Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1935-08-01
CHAPTER II-Continued


CHAPTER II-Continued
s. B
Gradually Mrs Pulsipher began to
prattle about the household Of her
married daughter in Bridgeport, about
places she and John had seen this trip
and how they had liked them, about
the reasons for sending certain post
cards to certain friends back in L. A.
Sister Anastasia maintained her sweet,
receptive silence all the while; and
Barry barely. punctuated Mrs. Pulsi-
piers devious sequences with soft,
almost-husky Eyes" or did you?" or
"No, I've never been there" Each time
Hal looked at her In the mirror he
felt she knew that he was looking
though she never glanced at him, her
eyes seemed to 60 slowly on their con-
scious guard,
Kerrigan asked appropriate questions,
as If he were edited by all that Mrs.
Pulsipher had to say; and in tone of
anxiety and hope John from time to
time stammered footnotes to his lady's
saga Of travel and domesticity.
Hal had forgotten about the dog un-
til 1t gave quick whimper, and Barry
an exclamation that made him look
around. The dogs forelegs were In Sis
ter Anastasia's lap, his head turned in
reproach toward where Barry brushed
a shower Of little embers from the
coat upon which he had been lying.
'Oh, the lining" Mrs. Pulsipher half
walled in sorrow. "Oh, is it ruined?"
Then, with grim pounce of her words
at Hal: Ills cigarette blew In the
other window. Oh, what shame, what
a."
II am most awfully sorry" said Hal,
sincerely contrite before the girls dis
interested look.
"The Innings ruined" said Mrs. Pull
sipher with flnality and triumph.
Ruined"
Barry's eyes-solemn, impersonal,
confidently clear Of resentment-looked
down at the burn again. tits not bad"
she said to Mrs. Pulsipher "It's easily
patched. Really" She leaned to look
beyond her knees. "Do you s'pose the
rest of it's on the 1oor?"
Hal saw coal glowing on the car
pet and found enough cigarette behind
it to. pick up. The end was wet, brown,
and f1attened; he threw it quickly out
Barry's blue look-the blue of asters,
flecked with small, clear crystals of
live yellow-accused him Of something
then. "That wasn't your cigarette"
she said.
Hal smiled little. ut hardly mat
ters," he said. "Tm so awfully sorry
about-it."
please don't think of it," said
Barry. "It's really nothing"
you're being sportsman"
"No," she said quietly, and her full
lips came together again in composed
defense, her eyes saying briefly, No,
you don't; not that way.
Something made him stop his look on
Crack as he turned back. Crack sat
there as if the straight, sparsely pad
ded seat were the top Of comfort, as
If the close, damp heat under the sun
baked roof were the first beguilement
of a spring sun. A slight, confident
smile held his lazy lips-lips that had
a smooth curve of adolescence without
being precisely youthful either. Hal
watched him longer than he meant to-
interested by something he couldn't
see with his eyes. Cracks amiable
smile broadened little before he
turned his head slowly, and Hal didn't
look away until Cracks full face was
toward him. What's the little guy
thinking now? Hal wondered.
In the f1imsily converted room where
dark screens sealed in heat, flies, and
the smell of frying hamburger and on
ions, two heavy and hot sisters dumped
about on quick feet-cooking, waiting
finding things miraculously without
collision. Miller put toothpick into
his grinning mouth and leaned sleepily
on the counter. Say" he said, as If he
were a policeman, "is it good gar
ridge in this burg?"
IFS there something wrong with the
carp said Mrs. Pulsipher at once.
Miller cooked the toothpick at her
"Yup," he said. "Couple stickin' valves
Nights we'll get 'em fixed up while 70,
folks eat"
Cad, sir, why didn't you get 'en
fixed yesterday" Kerrigan asked.
"Sleepin' yestiddy," said Miller ant
sucked sharply. "Come in from Chicago
in thirty hours"
Look here, speedball," said KERR
gan gravely, Twelve been delayed
enough already. If you crowded tn
heap this far, you can get through til
supper time. We can sleep where W
eat tonight and you'll have lot NOR
time than here"
Mrs. Pulsipher, nodding decisive ap
proval, said: "Yes"
Miller looked sheepish. "Awright-
sure" he said; "but l gotta get ga
noil" there's a pump outside" sal
Aok los