The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-02-13
CHAPTER II-Continued

The only qualms Of panic she ever
felt when going about alone on her
small excursions to the shops, the
library, nearby movie theater, took
the form of a belief that she had
seen him or that he was following her.
If he was the source Of the money
they lived on, then it meant that he
knew where they lived and that he
was, for some reason she couldn't
fathom, biding his time. But she was,
as a matter of fact, too healthy and
happy, even too well occupied, to think
about him much.
Really she'd never lacked friends.
But her fathers often repeated in
struction not to tell who they were or
where they came from, to answer no
personal questions at all, brought it
about that most Of her friendships
were with members Of the staff Of the
hotel, rather than with residents.
There was one exception among the
guests: a middle-aged pretty woman
who always wore black-a widow,
Rhoda supposed. She didn't ask many
questions because she was deaf, so
deaf that you had to shout to make
her hear. She was going to school
where you learned lip-reading so that
you could tell what people said by
looking at them without hearing their
voices at all. The school was down
town in one Of the big buildings of the
loop, and Mrs. George, whose deaf
ness had come upon her suddenly,
hated to venture down into that con-
fusion alone. Her need was a godsend
to Rhoda, who volunteered to go with
her every morning.
She went into the class with Mrs.
George, and having nothing else to do,
she sat and watched and learned lip
reading herself. 1t took Mrs. George
three months to learn, but in half that
time Rhoda was infallible at it.
1t made life more amusing. She
liked to ride in the elevated and watch
people talk down at the end of the
car. And when she and her father
had dinner In the restaurant, his long
preoccupied silences did not leave her
restless. She would be sampling con-
versations from all over the room. 1t
was a real bereavement when Mrs.
George left the hotel and went to New
York to live.
But the best friendship of those four
hotI years didn't BEGIN until after
Mrs. George had gone 1t was with
Miss Bacon, whose rather incredible
first name was Florabel, the public
stenographer. Rhoda had been saying
good morning to her and sometimes
stopping beside her desk for word
or two, for months. But in her lone
illness after Mrs. George had gone. she
formed the habit of making longer
visits when she saw Miss Bacon wasn't
busy.
Miss Bacon was not, Rhoda per-
ceived, as old as she had thought; her
being rather stout and her wearing
spectacles made her look so. But she
had a jolly young voice and nice
smile. She didn't ask any prying ques-
lions. She talked quite good deal
in nice friendly way, about her own
affairs. Probably she was rather lone
ly herself. Not that she hadn't any
relations, but that they didn't do her
any good. Her father, it seemed, had
had several wives who had died, one
after another, and the children didn't
like one another very well, and quar-
relied. Florabel had been the youngest
and she'd had a horrible time until
she'd managed to learn trade that
made her Independent.
Independence was Florabel's sacred
word. Everybody, she said, even a
girl who was almost sure to get mar
ried, ought to have a trade. Then
If anything unexpected happened,
she'd got something to tie to. "Of
course, not If she's rich," she added.
"rm not rich," Rhoda said. eat
least l don't think we are. Father ex-
poets to be pretty soon. I wish I
could learn stenography. I suppose
it's awfully hard"
"Its spelling that is most i'm
portant," Florabel told her. "Can you
spell?'
"Oh, think So" Rhoda said. Spell
ing isn't hard, Is it?"
ut was for me, Florabel told her.
But Rhoda, as it turned out, was
one of those lucky people who simply
can't misspell a word that they've ever
seen in print.
II could teach you myself" Florabel
volunteered. I'D like to, first rate.
I haven't much to do, hardly ever, in
the middle of the morning or in the
middle of the afternoon"
There never was a more enthusiast
tic pupil, and Florabel seemed as ex-
cited about it as she was herself. She
worked over the preliminary exercises
until her hand cramped and then until
It came uncramped again. She was
determined, at every lesson. to sur