Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-05-29
An Almost Total Loss
By Reta Lambert
By Reita Lambert

Well"
.I-you know I'm going up to the
Madden's camp tomorrow for a week,
so II thought I'd pop in and say
goodbye"
rs that all you have to say?"
mo. dad. I'm terribly sorry about
the Psyche. You see. Bob Newton
had been Raging me and something
| said peeved him and the others dared
him to | mean / was running and
l happened to slip and-well, l bumped
into it and then-I-I'm awfully sorry,
dad
You were running" he repeated, and
his eyes hardened, land. / take it, a
Young man was chasing you. I vas
under the impression that you were
giving a dinner party. You should
have told me that you were going to
have "a tournament and I'd have
had Storm clear the rooms"
She was on the defensive at once.
1T was Just an accident. 1t might
have happened to anybody and I'm
willing to pay for 1t.
1T was an accident" he said, that
could never have happened in a COM
pany of ladies and gentlemen. That
lovely thing had the misfortune to be
in your way tonight so you knocked
it over"
mo. that wasn't
You rode roughshod over it as you
do everything else that happens to
interfere with your idea of a good
time'-conventions, modesty, my wishes,
your mothers memory"
He was touching a familiar theme
there and she said impatiently.
"Ohmygoshl All that again!'
"All that. yes!' he cried. ITS all
of a piece, my dear. You knew that
your mother and l bought that little
statue on our wedding trip n that
I valued it more than anything else
for that reason. But you couldn't even
respect that sentiment"
Il told you it was an
And then you offer to pay for it,
Il guess l could buy another one,
couldn't II"
He bent toward her. said abruptly
You could, but what with?'
Her eyes spread in genuine surprise
with the money that I allow you
why, out of my-why, with my own
he finished quietly. Then the startled
wonder in her blue eyes softened hin
q little. I'm merely pointing out tc
you, Ted. to give you a clearer picture
of yourself. You're no more able to
pay for this than for any of the other
things you've done to hurt me-" He
sighed. mot that I expect it. Every
thing I've done and made since youl
mother died has been for you and
don't begrudge it. But don't you think
you W me something in return?'
She stared at him. Take it from a
business point OF view, child What
would you do without me-lf anything
happened to me or our money!"
II don't know. l never thought
about it,
You'd starve in a week, my dear
"Oh. would II"
In a week." he repeated and
slumped back in his chair as though
he were suddenly very tired. In order
not to you'd have to have something
more marketable than a talent for en-
joying yourself. Not that you need
worry, only it may make you realize
that you owe me something, Ted. And
another time don't make matters worse
by offering to pay for your accidents
unless you're able to-"
4CddN LNO N1ilU dP W LIN Twill
with her blue eyes smouldering and
the tips of her airs burning from the
impact Of that last remark. 1t was
the first time she had ever emerged
from one of their not infrequent scenes
without having fired the last shot
But that was because she had been
stricken dumb by the blasting discov-
cry that her independence wa built
I ~, Z, fn1Cn haste Dty tho n>yNn lty1r ,,nc
sibility that there could be any stu
alton in life to which she had not
proved herself equal.
This was by no means the reaction
her father had expected his words to
produce. He may have hoped to arouse
in her a dormant filial conscience
What he did was to make the pur-
chase of a new Psyche the only pos
sible restorative for her wounded pride
And she had, fortunately, an entire
unhampered week to do it in. Not
that she expected it to take that long
AS she told Benny Raskin the next
morning, when he expressed surprise
at seeing her in New York.
I'm really on my way to the Mad
denS' camp, but l had a little business
in town first"
Which makes it grand for me-
Benny said. You're looking like g
million dollars
Benny liked his friends to- look like
a million dollars. And most of then
did. Benny's place wa one of those
chummy little restaurants whose eli
entele find it convenient to cultivate
the restaurateur. AS witness Teddy
Lysle comfortably seated in his private
office.
Maybe she admitted, "but I neee
some, just the samey-I NEAR dollars
She hitched forward in her chair
Listen, Benny, how do you go about
making money? You've done it sc
you ought to know"
"Hey?" said Benny blankly. Make
money!"
She nodded. You see, I've decided
to do i'll mean really make some
myself"
He vas staring at her through his
cigaret smoke. But what the helm!
You mean you want a job?"
"Of course not. I told you I had to
get up to Deet Madden's. I just want
to make a little money before l go,
that's ALL"
"Oh, that's all, is it?"
Yes. II need some for-for some
thing, and then I just want to prove
that l can do it. I mean, that /
v,rnr,1lS,ft - .,1 &c r -,o~ o~ ,A,y 1900