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

| any snare she took In this apprenen-
sion. But she had no share In 1t. Her
look, full at him, was warm and Sc
cure In scorn, without sympathy or
appeal: and the faint, untaunting
smile at her closed lips said fearlessly,
This will happen for all Of you: your
luggage and your money don't matter;
and If yours don't, why should these
other peoples'-to you? Without haste,
| her eyes confirmed his unimportance
and turned away.
| He swung around toward the door
the thing having happened so quickly
that the silence of awe was still fresh
on the others. "Ill CO." he said to
Kerrigan. And without the faintest no
ton of what he would do-only an
angry urgency In him to do something
he posted out by the screen door
and helped it slam hard behind him.
One way or another, you-whateyer-
you are-you'll pay for all this.
Miller's mind was too much drugged
with chronic sleepiness and stupidity
to think of running out with car, lug
gage, and fares. But just suppose
some habit of crookedness were chan
neled through his stupidity. Suppose
Hal looked more sharply at the
glare Of lights and his step frightened.
On the girl. The scoring for today
was surely on her SIDE Tomorrow was
another day. Halls gray eyes stirred
with merrfment. To find his way past
those solemn defenses of hers would
be zestful job; to chasten that clear,
willful cussedness amounted to ne
cessity now, a duty as we'll as pleas
ure.
Hal was walking out with decision
when he cleared the last building.
And there in the white light of the
yard stood the long suffering car with
it's corded bale of luggage behind. Hal
gave laugh, half relief, half triumph.
1t would be fun to press that into her
steady blue eyes when he got back.
Through the plate glass of the Office
he could see Miller talking to a man
in white monkey-suit. Something in
Miller's attitude was different; not
precisely an alertness, but the sleepy
suggestion of interest, of purpose al
most. If go, Hal thought, she'll say
my coming made him change his mind;
if 1 just stand here watching, he can
get away as clean as If / were back
there eating the dinner for which my
system decorously calls.
He stood another moment trying to
define the change in Miller's listless
posture. Then he walked carefully over
gravel to the car, carefully opened the
door-his eyes watchful of the office
and climbed into the tonneau. On the
floor behind the jump-seat there was
room in which to lie curled and hidden.
It was family exciting-like time
Hal remembered when he had listened
behind curtain in the dining room
while his governess told the butler how
she would punish him for being late
to his supper And what fine ass
he'd look If Miller found him there.
| There were voices soon, and the
crunch Of gravel under slow feet. II
kinda thought" Miller was saying, ut
was some purity good hills over there,
but l JUS didn't remember where they
begun" He chuckled in sleepy clever
ness.
"Well, good night" said another
voice; and Miller said, "Sure."
The car tipped creaking toward one
running board the door slammed, and
Miller's short, contemplative breathing
| sounded close overhead. Hal steeled
| himself to be touched but then there
was the hard catch and churning Of
the starter. A lurch over the curb
confused his judgment of the direction
in which Miller turned. But quickly
the car was in high, and running fast;
| it was the open road under them, and
Halls breath stood still for suspended
| instant of dismay.
Then he was good and angry-anger
| flooding his joints and his purpose
with warm lubricant. BY Cd, their
| best clothes, probably, and their
money-snatched from them by this
animal, this drugged ape! AS he raised
himself from the floor, Hal had saw
age wonder whether Kerrigan would
like to fill the hole in his collection of
| experience by killing Miller.
His next act suggested itself as
| glibly as if he'd done this sort of thing
often. He doubled his right forefinger
and, kneeling on one of the jump
seats, leaned forward and pushed the
knuckle against Miller's ribs. Miller
| didn't start or tremble or look around,
| but the car began YEARLY to slow
| down.
Pull up to the side" Hal said, dis
| gust f1attening out the anger in his
voice.
| Miller obeyed-gently, as If he had
been chauffeur to old ladies.
SNOW" said Hal, II want your wal
let with all the money, your license,
and your registration" Miller's futile
fingers took out the fat, shabby wallet
and spread it's compartments to show
everything. Hal put it into an inside
| pocket and took his knuckle from Mil
| ler's ribs.
"Slide into the other seat" said Hal.
Miller obeyed, with strange, sleepy
air of gratitude. Hal stepped out Of
the tonneau and got into the front
without looking at Miller's face.