Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1932-03-31
Chapter %
SWEET DEADLY POISON

Jan had no reverence for these lear
things of his masters; he wanted a
run out of doors. He made his i'm
patience so plain that David and Kit
" laughed and yielded to it.. They
left the house by the woodshed door.
The yards, the empty weathered
barns and ~outsheds, seemed to swim
in a soft haze. Fat pigeons summed
themselves on the barn root. Out
side, as In the house, everything was
m~etieulously clean, orderly. A path
of old flagstones led to a strip OF
garden where still bloomed a few
ragged chrysanthemums.
Q cried Kitty, lifting her hand.
Il hear it! The brooke
"Of course-it's there, just be-
yond those willows"
They left the brook to climb the
hillside thru old oak trees and NAPLES
and frs. When, presently, they came
out on the top Kitty dropped to the
ground, a little breathless.
Il love it! It's as good as my hill
top!'
And David's silence, his smile OF
appreciation hat was partly for what
ne saw and partly for her delight,
was good to her.
The sun lay warm on them. David
sat down beside her. Jan reluctantly
curled at his masters feet.
David, I'm glad you brought me
mere. | can rather guess what ii
means to you. lists so safer
He nodded his head. i've wanted
70 bring you here, Kitty" he said
simply.
She had a pleasant sense Of shar-
ing with David something so init
mately a part Of him that he had
no words for ii. She recalled the look
on his face when he told her thar
his forebears had owned most of this
Nalley-a fine proud respecting look.
a look of belonging.
she was shyly conscious Of dents
IN David which she never had sus-
pected. Shed not known them be-
cause always when she'd beer with
him she'd been so wrapt in her OWL
plight.
David" how OLD was your moth
err when she went away?"
twenty. She went to Winton to
teach school. She'd graduated from
Cornell. o see, the year before.
She met my father that Winter. They
We're married in the Spring"
Kitty's beows drew together. What
had Gar said? That his father had
married out Of his class, something
like that
How old were o when she died
David?'
-Four"
And you don't remember her?r
More, now, than | did. This place
has helped me. She used to come
here with me, summers. upp
Her father was living, then. / can
remember her playing with me in the
brook"
Kitty was silent. held in deep com
passion. She OWNED swiftly how
much David needed that sense OF
love. She remembered how he'd had
to go to his fathers house, an in
truder.
David, tell me ~more-about your
SELF she said at length softly. He
gave a short laugh. mot particu-
larly pretty talk, Kitty. l guess i
much more as a kid thar | am
a man, now" Then a sudden anger
him. Il was ready to adore
her-that who took my moth
er's place. She was the kind a kid
would like, lovely looking and all that.
But she shut me out, right from the
l wasn't hers. She shut me
put from everything. She was poison,
slow. sweet, deadly poison. She's
it on my father. She's made
him ~insensible to all but the need Of
making money. She's worked it On
poor old Carol"
Kitty made a little protest.
But Carols hers!'
mot a son. She isn't Gar. 1t
Car she wanted. Well, she has him."
An involuntary SILVER went over
Kitty. David saw It.
"She'd send me out of the room
when anyone came in. l thot there
was something about me hat was
Iueer-Id listen thru the door while
she showed off Cars baby tricks.
Probably Carol felt the same way l
lid. That's the kind of thing that
scars, kitty"
Jan had Struggled closer to his
master. David's hands caught the
fur, dug deep into it.
Il told you it wasn't pretty talk,
Kitty. You can't get it, perhaps
haven't run up against hatred,
leart, that eats into the soul. I've
been afraid of it for you"
I'm not going to let it touch mel"
Kitty cried on a sharply drawn
"Or Gar" She squared her
shoulders with a valiant little air of
why don't you forget 1t,
You could"
Il was too sensitive, more intro
han a kid ought to be.
Wen, | walked out when | was eigh-
She'd framed some petty things
against me and l wouldn't deny it.
t came to me all at once that | did
II have to deny 1t to her-that she
need to count. ! got a job
advertising stuff on bill
| wanted to write-I used
o grind out stuff nights with a
lanket wrapped around me because