Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-08-16
By ALICE DUANE
g. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service

less %breathless than sitting on the
shady porch or under the old,
gnarled apple tree by the side of
the house. She hadn't gone far when
a sharp thunderstorm broke and she
turned for refuge into the driveway
of a small cottage on the edge of a
village. 1t wasn't a pretentious
place at ala little white Colonial
house done over Just enough to make
1t charming. AS Hope ran back to
the house from the garage where
she had parked her car-she noticed
that 1t was a two-car garage, SC she
didn't mind monopolizing half of II
she thought of the trees only as a
menace.
She let the big knocker drop,
sending its loud summons through
the little house. Nobody answered
it, though she sounded 1t again and
again. Then, In a lull for a moment,
she ran round to the back of the
house, tried the back door, and
slammed 1t shut behind her as II
gave to her push.
The kitchen vas In almost dead
darkness. Outside the black clouds
seemed to settle closer and closer
down over the roof.
1t was a cosy kitchen In which
she found herself-bright with red
and white gingham curtains. clean
with blue and gray paint. A box of
groceries was on the table, q kettle
hummed softly on the coal stove.
Thoughts of tea and toast came into
Hopes mind. 1t was mi thing to
take refuge from q terrible storm
in somebody's kitchen; 1t was an
other to make a feast of tea and
toast and the jar of marmalade you
saw sticking from somebody's gro
Gerry order.
A resounding knock echoed through
the house, but 1t was so mixed up
with thunder that for a moment
Hope wasn't sure what 1t meant.
But 1t sounded a second time and a
third, and at last she realized that
somebody was pounding on the front
door knocker. Cropping through the
strange dark dining room and living
room and hall, she finally found the
door. She couldn't see clearly, and
bungled with the opening.
1.-THE knob sticks, Mrs. Tracy"
came a cheerful voice through the
door-and Hopes heart stood still.
Ii was Bob. Give 1t an extra twist
to the right and it1l come Open"
Hope twisted 1t smartly TO the
right, and almost fell backward into
the dim hall as the door came open
In her hand.
That's fine, Mrs. Tracy. I'm Mr..
Johnson-Bob Johnson. | saw the
light In the kitchen so | knew you
were here. | left the back door
open for you-had to u down to
the post office, and got caught In
the storm. Awful good of you to
promise to look after me. You see
I've been a little tired out. and my
old doctor recommended this village
and this house as q good place to
rest up, and his wife remembered
that you sometimes helped out the
summer people. So | wrote you,
and here you are. | wonder II
could have some tea and toast-and
maybe some marmalade? I ordered
things at the grocery, and they're
on the table"
Hope shrank back into the dark
ness. found the door into the back
entry, and faded away into the
shadows. Once more In the bright
kitchen, she set quickly about max
Ing tea-and toast. She spread the
pretty china she found In the cup
boards on a table under the window,
and as she Drowned the bread over
the Goals her cheeks flushed with
heat and excitement. Perhaps-it
hadn't been such a serious quarrel
between Bob and her. They were
both too stubborn, that was the trou-
BILE. But nothing that a little ex-
planning wouldn't r Perhaps
The door opened, and Bob came
blinking into the kitchen. He had
obviously changed his wet things for
house slippers and a dressing gown.
He looked boyish and young, as he
stood there-tired. toe, and q little
pale and worn. He looked first at
the table set for tw0-and then he
saw Hope.
Half an hour later Mrs. Tracy
found them, with all the windows
closed, the shades down and the
lights on, though the summe show
err had passed and a brilliant late
afternoon sunshine bathed a glIs-
tening world. Tea and toast and
marmalade-and something else
had ended the shower for them.