Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-07-02
Nancy Opens the Door @
By Alma and Paul ENerbe %

Turpin only by sight, but Mr.. Sander
son was her friend. If he died he
would be the first person she had ever
known who had died, for she hadn't
really known the little Hume boy, or
Father Matthews. or Walkers dog, or
Homer King.
Nobody liked Buck Turpin. Every
body was afraid of him and hoped
he'd leave town and go somewhere else
to live. He drank all the time, but
MIR. Jim Sanderson only drank some
times. Her father said he couldn't
help it. He tried to, but he couldn't.
He tried ever SO hard over and over,
but he couldn't. But even when he
was drinking he wasn't bit like Buck
Turpin: people weren't afraid of him
just sorry for him.
Like that Sunday morning when she
and her father were coming home from
a visit in the country and stopped in
the woods near Shades creek to see
if CisSy DObbS and Belle Briar hap
pened to be spending Sunday in the
big hollow sycamore tree with the
trumpet vine on it, and off through
the woods they saw Mr.. Jim Sander
son sitting on a log with his head in
his hands. Her father was about to
knock on the tree with his whip, when
the church bells rang and Mr.. Jim
SanderSon jumped up and came dash
ing through the bushes with his eyes
wild and blOodshot and his cravat I'M
tied.
Those damn bells are enough to
drive a mans soul to hell" he shouted
to her father.
Her father said he had been drink
ing for days and was just getting over
it. He said she must be sorry for him,
and she was. He said he could have
painted scenery and people instead of
signs and houses if he had let whisky
alone.
When he wasn't drinking he was
gay and friendly, singing on his little
platform up against the side Of a
house, and calling down to the people
in the street; one of the kindest men
in town; one Of the incest and most
polite. He was the only one who took
off his hat to her just as he did to
her mother. All the children liked
him; and old ladies and gentlemen
And Sport would follow him away
whenever he wanted him to. And
now
She glanced quickly about and saw
that she was alone. She had been
thinking SO hard that she hadn't no.
ticed when her mother left her. Her
heart began to beat so that she could
feel it. The bright familiar room
seemed suddenly full of death. Full Of
Mr.. Jim Sanderson and Buck Tur-
pin. Not as they had been, but
changed-she didn't know how, but
dreadful.
The night the little Hume boy was
drowned something had come anc
swung like a monkey in the Virginia
creeper outside her bedroom window
and crawled in and hid behind hel
curtains and got under her bed. Ano
every now and then it came again, and
always when somebody died. Some
, times it had the little Hume boys
eyes, and sometimes Father Matthews
sometimes Walkers dogs, and some
times Homer Kings; and now 1t was
there again-with Buck Turpin's eyes
She left the spoon sticking up in the
wobbly mound of blanc mango anc
went out quickly into the library and
1t followed after her like air. There
was nobody in the nbrary-or the sit
ting room-and she could feel 1t there
behind her. She felt it on her hail
and neck. Her steps got faster and
faster, until she reached the side
porch, over which her mother had
passed on her way into the yard tc
speak to Athens.
She felt better there because it was
sunshiny and she could see Athens
through the open door OF the stable
fastening the last buckles on Birds
harness, and down at the other end
of the side yard her mother leaning
over the fence talking to Mrs. Bal
com next door. She didn't follow
her mother because she didn't like
Mrs. Balcom-she felt that just then
she couldn't bear her. She stood or
the side porch and waited.
But her mother went through the
gate and on into the house with Mrs
Balloon, and Athens, who could be very
quick when he had to, jumped into the
phaeton and drove away, and she was
alone again, with 1t there behind her
i CTo be continued