The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-05-11

Published by Special Advancement With The
Chicago Tribune-New York News ssno'case'
copyrieht: 1884: BY A JOHNSON
IN TWO PARTS-PART ONE
WHEN, JUST AS HIS FIANCEE WAS
SAILING TO WE'D HIM, HE WAS
RESET BY FRANTIC DOUBTS
ABOUT MARRIAGE IN GENERAL
AND CECILIA IN PARTICULAR
nyHE MARAvAL was sailing, bringing
the girl he loved to him. After the
delirium of arrangements, the sudden
lull left Rodney stranded, a lean, sandy
haired young geologist, the hardest
worker in the oil camp, marooned
among soft cushions On the veranda
lobby of an exotic tropical hotel. Only
EIGHT DAYS more and Cecilia would be
With him. Lord, he couldn't believe 1t
could be true. Only eight days more!
The prospect Of those eight days was
more unbearable than facing an eter-
nifty in the flat. swampy oil camp where
there wasn't a bit of beauty or a single
unmarried girl. Cecilia, bless her! &C.
ella, coming to him.
It was kind Of Miss Edwards-or
was Edmonds the name?-to listen to
his rawlings. Aside from the boss n
his wife. who happened to be In Trim
idad also, his only acquaintance was
dried up old Hatfield, who had grown
cynical and grizzled in East Indian
service and had now retired to a life
of gossip and ease in the tropics. After
he had wandered around the Queens
Park hotel all morning like a lost soul.
feeding the monkeys in the courtyard
and trying to interest himself in the
local paper, genial Mr.. Marshall, the
hotel manager. had piloted him over
to where Miss Edmonds, or was 1t Ed
wards, was sitting in a big wicker chair
gazing across the Savannah. Before
he knew it, he was telling her all about
Cecilia.
mot many a girl would give up a
Jolly home life and marry a man she
had only known three weeks on a
cruise" he boosted.
But she loved you," Miss Edwards
reminded him with whole souled earn
estness.
I'VE both knew we loved each other
after we'd been only two days out al
sea-" he told her. "Cecilia's the kind
who'd love one man only"
Like your" asked Miss Edwards.
%, I might be as faithless as the
rest of Them" he admitted. But there
Isn't much chance in an oil camp, and
besides I keep pretty busy with my
work."
Els your finance attractive?"
"Pretty as all hell" he smiled.
'T1ny?"
THANK God, no. How I hate these
Nggling bits Of fluff" in his enthu-
dasm he was blissfully unconscious
that Miss Edwards herself was inclined
TO be petite.
Cecilia is tall, clear skinned and
athletic. She isn't sallow and hard
drinking and lazy like S % many women
You meet in the tropics"
There was a moment Of silence as
Rodney thought about Cecilia, her Gag
er vouthfulness, her classic, fine fea-
lures, her smooth brown hair against
her transparent skin. Miss Edmonds
was too tactfu1 to interrupt his men,
cries.
$50 nan fellows are worried about
bringing their wives down tn life in
the oil camps" he went on. 'They get
to drinking tho much and messed up
IN f1irtations, but I'd never worry about
Cecilia. The climate would never get
her as It might some foolish little weak
women. She has got stamina"
"T know the kind Of a girl YOU mean.
You r lnc4v to get her." Miss Ed
monds nodded.
"She made me send her a list Of
books so she'd know more about my
work. She said she didn't pretend she
thought she could help me but she
wanted to feel I could talk shop at
home and have an intelligent listener"
"Almost all wise wives feel that way,
but 1t isn't many who think Of it be-
fore marriage"
"You wouldn't believe she'd get all
excited about q five-room oil camp
cottage, but, hell, Cecilia made me
draw q plan and she even figured out
the furniture and found out the kind
Of plants that would grow best around
the house."
"Your first house Is always thrilling
-. not that I've been married or had
Q first house myself" Miss Edmonds
smiled at her own misplaced enthusi-
ANn.
Eli KMWME1W%E