The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-05-01

what l couldn't. And l thought it
would be easier to be let alone If l
changed to Rhoda White. l could
change back now, of course, only
there isn't any reason why | should"
"Well, I'm glad it didn't bother you
that / knew!" (She wasn't! Her voice
gave her away every time. 1t was fiat
now with disappointment over the loss
of a weapon she'd counted On.) "You
won't mind, then, if | call you Miss
McFarland?"
"Not a bit! My best friends know
it's my real name.-Only, why don't
you call me Rhoda?" She hoped her
voice didn't give her away, too. The
next moment she had to manage to
call her companion Claire.
I'm a working girl, myself" said
Claire, cor | have been until lately.
Are you a stenographer? That's what
l was. There may be ways that look
easier. but in the long run they don't
pay Whereas now you take me,
was never out of good job. and the
last man worked for gave me tip
on the stock market that made
enough out of so that don't have to
work any moreover. unless | like.
He owed it to me, all right. I'd made
him more han that. I'd practically
managed all his affairs for six years.
1t was easy. though; didn't take near
all my time and ] used to do outside
work-afternOons and sometimes eve
nings. That's how happened to work
for your father"
"Oh, | see," Rhoda agreed brightly
81 remember how often he used to go
back to work evenings. l always hated
to have him do it."
"You poor kid! You must have been
lonesome!'
Rhoda felt her face burning as If
it had been slapped. This woman's
profession of sympathy was an insult
she couldn't stand. She looked down
at her plate and managed to swallow
a few morsels of the food that was
on it. When she thought she could
command her voice she preached the
main subject of their interview.
"You asked in your letter about a
paper you had given him to keep for
you. / haven't destroyed any of my
fathers papers," Rhoda told her.
"There was a whole trunkful of them
and | sealed it up just as it was.
What sort of paper was it,"
The woman, despite her pretended
hesitations and reluctances, was per-
fectly ready with her answer. Rhoda
listened intently for sentence or two
and then more or less switched off her
mind to other things. 1t was glaringly
evident she was lying
The gist of the story was that
wicked man had wronged her years
ago when she was mere girl. The
paper was, it seemed, sort of con-
fession which she had, somehow.
forced him to give her. Its value to
her was that it showed her to have
been really innocent-though if she
had been wronged in the usual way it
was hard to see what good the exhi-
bition of this document would do her
with anybody. Rhoda asked no ques-
lions, however, and pressed for no
details.
Claire's reason for wanting her pa
per so desperately after all these years
was not the least remarkable part of
the narrative. She was planning to
be married and she had reason to be-
lieye that her enemy meant to try to
prevent 1t by telling the man some
lies about her. But If she had his
confession to confront him with, he
wouldn't dare say word to her
fance.
Rhoda hoped her face looked as If
she were believing it all, but she was
afraid 1t didn't.