Evening star., 1934-06-22
CHAPTER XVII.
= JHAPTEK AAV1I,
AIRY had gone. Rose looked
with faint repugnance at the
little heap of stale cigarette
- ashes, match ends and stubs

AhH4 naQ gone. Rose looked
with faint repugnance at the
little heap of stale cigarette
IL ashes, match ends and stubs
filling the fern dish that Lottie
SO priced.
He had been so shaken, so utterly
remorseful that she had forborn any
comment, other than somewhat Wor-
ried query as to Luke Hewttt's reac-
ton. should he discover that his wishes
in the matter of an assignment had
been ignored.
He'd raise a fuss, all right" Larry
had agreed uneasily. Raise it feet
and put blocks under it--if he found
out! But I'll talk him around; I've
done 1t before" He grinned shame
lessly, irrepressible even in his weary
self-disgust "As we say in Arabia,
the hand that thou cannot bite. kiss
and put on thy headP" He had the
grace to flush under the girls intent
gaze. Its you I feel badly about,
Rose" he added miserably contrite.
I'm just no good, that's all :. You
should have turned me out.
But he knew and the girl knew that
he though nothing of the sort. How
much he remembered of the actual
events of the evening before, how
much he recalled of his own words,
she had only to conjecture. For the
moment she felt that she did not want
to know.
Locking the door of the little store
behind her, Rose led the wide-eyed,
chattering Kitten toward the cottage
she had left so calmly the night be-
fore. She must buy bread for break
fast-Shroder's might be open by now
=. and Kitten had no cereal at home.
If she hurried, it was so early, she
would meet no one who would wonder
at her presence. :.
Picking the child up in her arms,
Rose hastened her steps to the store.
Mr.. SHREDDER, busily sorting the morn
Ing's delivery of eggs, nodded casually
above the sliding spectacles that strad-
died his nose. But the only other oc-
cupant of the store turned at her en-
trance to eye her sharply. With con-
traction of the heart, Rose recognized
the narrow face, beetling brow and
Eimlet glance of Luke Hewitt.
Out a mite early, amt ye, Miz
Therrold?" he asked in his high, rasp-
ing whine. "Or is it a mite late, eh-
heh, heh?" Something in that probing
voice. maliciously inquisitive, startled
Rose out of her abstraction. The mans
cackle at his own pleasantly died away
as his sharp glance took in Kittens
crumpled frock and obviously un-
combed curlS.
Il haven't had my breakfas' and my
mommie says began the child's
high, excited voice. Rose jerked her
convulsively closer to her side veri-
table panic growing within her, drown
ing out even her consciousness of
Kittens astonished whimper at the
action.
Luke Hewitt! Her mind clicked
sharply, paralyzingly stunned. Had it
been Luke Hewitt standing outside her
window last night? His step she had
heard when she had pulled down that
shade? Had he seen Larry in the room
poor, weak, trusting Larry? Oh, why
hadn't she remembered that shade
sooner, she ragged silently-what would
it mean to Larry if this man did know?
His straight laced, psalm singing, mar
row tenetS would surely see but the
worst. Unseeingly she looked at the
apples in their barrels, at the bright
woolen stuffS, at the stove in the CEN
ter of the store, with the inevitable
houn' dog lying beneath it. .
"Characteristically enough she
thought not at all of her own position
in the matter. No one, she would have
reasoned, hao it occurred to her at all,
had any right to question her actions.
The fact that she lived in a commu-
nifty which automatically made one &C
countable to ones neighbor, simply did
not trouble her at all.
Setting out for her visit to Miss
Abby's that afternoon, Rose found
herself moving as though in fog. Her
skin felt burning; the skin stretched
tight. When she closed her eyes the
lids seemed weighted with tiny grains
of sand. The sleepless night had taken
its toll
Lottie, returning eXuberant and full
of gossip from her trip, had under
taken to care for Kitten And. with the
precious package containing the sweet
meat box clasped under her arm, Rose
walked to Miss Abigail's house,