The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1935-12-05
There's Always
Another Year
By MARTHA osTENso

| OOu US1lSVG yOu, AS ScAA. "Aos
has changed your mind about this
place all of sudden? There's some
| thing else back of this"
There isn't!'' she burst out pas
sionately For Gods sake, get out
before-before you're ruined!"
Her words seemed to be scurry-
ing over each other now, she
thought in panic. But he should not
wiring the truth from her-he
should not wiring the truth from
her-he should not!
Roddy's voice came in a hoarse
whisper from his clench teeth. "You
too! My Cd, I thought you had
more fight in you than that" He
turned away from her and moved
toward the door, then looked back
quickly. Cali right-go ahead! I
might have known what to expect
when 1 began dealing with a wom-
an. Well-sell it tomorrow if you
want to. But I'm going to stay until
I'm kicked off,"
"You are being fool" she told
him, starting to keep back the hot
tears. what will that bring your"
1T won't bring me the kind of
treachery you've handed me, by
Cd" he barked, and plunged out
into the darkness, slaming the door
behind him.
On Thanksgiving day the first
snow fell in Heron River. Jason and
Paula and Steve had come down to
the house for turkey dinner in the
early afternoon. After the feast, Sill
yer dressed warmly and set out
alone for a walk across the fields to
the Flathe place.
The brooding melancholy of the
day filled her with a sweet, aching
nostalgia, yearning too profound
to name. To run away from Roddy
Willard would mean that she would
run away from these fields-from
her very birthright. And there
would never be any real escape in
such a fight, as there had been in
her flight from Gerald Lucas. Ger
aid had not been real, anyway; the
hard ground beneath her foot SEEM
ed to tell her that now.
She had been too selishly alb
sosorbed during the past few days
to give any thought to what Soph-
roma might feel about her going
away. Poor old Phronie-how little
she knew of what was going on
about her. The more she thought of
it, the more convinced Silver be-
came that Roddy Willard would re-
main on this land until he was fore
ed to leave it. Her threat to sell the
land had done nothing except to-
make him more stubborn in his de-
termination to remain. She was
made desolate by the knowledge
that he was as pasSionately devoted
to this land as she was herself.
She thought vehemently, tears
dimming her eyes now, not for any
unhappy, outrageous love of Roddy
Willard would she give up her life
here!
The Flathe children greeted her
with their usual uproarious good
humor These Norwegian young
sters lived in a merry cosmos Of
their own where even poverty was
something to laugh at. Six of them
there were, ranging from seven
years Of age to nineteen, with
enough boisterous enthusiasm to
turn the little farmhouse into a
babel. Silver played the decrepit
little organ, and sang with the chill
dren until the gathering darkness
warned her that it was time to
leave. ..=a ~.;..
! On the way home, she came upon
Jason and Paula beside thicket Of
hazelnut bushes. Paula looked at
Silver without surprise or embar-
rassment, and ~Jason's dark eyes
smiled at her.
The three began their walk home
together. When they came before
the big house. Jason paused. Come
along in, Silver" he invited."I have
something to show you. I wouldn't
have the nerve to ask you-but we
have the house all to ourselves. I've
been making picture of Paula" he
confessed. "And / thought maybe
you'd like to look at it."
cts much prettier than me"
Do,,Io cold vooIocfIxy