The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-06-26
BY
Henry Kitclell Webster
Copyright by The Bobbs-Merrill Co.
WNU Service

wait outside the studio in order to
identify Rhoda for himself and find
out where she worked?
The only answer Martin could see to
all these questions was that Forster
believed RhOda had something he
wanted. He looked up at her doubt
fully, torn between his Impotence to
examine the contents Of that little
trunk tonight and his reluctance, after
all she'd been through today, to sub
ject her to any more experiences, pos
sibly narrowing. To his surprise he
found her looking at him, with eyes
alight and faint flush Of color in her
cheeks.
Martin" she asked, "will you do
something for me tonight? 1 know
it's getting late and you must be
tired -
III do anything" he said "Rhoda
dearest, you know l will. Any pos
sible thing that you want me to do"
what l want to do" she said, sis
to write the whole story tonight: what
they did to father six years ago,
Forster and Stafford and Claire, SO
that it can be in tomorrow's paper"
The look in his face must have an
swered her, for at that point she broke
off to ask incredulously, "Why not?
Martin, do you mean you won't even
write it tomorrow"
Il can't write it." he said. Cor if
/ did the boss would kill it."
"Why?" she asked blankly.
at isn't news. News is what hap
pened today. If there's peg to hang
it on you can go back. But there's
only one peg / can think of strong
enough to hold that story: if we could
go before the grand jury and get
Forster and Claire indicted for con-
spiracy. But L don't believe we could
get the states attorney to listen to it.
Claire couldn't testify against Forster
without discriminating herself, and he
couldn't testify against her without in
eliminating himself, so the fact that
they hate each other doesn't do us any
good. And the go-between is dead. If
we ran the story without something
definite like that to hang it on we'd
be in for milliOn-dOllar libel suit be-
fore night. His shooting her would
make it news if she'd talk; but she
won't. She's got him-as long as she
keeps STILL"
Rhoda didn't protest nor argue the
matter with him, but he saw the light
die in her eyes and the color fade out
of her cheeks again. He struggled
miserably on for while with his ex-
PLANTATION, but he could see it was
nothing but words to her, words hardly
worth listening to. She asked him at
last not to talk about it any more
told him she understood and said she
wanted to go home.
,, She helped to gather up the scat
tered contents of the file and as he
was putting it back in the drawer she
patted him on the shoulder and told
him not to mind.
81 think there must be some other
way" he told her hesitatingly, "of do
ing the thing we want to do; of set
ting your fathers memory right before
the world. I think I've got the be-
ginning of a bunch how it can be done.
I'm hoping for light On it tomorrow
when we go through that trunk.
Rhoda dear, don't worry any more
about it tonight. You're all in and
you're half starved. Let's go some
where and have a good dinner"
II don't want to go to a restaurant"
she told him fatty. 81 want to 90
home"
"All right" he agreed, and they
started down the long flight of stairs
in silence. But before they got with
in range Of the night Waterman at the
door she stopped and faced him.
II don't know why I'm so beastly."
she said. Il suppose it's because I'm
trying not to cry. I'll go anywhere
you like, Martin" She gave him
rueful heart-twisting little smile as
she said it, but she walked straight on
without giving him a chance to kiss
her.
1t was with notion Of giving the
old Waterman tip, as he sometimes
did, that he put his hand into his
pocket and thus made the disgusting
discovery that he was penniless. So,
out on the sidewalk as they were
looking up the street for a taxi, he
asked Rhoda, rather efficiently, If she
could lend him any money. He'd given
his last dollar to the taxi driver who'd
brought them here.
But she told him, with a momentary
flicker of amusement in her tone, that
she had given her last dollar to a taxi
driver that Afternoon. She searched
her purse, however, and announced a
find of six cents. IF you've got a
dime" she concluded, 1--WE can ride in
the street car. And if you haven't we
can walk"
He hadn't dime but denounced
walk as nonsense They'd take taxi
round to his club and he'd go in and
get some money. That was what he
should have done in the first place.
They didn't precisely quarrel over
home and had her way.
He knew she didn't mean to be un-
friendly. She even slipped her hand
within his arm as they walked along.
and left it there. But, even so, she
felt million miles away. They tried
to talk but gave it up, and by the
time they'd got to the street door of
the studio building, the silence be-
tween had become palpable oppres-
sive thing.
She asked him now, in a strictly
neutral voice, whether he was COM
Ing in.