Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-02-04

all my time and I used Co do out
side work-afternoons and some
times evenings That's how II hap
pened to work for your father
-Oh. ! see" Rhoda agreed bright
~. II remember how often he nsed
10 20 back to work evenings I nj
ways hated to have him do tt
You poor kidd You must have
been lonRsomef-
Rhoda felt her face burning a. if
II had been slapped. This woman's
profession or sympathy was an in-
suit she couldn't stand. She looked
down nc her plate and managed 10
swallow q few morsels OF the food
that was on I'll When she thought
she could command her voice she
preached the main subject OF their
interview.
"You asked In your letter about
~ paper you had given him 10 keep
for yon 7 haven't destroyed any
ri my fathers papers" Rhoda told
IEE~ 1MFNG M4N w MAA1tE L 4AiAAAA
NJ them and I sealed II up inst W.
W was What sort or paper was
it,"
The woman. despite her pretend
ed hesItations and rplnctanceS. was
perfectly ready with her answer.
Rhoda listened intently for VA sen
tence or two and then more or less
switched orr her mind To other
things N was glarinEIv evident she
was lying.
The gist OF the story was that y
wicked man had wronged her years
: when she was "A mere Girl. The
paper was. IL seemed. N sort or N
fession which she had. somehow
forced him to give her. it, value
10 her was that II showed her tp
have been really innocent-though
n she had been wronged FRI the
usual way N was hard 70 see what
good the exhibition of this docn
ment would do her with anybody.
Rhnda asked no questions. however.
and pressed for no details.
Ciaire's reason for wanting her
paper 40 desperately after all these
years was not the least remarkable
part az the narrative. She was
planning "a be married and she had
reason TO believe that her enemy
meant to try 70 prevent II NV tell
ing the man some lies about her.
Rut if she had his confession tn
confront him with. HE wouldn't dare
say a word 70 her fance.
Rhoda hoped her face looked a. III
she were believing IL all. but she
vas afraid IL didn't.
II can see how badly yon must
want IT," she said. when the story
was finished. 'TTl try my best n
find II for you."
evil n take very Iong7- Claire
asked. Before you can start look
IL for II. Y mean. or course vou
can't tell how long II viii take
you to find tt
NO" Rhoda assured her. It'll
81 nj X a. socn as 7 ret home this
afternoon
THAT certainly ~ mighty sweet
or YOU Claire burst out. with d
sudden suffusion or warmth. 1T
seems a shame TO make you 10
much trnuhle-TW tell you what we
might do she added. "Let me
70 along with you and help ynn
look. 7 could probably find n
quicker than you could, because N
know Just what to look for
The attempted casualness or the
suggestion may have been n little
overdone. Whether for that reason
or another there flashed into
Rhoda's memory. an clearly as "
she were hearing IL over N radio
n question Martin had asked her
that morning. ~what does sha
want to do: 20 over your fathers
papers and pick out what shr
likes7 RI was a moment before She
could trust her voice to angwer
and even then II didn't sound quite
right
"Oh. that won't be- necessary.
she said. I'm sure y can find ~
if It's there. and II won't be any
trouble az all--
Claire glanced Rt her watch n
started q little "WiIl You excuse
me a moment. dearie?r she said
III told a friend or mine that i
didn't know whether T had IA date
for lunch today or not 4 didn't.
or course. until I knew whether
you'd come And 7 said Td call
them up before n o'clock and Tel
them know"
Her departure worried Rh0da A
little. principally because she had
only two dollars with her. What
IL Claire had fed and left her with
that enormous lunch to pay fort
Really Claire wasn't gone very long
but her return when she came was
such n relief that for a moment
Rhoda almost thought she liked
her.
czo &c CONTINUITY