Evening star., 1933-02-15
NdHTQUBDAu6uTfR 8|
~ y kaharine Hmtand-yor M

| thought so. too. She didn't seem TO
like to go out"
Whst did she say when she said
| go6dbye?" Mr.. Smith questioned; did
she give that reason for leaving?"
sShe didn't say goodbye" Mary Todd
answered; "she left q note"
yHave YOU the note?" asked Mr..
Smith.
Mary, rising. said that she had and
she left the room. A moment later,
above the squawks Of the protesting
| youngSter, Michael and Mr. Smith
heard. Mother, where's that note Car
rie Jones left? I know I have tt
somewherel"
Did you look In the top sideboard
| drawer?" was the response. Then came
the sound of an opening drawer. O Sd
lence. the shutting of this drawer and
the opening of another This last
drawer was not shut and Mary came
hurrying back, breathing little
quickly.
Here it IS" she said M Smith
| took 1t,
A moment and It was aping the aspen
leaf in Michaels hand, and he read:
| Dearest Mary and Mother and Mr..
| Todd: must go away because I'm
afraid 1t isn't safe for you to have me
stay any longer. never, never, never
can thank you for all that you have
done for me. but If ever get my money
I'm going to show you a little of all
that I feel and that makes me choke
to think Of, and think of it so much
and 1 shall never forget. I'm sorry
this is bIotted, but 1 can't help CRYING
because l love you all so much and it's
TOO hard to go. / can't ever thank you
| Tor all you've done. I have left the
ring Mary liked in my left bureau
drawer and the handkerchiefs and the
beads and pin mother liked for her,
near the ring. I never can thank you.
Yours always, Carrie"
"P-S.: I have enough money to 10
quite distance and then know can
find work, so you needn't worry. I saw
all your names, and Sonny's and BAbys,
IN my prayers every night and I wish
you would say little prayer sometimes
for me; certainly would appreciate
that. More love and more than you'lf
ever krowl c."
Michael saw the writing mistily.
Why you poor mani" thought Mary
looking at, him; actually, he looked
really sick.
You know. we thought she was a
little unbalanced" she confided, land
because Of wnat she kept saying about
that money she thought was hers. She
felt as II we did lot for her. and really
we didn't, because she helped at eyery-
thing and she made the babies the
cuteSt little dresses, but she'd say, and
her eyes would brim, If ever get my
money III show you, in q little way,
what all this means, and maybe she'd
go on to say, never can show you
entirely! And, you know, she was al
ways talking about getting work and
her clothes were terribly shabby and
all very plain. So. we just thought,
mother and !, that she was a little
unbalanced, because If she really had
this money she thought she had she
wouldn't have been wearing her plain,
shabby clothes or talking about get
ting work the way she did. And that
worried us terribly when she left, for
we didn't feel she was fit to care for
herself and, anyway, we wanted her
TO stay on (mother was Just devoted to
her and, come to that, we all were) and
she would have been welcome and more
than welcome to stay with US as long
as she would, because, really, she was
! just sweet"
Michael thought Mary Todd was
sweet (she had been kind to CarrolD
and wise tShe appreciated Carroll.(
Before Michael left he made Mary
take some sizably numbered bills with
golden backs. for the little people
why, MIR. wister," she gasped, look
Ing at the bills and then at him, and
she went white: it had been SO terribly
hard to get along! II never saw one
of those beforeP' she added unsteadiIy:
It had three naughtS and one on 1t.
Her eyes brtmmed dangerously and her
smile was unsteady. Heaven was near;
| Willard could now buy the garage:
their troubles would be done and they
could be together
Michael told her that she was going
to see more Of them. you see," he
explained, II owe. you more than IN
ever be able to pay. Carroll Is, in a
way, my little girl. She's always
They left addresses, telephone num-
bers and orders to telephone II there
were any least news of her, and they
left money to cover any expense. Mary
said she would keep this money sepa-
rate from hers and In the blue sugar
bowl on the top shelf Of the dining
room mantel. And she added that she
knew Carroll would write because she
had promised to, and probably she ap-
| pended quickly (poor Mr.. Wister; his
lace had grown SO stiff and whfte)
Carroll had been too busy getting set
tied in a new place to take the time to
write letter MIR. Wister knew, of
course ('poor mani she thought, poor
manP) how people, and every one al
most, put OH writing letters.
Michael knew, however, that Carroll
had always written letters promptly and
easily. and sAFmises as to what kept
her from writing cast him to his hell
again.
| The two men drove back to Memphis
without many words. And an ironic
| fate saw to it that the car avoided all
treacherous mud-holes, to make good
| time
""n she thought some one was fol-
lowing her." said Darius Smith at
length, "she wouldn't have hung around
this part Of the world and she said she
had enough money to take her some
distance. That proves she thought Of
distance as desirable quantity"
That is probably true" said Michael
DULY: Il suppose that man who fol-
| Of quiet, was some one after the re-
ward"
"Oh. yes" Mr.. Smith answered easily.
"Capelletti won't do anybody any more
harm"
Big Bits rival had gone, for the last
trip, to a place where he was to stay:
his boys were scattered shaken and
turned Intellectual and weak by fear.
They were no longer q menace. But
Carroll did not know this and she had
been frightened into flight by one who,
wishing q reward, would have taken her
back to land of .7lenty, a land 50 far
away from her that she now saw it
through a mist"
(To Be Continued Tomorrow)