Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-05-24

toned to an Indifference so obvi-
ously genuine that he could not re-
gard 1t as assumed for the purpose
of interesting him.
A few days later Miss Mona spoke
TO him again about C~ynthia's over
working.
won't you talk to her about 1t,
Geoff? I'm sure she'll listen to you |"
MY dear Miss Mona, she's less
likely to listen to me than to any,
one In Denver. Haven't you noticed
that I'm unpopular with your daugh-
ter, to say the least? I'm the only
son of my mother. and life is still
sweet to mel I'd do a lot for you,
Miss Mona dear, but to put my head
In Cynthia's jaws is a job for a
Drawer MAI than l."
Having taken this determined po-
sition 1t vas a little d"isconcerting
to find himself approaching Cynthia
on the subject after all. He did 1t
on impulse-one of the impulses
over which his mother raised her
eyebrows.
Cynthia had come home late to
dinner, more than ordinarily tired.
docs your head ache again,
Cynthia?" asked Tenny pityingly.
"A little, Tenny."
She and the little girl were alone
In the dining room, the others hav-
Ing finished the meal before Cynthia
came. Geoff, returning for the
cigarette lighter he had left on the
table, suddenly f1ared into angry
speech.
You're a fool to work yourself
to death like thisl You worry your
mother, you're hurting your health
what do you gain by it7 What
does Ii matter whether your silly
shop does ten cents more or less
business In a days time? II 1t was
necessary for you to work like this"
-Geoff heard his own voice speak
ing hotly-'I wouldn't say q word.
But merely for a whim-to satisfy
some idiotic idea of self-expres-
sion"
She lifted the coffee cup to her
lips and swallowed the last drops of
the hot fluid.
rs that what you think | do 1t
for?"
What else?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh,
excitement, perhaps-change; or
mightn't 1t be that | want a more
useful life than baking a cake now
and then, and helping Miss Mona ar
range the fiowersT'
He moved lmpatiently. She was
treating him with the same toler-
ance she gave Cary and Tenny, he
thought. So far as she was con
cerned he was just one more friend
of Miss Mona whom she was obliged
W lItdl Win clVlllLy.
He admitted presently that he
appeared to have a talent for pre-
senting himself in the midst of do
nestle disagreements, a fact which
probably contributed to Cynthia's
bored disapproval of him. He came
down stairs n evening in time to
hear her say to her mother:
Mr.. Montague's check was made
out to me, Miss Mona You shouldn't
have cashed It."
Darling, | put by N. c. Ayles-
bury on 1t as plain as anything /;
and Tenny really needed some new
clothes !"
There was a pregnant silence
within the room. Geoff dared neil
Their to enter 0 to go back up the
polished stairs. Then Cynthia spoke.
"All right, honey. 1t upsets my
plans terribly, but 1t can't be helped
now. Only promise me that next
month"
Cynthia, of counsel I'm truly
sorry, dear, If you wanted the
money for the shop, but after all,
we have to consider Tenny first,
don't WEI"
At that Geoff went back to his
room, making no effort to soften
the sound Of his footsteps. Was
there no limit to Cynthia's ra-
pacity? He wondered If the girl
had got herself into some sort of
financial tangle and In desperation
was trying to buy her way out.
Geoff's own board was due the
next day. He told himself that
1t vas concern for Miss Mona that
dictated 1t, but In reality 1t was a
desire to force Cynthia's hand, to
shatter her maddenlng Indifference
toward him.
He wrote out the usual check for
sixty dollars and after dinner ap-
preached Miss Mona, smiling at her
ingratiatingly. He saw CynthIa's
quick glance go to the slip of pa
per In his hand, saw her involun-
tary gesture Of protest, but he ig-
nored both.