Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1933-05-18
CHAPTER III
A Box of Flowers.


sights of Denver In the late after
| noon.
Geoff noticed that the boy consulted
his wrlstwatch frequently as SIX
o'clock approached. When the car was
| finally headed toward home he said
hestatingly:
.Old man. Id appreciate 1t Ii you'd
forget to mention this drive OF ours
| to Cynthia r
For Petes sake. why?' Geoff de-
manded. Does she fear the contami-
nation of my presence on your pure
young soul?"
Cary grinned. "She's much mora
likely to hold you up to me as an ex-
ample of what the Industrious young
| man does to forward his career. You
see,' he went on overwhelmingly, Eve
lost my job, and I'd Just as soon Gym
| thia wouldn't know 1t until l land an
other. I'll pick up something else in a
day or two and then I'll break 1t to her
| gently that I've bettered myself TILL
then I'd just as soon she didn'tknow
! was fired from my last position
sWould she raise a rowf" Geoff
| asked curously.
| "Would she Cynthia's the grandest
little raiser of rows you ever knew"
Il can imagine" Geofr said dryly.
well, your dark secret Is safe with
me. Maybe | can land something for
you In the laboratory
Don't bother. I never have any
trouble getting Job. It's holding
EN- he explained ingenueusiy 4that
ties me into @boW-knots."
Cynthia was home when they ar
rived She eyed her brother a little
sharply, did you pick Geoff up on
your why homer And to Geoff: II
| didn't know you intended to start work
today"
Il didn't. he said offhandedly. .As
matter of fact | met Cary--ah-on
the street, and he gave me lift
That the street was the one which
! ran In front of the house he did not
think 1t necessary to explain. 7 want
to buy car of my own" he went ON.
I'm going to explore the mountains
on Saturday afternoons md Sundays.
| They're not at all like our eastern
| mountains, You know They"
Il know" she interrupted shortly.
II spent two years In the East"
"You did? And never let us know
| you were there?"
Il was In college. Your mother was
abroad with your father
what college?"
"Smith"
ibid you finish?'
Miss Nonas gentle voice inter-
vened. mo. she didn't finish, Geoff.
| was so glad when she decided to
/ give 1t up and come homel | suppose
college life Is all right for girls these
| days. but somehow I never could be
| quite reconcled to my little girls living
SO far from her family" She smiled
at Geoff. Il behaved awfHlly we'll
about letting her go / didn't say a
word against 1t though cried myself
to sleep, night after night after she
left. And behold the reward of vir-
tue! Cynthia came home Of her own
accord after the second year"
Geoff shot her questioning glance.
What had changed her mind7 She
didn't seem like girl who would stop
halfway through her college career.
| Cynthia rose suddenly. DINNERS
late. I'll 90 and speak to Marguerite"
Geofr delighted In this appellatlon
for the dusky mald-of-all- It
fitted In exactly with this casual. con-
Trajectory family. Only Cynthia struck
a discordant note In the general har-
mony. Captain Cary was courtly and
gracious, Miss Mona was charming
Cary's light-heartedness was attrac-
tive, Tenny was an unusually interest
ing little GIRL But Cynthial
Geoff. who was on good terms with
almost everybody he knew, found him
self actually disliklng the girl. He
was uneaslly aware that she tolerated
him as his mothers son rather than
accepted him for those winning quail
titles which other girls had given him
to understand he possessed. He was
saved from egotsm by healthy realI-
cation of his own defects. Neverthe-
less 1t was a new and rather painful
experience to find that this small
/ brown girl whose one beauty was her
4 blue eyes observed these defects also.
Dinner tonight was In noticeable
contrast with that Of the evening be-
fore. The food was abundant and
well-cooked but there were no fancy
frllls Of mushrooms and Ice cream
rosebuds. Brolled steak, creamed po-
tatoes, tomato salad, cherry dumplings
with hard sance-that constituted the
meal. Marguerite's cap and apron had
lost little Of their crispness. Only
the flower centerpiece was as beauti-
full. pink snapdragons, tonight, with
baby's.breath and cornflowers.
"From your garden?n he asked Miss
Mona.
YES. Cynthia fuses II | work out
\ there very much but | love It,"