Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-03-14


ing set the silver was undoubtedls
the most valuable Of the small articles
Yet MRS. Plummer hesitated. Thers
ought to be s0mthing dearer TO Junl
: than the silver, surety. Silver could b
! duplicated and furniture and trinket'
and clothes. To flee with such stuff
in her arms seemed groteSque.
Meanwhile, precious minutes were
flying. She heard footsteps on the
porch.
I'm comingl" Stumbling through the
dark dining room, she flung open the
linen cabinet, seized the object june
kept on the bottom shelf and started
back.
wait a minutel" she cried to no
one in particular, since no one had en-
tered, and paused long enough In the
rear bedroom to snatch her hat.
As she reached the screen door. 1t
opened.
Hell and damnationl" June's father
shouted. you women-running around
like chickens with your heads off. You
ought to be clear to Norwood by now.
Come on, get In the carl"
u can't believe those tanks win ex-
That's right. start an argument.
Those tanks might go up any minute
darn fools from Willow forgot their
hose, then they get out their fire ex-
tinguisher and one Of EN- says. 'durn
chemical amt mixed right I got TO be
gettin' back; SO hop In the car, I'm
telling you, hurry upl"
Il can't drive a car"
''The he'll you can't! You're over q;
bout time you learned to drive a car.
Here / borrow a car for you SOS YOU
can get away and you can't drive.
Wh'a'd you expect to do, walk, with
8 600 gallons Of gas at your heels? All
right, all right, get in that car. I'll
drive you out a mile an dump you. YOU
can get a hitch" He jerked his head
commandingly in the direction Of the
door, and for the first time Mrs. Plum
mer saw him as close to her as he was
in actual space. as close to her as he
had been in Carrie NeWtOn's parlor In
st. Louis when, stranger to her, he
offered to take her home with that
characteristic Jerk Of the head which |
seemed so charming. Time as well as a |
dim background of unhappiness which /
the gesture recalled, permitted her to |
notice 1t quizzically. Nevertheless, she /
felt that her youthful Judgment had
been correct Taken by itself, that ges-
ture had charm. She gave him q warm
smile OF appreciation because he had
thought Of coming out here with the
car. A while ago they had been chance
acquaintances. Now they were old
friends
Mrs. Plummer noticed the car stiII
parked in the Yates yard as they went
by. She supposed June's father hadn't
seen 1t. Otherwise he would have told
her to get lift with Mrs. Yates and
back to danger himself.
Thank the Lord June and Pete
QTnT1'f nOroo vat f1,ovr
even know"
"Sure they know. We called the Ava
Tire department for help"
''Ihen June would want to rush
home
Makes no difference what she wants.
Pete won't let her"
ikes."
He made a growing noise in his
hroat
Scrub oak stood up thinly in the
moonlight; silver leaves lay thick on
be slopes; silver grass patched the
ills and the moon shone ahead of
hem, pillar of silver staining the
uiet earth. Cars made a Whizzing
oise past them and then all was still
oundabout as if there had never been
car except theirs.
A bare, pale gap broke the hills to
ne right; stretch of abandoned
ighway turned off here.
Well this is where I leave you.
IKE up the road about quarter Of a
lace. You could stay there. Or. II YOU
ant, I'll wait till car comes along
18th somebody from town"
There were no headlights in sight
he car made dark little house about
lem.
Not frightened?"
Mrs. Plummer denied this with
tort laugh. Il lived in the country
ICE"
Maybe you'd better 20 on TO the
ippeys. Hell, must be getting back.
say -goOdby." He held out
You're going back2 That's the most
J cant let you :. For June's sake"
e cried out. What viii June saw"
re let so his hand, which she had
en- .clutching Maybe it's all over BY
mo. Wed OF heard something
They listened 10 was very quiet. They
ght have been alone in the stiffness
3 cream, when all barriers topple
q tine words that would never be
oxen IN consciousness come easily.
ne naturally.
Annie" Che used to caIl her Annie.
cause her name was not Annie) II
yer thought the day would come when
ask you Dut-one thing I want to
ow-why did you write that letter.
know, to my mother, not me?s
drs. Plummer took a long time 70
;wer. 10 was not because she did not
u 10. ~ was as IL she found herself
the midst Of landscape that shouId
IamlIar, but with which she could
quite arouse associations She re-
mpered the letter. She knew Il for
act. She had often told June how
sent 1t from st. Louis, where She
been allowed to go 70 an uncle's
eral- She had explained how she
made up her mind that she would
I'VE with man so jealous he was
e her keeper than her husband. she
described TO June how, when he
Z out on his run as brakeman. he
va make her accompany him 10
station half an hour before train
30 that he could watch her and
g sure she walked home and walked