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

all my tine and \ used to do out
side work-afternoons and some
times evenings That's how I hap
pened to work for your father"
"Oh. I see" Rhoda agreed bright
". II remember how often he used
TO 20 back 10 work evenings al
ways hated 10 have him do it
-You poor kidd You must have
been loneSomes
Rhoda felt her face burning a. II
II had been slapped This woman's
profession OF sympathy vas an in
suit she couldn't stand. She looked
down az her plate and managed 20
swallow a few morsels OF the food
that was on II. When she thought
she could command her voice she
preached the main subject OF their
interview.
"Yon asked I'm your letter about
a paper you had given him to keep
for yon 7 haven't destroyed %
NJ nv fathers papers" Rhoda told
her. ~There was a whole trunkfnl
OF them and I sealed II up inst as
II was What sort OF paper was
it,"
The woman. despite her pretend.
ed hesitations and r~eluctanceS was
perfectly ready with her answer.
Rhoda listened intently fora sen.
tence or two and then more or less
switched or her mind 10 other
things III was glarlnrly evident she
was lying.
The Eist or the story was that y
wicked man had wronged her years
ago when she was a mere girl. The
paper was. Il seemed. a sort OF con
fession which she had. somehow
forced him 60 give her. Its value
~ her was shat n showed her ~
have been really innorent-thouEh
N she had been wronEed FRI the
usual way II was hard To see what
good the exhibition of this docu.
ment would do her with anybody.
Rhoda asked no questions. however.
and pressed for no details.
Claires reason for wanting her
paper 50 desperately after all these
years wss not the least remarkable
part ~ the narrative. She was
planning To be married and she had
reason e. believe that her enemy
meant ~ try 10 prevent III Nv tell
ing tha man SOME lies about her.
Fnt ri she had hts confession n
confront him with. he wouldn't dare
say a word 10 her fance.
Rhoda hoped her face looked as n
she believing Il all. but she
was afraid il didn't.
II can SEE how badly Won must
want it.~ she said. when the story
was finished. "T1l try my best tn
find n FOR you."
evil II take very long~ Claire
asked. Before YOU can start look
r. for II. I mean. or course vou
can't tell how long II will take
you to find tt
~No.- Rhoda assured her. "Tn
20 az II as soon as ! get home this
afternoon
THAT certainly ~ mighty sweet
M YOU Claire burst out. with N
sudden suffuslon or warmth. ~Tf
seems q shame 10 make vou ~
much trnuble-T7I tell yon what We
might DO" she added. let me
20 along with you and help yor
look. ] could probably find e
quicker than you could. because !
know Just what to look for"
The attempted casualness a. the
suggestion may have been a little
overdone. Whether FOR that reason
or another there flashed into
Rhoda's memory. MS clearly as IN
she were hearing II over N radio
a question Martin had asked he
that morning: -whst does she
want to do: 20 ' e your fathers
papers and pick out what she
likes7 II vas a moment before she
could trust her voice 70 answef
and even then II didn't sound quite
right
"Oh. that won't be necessary.
she said. I'm sure 7 can find w
IN frs there. and II won't be any
trouble ne ALL
Claire glanced al her watch ant
started a little. "will you excuse
me a moment. dearie?" she said
81 told a friend Of mine that ]
didn't know whether I had a date
FOR lunch today or not I didn't.
or course. until I knew whether
you'd rome. And Y said I'd call
them up before one O'Clock and let
them know
Her departure worried Rhoda a
little. principally because she had
only two dollars with her. What
II 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 q relief that for a moment
Rhoda almost thought she liked
hnF