The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-01-03

Kitchen table, dropped her head on her
arms, and burst into tears. jerry, agnaSt'
case, lust outside the Kitchen door;
Nora hurried to her friends side, fuu
Of remorse. III.
There now, it amt like you to 90
that" she pointed out, patting the
Scotch woman,s shaking shoulders.
Not but what I'd do 1t myself at the
drop Of the hat. We're all on the edge
Of our nsT r xa Mhy, .t %eq a6a ex We Sei
these last days? And all the time" she
| added heavily, your Mrs. Jennings
could end. the trouble by packin' her
trunks and sailin' for Europe. 7 wish
to God I had the nerve to write her
a letter and tell her to do IT: All this
situation needs" Nora Kelly ended
Janet wiped her eyes with a furious
"You keep out Of It'll" she stormed.
Don't you be butting into something
"Al right, all right" Nora returned
to her dish washing with an injured
air. IF you saw young Jerry drowndin',
your business. well. I differ with you
on that. He is drowndin'-and ia
think it was my business to jump, in
an save him If I knew how. But I
don't. All I know is that somebody's got
to do somethin', and do it quick, or
we'll all 60 up in smoke.
Nora was a temperamental worker
when she was under strong emotion.
| Under the noise of Gathering dishes
Jerry crept back upstairs. He knew
and be accused Of listening, but he had
listened to the fullest capacity of his
small ears. He understood three things.
There was serious trouble in his home.
Somebody ought to do something about
it. It would end if Aunt Eve packed
her trunks and went to Europe.
When he got back to the living room
it was empty. His mother, he under
| stood, had gone into her own room, as
she had a habit of doing lately. Jerry
went out into the hall, took his coat,
cap, mittens and rubbers from their
places, and put them on. His small
face was very serious as he opened
the front door and left the house. He
was going to do something. That was
exciting, and made him feel important.
But what he was going to do, he dimly
felt was something Aunt Eve wouldn't
like. That was not so good. That was
Eve horribly this last year. He loved
her. He had told her ever since he was
able to speak, and almost every time
he had seen her, which was almost
every day of his life, that he loved her
better than onyone in the world ex-
cept his father and mother. It was true
He had repeated it by her special
of hearing it. She liked it as much as
she liked some of the fairy stories she
! had told him. No one, not even moth
er, could tell stories as Aunt Eve did.
No one else could give n such a thrill.
Jack, the Giant Killer, Hop o My
Jerry experienced a little thrill ever
J now as he thought of them. He thought
of other things: of Aunt Ewes gifts,
which filled his room at home; of her
wet cheeks when she had kissed him
in the park the day she cut off her
buttons for his snowman; of the cir
cuses and moving pictures she had
why he thought Of these things. For
some eason they made him feel worse.
But he ploughed on through the fresh.
ly fallen snow, kicking it to right and
left, lettering a little deliberately be-
cause he was not anxious to get to
Aunt Ewes house, yet with no. temp
tation to give up the expedition;
many many times, but not since the
eight nova great big boy, old enough
to go by himself and to find his way
without trouble. He stopped. tempted
to start a new snowman, or to make
an angel" In the snow. But after only
an instant's hesitation he pushed on.
Suddenly he was in a hurry to reach
Aunt Ewes house. He entered the big
gate that led to it, walked along the
driveway leading to the front door,
mounted the steps, and rang the bell
with q firm little hand.
Almost Immediately the door swung
open and Aunt Eve herself stood on
mother now. She looked pale and sick
in dark clothes. With a little cry and
a big gesture she swooped down and
took him in her arms.
20 darling" she rejoiced, you've
come all by yourself to see your poor
doughn nut tn that mo no one knows you're
here" She was on her knees beside
him, half laughing, half crying.
Does anyone know" she asked, her
wet cheek against his. She had never
cried when he was hitler. It vas q
part, Jerry knew, Of the strange new
trouble that distressed them all: She
cried, and daddy looked stern all the
time, and Nora talked about every
body being blown up. He remembered
those things while he answered Aunt
Ewes question.
IT came my own SELF" he said, "and
nobody knows. I guess I'll take off my
coat and rubbers."
"Of course, darling" Already she was
helping him to take them off. "You
came because you knew your poor Aunt
Eve was just hungry for you-hungry
hungry"
She was hugging him, kissing him
as If she could not stop. Jerry disen-
had been enough Of it, as he had al
ways done He walked into the living
room and up to its fire. The fire was
roaring beautifully. He stood with his
back to it, hands behind him, his short
legs wide apart, and looked up at his
Aunt Eve, who promptly settled down
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