Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1932-01-14

: nanKle, there, money. Motner won't II
loft the handle again"
The little boy sniffled into the hand
Ikerchief. 1t was pink and had a littl
wreath of roses in the corner of it. H
! released, in the direction OF his mothe
! a Watery April smile.
: Then let's not go away. mummy.
he wheedled, lets stay right on here
Where we have our bookcases and ou
piano. And Il garden and-our play
roomtr
Absently. almost. the little bow.
mother retrieved her hankie. She dab.
bed at her own eyes with 1t before shs
answered.
I'm afraid, my dear" she said al
last, that that's impossible. We CAM
stay here. This is daddy,s house. Ane
daddyfs things aren't Il things, moi
any more
The little boy interrupted.
Daddy wouldn't say sol" he eiac-
ulated. "Daddy'd say we should stay
here"
But the little boys mother was shak-
ing her head. Slowly, sadly.
NO, he wouldn't say that" she told
the child. Daddy wouldn't say that
at all, Richard
They were back again. at the bepin-
ming. With mother laying linen in the
Old fashioned trunk. With her head
bent forward above it. With all the
questions still unanswered. The little
boy went. mentally, over the old
ground, the while his eyes took in all
the details of the gracious, high ceiling
ed room in which his mother was pack
ing The piano, OH which he was al
lowed 60 drum. The books-he couldn't
read them, yet, but no one minded
When ne thumbed through them to
look at the pictures. The wide fireplace
at which, On cold winter afternoons
ne n his mother toasted m%arshmal-
lows, and-on special occasions. roast
eu apples I'M made popcorn. The deep.
cozy chairs. The divan. Mentally the lit
LIE Experimentation with the two
mythical rooms Of the equally mythical
new home. Why, those two ON must
De JUS like closets! Where would his
blackboard hang2 Where would his
nopby-norse stand? What about his
rlng-toss game, and the electric train
and the big shabby teddy bear-and the
village that ne ad daddy had cut from
pasteboard boxes. Where
Can take my toys?" asked the little
boy suddenly, completing the circle
mummy his voice. too. had .
rusty sound, now, 20, mummy. can I
take my toys? All of themI'
The little boys mtoher didn't raise
ner mead again from the depths of the
The pile of linen had diminish
eu. The trunk wa nearly full.
Il must get at the silver next said
the little boys mother in a meditatsve
tone. And then
Yes, Richard. : she said. you NAV
axe your toys. That is, you may take
ali OF the whole ones. This is a good
lme to have a complete clearing out.
Wen give AWay-or throw aWay-the
oroken things. Why z she had a sudden
Inspiration. @You go up now to the pay
DOM and sort out the toys that are
really worth keeping? While I'm get
ing U clothes in order
Tt was a dismissal. Though carefully
,loaked IN %politeness and ~self-controI.
he little boy knew a dismissal when it
happened TO him He didn't make anv
'esponse. He just walked slowly out
4 the room He only paused, for lust
! moment, to look out OF the board
french window that opened mt the
The garden, gallant In its pink
md mauves and xiolets, sIoped down /
9 the road. The road, in turn, sloped !
" TO the town. The town clustered !
It's shops and houses like SO MANY t
nlckens-around the railroad station. I
: was the railroad station that, Of all I
town, most interested the little bow. 7
or 1t was to the station that daddy S
ad been wont to drive, every morning d
Ter breakfast, In time for the eight /
.eh1y-slx. II was from the station
aat ne a been wont to appear, each S
ight, after leaving the five-forty-fiye. Il
elgnt-tWenty-six and the f~ive-for- I
live had been magic names to the @
Tile poy. They had been more than +,
laglc names, they had been magic car a
on which daddy vanished and re- II
lrTed. Fl
Daddy The little boy, standing by
le French window, thought of daddy =
I daddy's wide shoulders on which ! o
lliu could alance with utter conf :
~ uddlJ , Wlu6 Smile. III which
Child could lose all sense OF apnre- ~
snsion or fear. The little boy adored ~
$ motner-but he adored her with the u
servations of sex, and of ski She g
IS q woman. She was to be loved he
q to love in return. To be leased &C
d questioned and kissed. To be COW "
IN, OF q winters afternoon. in front
the fireplace. She was to sob against.
q to be laughed with. She was i n
But daddy was a man. and, an
ual. Daddy was something firm and !
able. One could depend on his
tching the eight-twenty-six. On his
flve-forty-five return. At least
&c 2 could have depended on It'll
T daddy hadn't been home to the
use, not for a matter Of two WORKING ~
eks and two empty Sundays. Dad
hadn't been home at all. And
ough his mother hadn't said any,
.ng, the little boy knew that daddy
away on a trip. There hadn't n
telephone calls, you see. and VEL r
7 kilograms. There hadn't been boxes Il
candy, by parcel post. .
There was a train coming In. now M
Vn at the station. The little how e
lid see the puffs of smoke rising W
ud-lke, against the blue of the skg, ia
4 ftHa 1t-xv i