The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-04-19
Chapter B TIE AN SWER

 JUn?rH DALE wrote ar answer to o Lee husbands letter at top speed, t.iea raced down the hill to the Big Tom post-offfce and mailed it before she had time to change her mind.
 h bed she tried to remember cer- tain portions of her answer. She had written, "Pd as soon consider catting the house into small bits and keeping those parts as l would taking part of the furnishings for myself. Hillendale is an entity. To have a part of it would only remind re of what have lost"
 lIaybe seeing him with Mathilde would cure her of her obsession, for surely a love which could call forth the acute emotional agony she was suffering was an obsession.
 She turned her face into he pill lows and tried to muffle the sobs which shook her entire body, dimly conscious that her physical being from the tips of her toes to the dreadful pain in her head was like a sensitive machine racked by pow CT beyond her control.
 The springs of Delphy's bed creaked and caused her to catch her breath and lie quiet moment. Foot steps shuffled to the kitchen, there was the click of metal on metal and a low-voiced monologue on a "danged contraption tha'll cause ma soul to suffa fire for cursin' 1t"
 Delphy was heating chocolate. The sobs of her mistress turned to hysterical laughter, and when the old woman shuffled in a few mo- ments later she found Judith laugh ing rying in the same breath.
 ;. there, ;'oney lamb; juss you shut yo' mouth an drink this chocolate"
 How can shut my mouth n drink?" inquired Judith, with hys- terical giggle.
 "I'll rub yo' back down soon's you finish it. Wrought up you are, wrought up, what with dam buildin ghosts an f1yin' up where mans never sposed to be you're all a quiver."
 When Judith had finished the chocolate" Delphy, Ignoring her protests, rubbed some homemade concoction of menthol cn the back of her neck and began massagipg her neck, her shoulders. her back.
 When she awakened the next morning she felt that something dreadful which had been on the verge of happening had happened. Delphy served Ter breakfast. relat- ing some choice town gossip as she lowered about the table, and Judith. remembering her unselfish devo. tion, pretended to enjoy the f1aky biscuits and to laegh at the gossip.
 The change in her personal af fairs made Delphy a fresh problem She should send her back to Nor man or Mrs. Dale. She belonged to item. but somehow. having her made it seem she still retained some hold on her husband. She would let Delphy make the decision.
 CHE did that evening. The grow O ing heat of the desert spring had driven them to the little porch in front, and Delphy. silent for the mo ment. was watching the approach of the work train, crawling along like black snake.
 She explained things briefly, then waited for the old woman to answer
 Miss Judy. d'you mean you don't want me no mo'?" she asked plain. lively.
 NO, Delphy; not at all. But, as Miss Bevins said in Lige's letter, you've always been with the Dales."
 Miss Judy. none the rest of the Dales needs me 'ceptin' you; and Miss Judy. just got to be needed"
 Tears smarted in Judith's eyes at the hunger in the old woman's voice, You're right, Delphy, and I do need you .. you know that, don't you?"
 The train was in. the mail courier coming up the hill. Judith's heart beat like tom-tom in spite of her stern efforts to control hope she knew to be futile. Letters for her .. she scanned the handwriting. Clia's scrawl. She tore open the envelope, pulled out the rough copy paper, and out of the mass of letter ing one line seemed to stand H. lumined.
 Norman has quit the firm of Dale. Lampere and Morrison"
 Judith read on breathlessly.
 'The other day in court, some
 one informed me that Norman
 Dale's name had disappeared from
 the door of the firms offices. l tele-
 phoned them and the girl told me
 Norman was out of town.