TO put the Hall out of
bounds for Mildred. He saw that he
wa 0beyed, too! Once, when Mildred
was trying to slip quietly over to see
Rodney. Tom met the car and turned
ii back. And, when l was invited down
rather suddenly and quite Unexpected
~. | was hardly surprised. knowing
Ton. when he explained that he
wanted me to keep an eye on Mildred.
He had been called away, he said. and.
unless he could leave some responsible
person in charge, he must take her with
him 10 make SURE that she didn't race
to the Hall the moment his back was
turned"
II l had not realized already that
Master Tom was an ass, this would
have convinced me.
"A most improper request" 1 said.
Il hope you had nothing to do with it,
Theresa nodded, saving the air with
an emphatic forefinger.
Il made it clear to Tom" she ans
wered, that If l was to stay another
hour in his house, it must be neither
as ! spy nor as a keeper. He an
nounced to the heavens at large that,
il Mildred got up to any of her tricks,
he'd divorce her as quick as winking.
l said that was entirely his affair. He
appealed TO me as his oldest friend,
the friend of both parties, the woman
who'd brought them together.
Il said I'd do everything in my
power TO keep the rift from widening,
but that, II he continued to suspect
Mildred without cause, she would very
soon give him cause to suspect her in
grim earnest. Something to cry for,
as our nurses used to threaten. If l
remained at all, / said, l should remain
as a friend and a guest.
And I vas as good as my word.
Mildred went her way; and I went
nine. When she told me she had some
business with her Women's institute, l
pretended to believe her implicitly"
So much irony was lavished on the
implicitly" and the pretended" that
/ felt obliged to ask whether the
Women's institute was a blind for the
Hall.
Il don't know" answered Theresa,
primly. Il shall never know. I CON
sldered it my business not to know. All
| can tell you is that the institute was
in one direction, the Hall in another,
and that Mildred went and returned
for all the world as though she'd
walked round five sides of a hexa-
gon. 1t wasn't my business! Hadn't
| told them both, till l was sick and
tired, that / should observe strict neu-
trallty? And it wasn't even by bust
ness when she had to visit her mas
seuSe in Bath. A sudden twinge of
rheumatism. Two or three %rubbings.
Could / ever forgive her if she stayed
away for the night?
Il did suggest that she might have
the masseuse out to the house. Or
binary prudence And Tom
ready to put the worst construction on
everything. Mildred said it was out
OF the question; the woman had an
invalid mother who couldn't be left.
Have you noticed that women with in
valid mothers always take to massage
or manicure work? 1 can never imag-
inc why, but I suppose they get some
satisfaction from notifying other
peoples flesh / said it was
no business of mine and let it go at
that"
PouoCA w llldhC q CdlCuld-
ton on her fingers.
THAT must have been a Friday" she
resumed. Tom had gone away on the
Wednesday, for a week. Yes. that's
right. And he came back, without a
word OF warning, on the Sunday"
To find she wasn't there?" | haz-
arded.
My cousin nodded, grimly. "And that
r didn't tnnur u,hovo r,o -,oc ~
| had no idea whether we had a spy
among the servants! And there was
no time to make up a story! And, if
there had been, 1 couldn't imagine
what kind of a story Mildred would
like me to make up!"
Theresa's voice, which had been ris-
ing in a crescendo of excitement, sud-
denly dropped. Quite candidly, I lost
my nerve" she sighed. when l saw
Toms a coming up the drive, l fled
to my room. After all, I was not Mil
dred'S keeper. l could see no reason
for being dragged into this, though
I could see no possible way of keep
ing out OF it.
We'll, the a pulled up at the door.
The chauffeur rang the bell. 1 heard
Tom say: Is her ladyship anywhere
dUOutf hIu L waited LOT Cle OuCler
to tell him that her ladyship had gone
away two days before, without her
maid, and that nobody knew where
she was or when she would be back!
1 had a dreadful feeling that Tom
would order the car off to the Hall,
that he'd catch them red handed, that
there would be shooting all round
If you knew how I hated the sight and
sound Of a revolverl Even on the
stage
ITO my amazement, I heard the
butler saying quite calmly: I will see,
Sir Thomas"
The expression of all-embracing dis
illusion, which I had observed on
Theresa's face when she dismissed the
moral phantom known as gratitude,
reappeared for a moment as she made
ready to confess her W foolish part
in keeping together people who were
spelling to be separated.
This is an essentially unrighteous
world" she declared. IF you'd ever