The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1935-10-10
There's Always
Another Year
By MARTHA osTENso

TIED"
$50 that was why Jim decided to
leave it all, eh?" Phronie asked with
surprising shrewdness. "Duke Mel
bank has been tellin' it around that
he seen you with him that night in
Chicago, and you seemed kind O.
stuck on i'm. I thought maybe Jim
would have the sense to get you out
of mess like that"
eyes," Silver said in a dull voice.
"He wanted to get away because of
me-partly. You see-he never SEEM
ed to realize that was growing up"
'That would be like JIM! Phronie
explained and wiped her eyes. "Land
sakes-let's mot talk about it any
more. You're here-safe with me,
you poor child! Everthing's all right
from now on"
She brought her tremendous long
arm down about Silver's, shoulders,
drew her awkwardly toward her for
an instant, then got nightly to her
feet. .-..
"Well," she blurted out, "you take
a walk around and get acquaited with
the place. I'll go down and fix din
ner."
Silver watched the tall, gaunt wom-
an stride away toward the house, then
she walked to the eastern slope of the
hillside and seated herslf. In the field
below the great black horses were
being unhitched from the binder and
led toward the barn. She saw Roddy
run his hand down one shining black
shoulder, and observed that in the
act there was compassion, affection.
In his attitude toward herself, last
night, she thought unhappily, there
had been little more than chilly for
mality. He had been polite enough, it
was true, but far from cordial.
Well, she would not bother him.
This was her place, in deeper sense
that it could ever be his. 1t was too
soon for her to make any plan, any
pattern, for her life from now on. But
for the time being she would remain
here, let Roddy Willard bring home a
hundred wives who disapproved of
her. Whatever had been beautiful and
unmarried in the spirit of Jim Gren-
oble was still here-the pure and in
violable ghost of the boy who had
known this earth. She needed this
land that held the very roots of her
being-she needed it to obliterate for
ever the dread and insecurity and vio-
lence of that other life, and the men,
DRY of Gerald Lucas.
Roddy had brought the horses to
the watering tank, and as he glanced
up at her on the slope she looked
quickly away. Presently he came up
the slope toward her with long,
swinging STRIDES.
In the suddenness of their encoun-
ter last night, she had not really seen
Roddy, she thought. Now she observ-
ed him with cool sense of detachment
and Indifference His face was blunt
hewn, his cheekbones and brows
prominent; although his gray eyes
were deep-set and unsmiling, they
were widely spaced so that the upper
part of his face had surprised, boy
ish look; his nose was high-bridged,
and seemed almost square with its
we'll defined nostrils; his mouth above
the obstinate jaw was Unexpectedly
mobile. He was darkly burned, and
beads of perspiration margined his
forehead. He gave her an odd smile.
81 came up here to apologize for
the way l acted last night, Silver"
he said, and seemed to hesitate on
her name.
"You were all right" she replied.
"I acted like half-wit," he insisted
CURLY. eff it isn't too late, want to
tell you how glad I am that you came
straight hereto Sophronia.
He flushed little, and Silver look
ed at him wonderingly.
"Thank you," she said simply.
His mouth drew to straight line.
"You are very polite" he remarked.
81 didn't feel exactly polite toward
you-last night. well, I had other
things on my mind"
"Of course" she said. "Phronie told
me about it this morning. I hope you
will be very happy"
Thanks" He looked away for a
moment. "That was part of it, I ad-
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