The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-02-06
There's Always
Another Year
By MARTHA OSTENSO

went to the Kitchener farm to spend
the day with Freda. She left before
anyone in the stone house had
heard of what had happened in
/ Gerald Lucas "back room" the
night before.
But when she stopped for NOM
ent in Heron River to buy some
peppermints for old Grandma
Kitchener, Haber's store was buzz
zing with the news. Dave Erickson,
who was in the store at the time,
drew Silver aside.
"'This Lucas used to be friend OF
yours didn't he?" he asked with
some embarrassment.
eyes," Silver replied. 'What has
happened, Dave?"
Dave tilted his hat and scratched
his blond head. ''Well, it might have
been worse, of course. Two fellows
from Minneapolis got into a poker
game over at the club last night.
There was a row and one of them
pulled gun and plugged the other
one. He didn't do much damage, !
understand, but the news has leak
ed out and the cops will be on Lu-
cas- neck before night. Mr.. Lucas
will have to get out-and fast-or
he'll be taken in before he's anoth-
er day older"
AS thought she had been there,
Silver swiftly reconstructed the
scene. Gerald could afford no such
publicity, no investigation.He would
have to get out Immediately. Silver
was all too familiar with the pro-
cedure in such circumstances.
II see," she said absently.
But she had become quite uncon-
scious of Dawes elaboration of the
episode. One thought occupied her
mind. With Gerald safely out of the
way, there would still be chance
of Corinne's becoming reconciled to
her life with Rody. It was all work.
ing out for the best, of course. And
next week Silver would be leaving
to take the position that was open
to her in Chicago. Sophronia had
been curiously resigned last night
when Silver had told her of her de-
cision to go away.
II think understand, child,'' she
had said, in a voice that was all
sadness. And it was Silver who had
cried.
By midafternoon the sky was a
sullen, gray-white glare of heat,
and the leaves of the Micheners'
shade trees dropped like flakes Of
lead. A new and sinister stiffness
pervaded the air, a sort Of hushed
and unwholesome waiting. Although
there was not cloud in sight, low
in the west there was a curious
humid depth of blue, as though the
paint from a water-color had run
down and settled.
cts goin' to storm!'' Grandma
Kitchener predicted.
Silver was preparing to leave for
home when Phil Kitchener came
back from Maynard. The incident
at the Emerald Bay club had been
the talk of the town during the day.
"Strikes me-" Phil added, 'Roddy
ought to keep that pretty wife of
his away from such places-though
that's his business, not mine"
"Corinne wasn't over there last
night?" Silver put in.
"She was there with the Rich
ters," Phil told her.
Silver babe a hurried farewell
and started for home. AS she spur
red Rusty over the shortcut and
through the fields, she found her
self shivering with some nameless
apprehensiveness that had no con-
nection with the approaching
storm. Here and there alongside the
grassy, almost unused road, the cot
tonwood leaves russtled fitfully, as
if in some secret agitation, for it
could not be the glazed, dead air
that stirred them.
The light was subtly changing.
The effect of it was rather that of
looking at an eclipse of the sun
through a blue glass. And when
Silver finally turned her horse into
his own pasture, the western hori-
son had swollen into a blue-black,
monstrous reef.
There was no one in the yard as
she approached Roddy's home. Rod
dy and Steve, Silver knew, were
cutting hay in the south field. al