The Fort Peck press., 1936-04-16

A9
~'Rs-
for the first time. He had wanted t
get to his father, she thought, and for
get about her and the party. And Sh
had wanted to be alone and not Sc
any little boys again for a long, lon
time.
The breeze waved some loose ten.
drills of honeySuckle, filling the ali
with fragrance. She could hear the ole
domlnecker rooster clucking indignant.
ly still as he Strutted around behind
the house, reaSserting his imperilec
dignity. daring the hens to laugh. The
conch shells were all back in order. Joe
Henry had put them there. The. little
place looked almost exactly as before.
Only she and he knew where the
breakageS were that couldn't be mend
ed. The things that were broken and
couldn't be mended were lying between
them. She was going to do what she
could to get them out of the way, but
she wasn't sure she would succeed.
She sat on, too tired to move, long
past her supper time. One last robin
lanced the dusk with a m%onotonous re-
lterated plant. AS darkness crept up
she wrapped an old thought that she
had around her like a worn cloak: An
old alone, she thought, after a
lie like hers, had earned the right to
withdraw into herself and the n small
spot that was her own, and stay there,
snug and frugal and lonely, and if
there was no for anyone else.
well, she couldn't help it.
She got up and went inside to put
on her slippers and fix herself some
II have gone to Shank's Mill" Joe
Henry said in the note she saw on the
kitchen table when she switched on the
llght, TO pile up slabs. I a make good
mummy. l will pay for what those kids
orok. I shud not of asst them. Thank
you Tor a mise party. Joe Henry
she read it three times, with increas-
.ng irritation. She was hungry, tired.
ted up on. little boys and ali their
'ooliShness.
"Drat the boy!" she said aloud, and
'Cood tnere ~hesltating. The only train
% Shank's Mill left early in the morn
ng. She heard the clank of if some
lines off across the fields behind her
house long before she was up. She had
n her blue serge with the tan trim
nlngs, on account of the party. and
ler good shoes chat she longed to take
~. II she had to go out and find
I'M, 1t would be easier to do it now.
she switched off the kitchen light
- S"toSilCo vi Glle OIle III ner ped
DOM n put on her hat with strong.
hort, annoyed motions. She left the
Just as the street lights bloomed
o1tly under the sycamore trees. making
nelr trunks leap Whitley out of the
ark.
The little fool! she thought: it was
er fauIt, not his, about the party. and
e ought to have known she wouldn't
him pay for anything. Besides. the
china vase with the white lilies on
couldn't be paid for. 1t was a little
OF herself, really, that had spat-
cred into pieces, there on the hearth
she turned the corner into a semi
uISlneSS street, on her way to Johnny
locum's, to find out-at Iast-where
Henry's father lived. Not that She
as much interested in that now All
lie boy off from his Stiffness and get
ack to a cup of strong, hot tea, a bath,
"a, M forgetfulneSs. Every fiber of
n flesh ached for them.
JOHNNY SLOCUM'S AUTO RE-
SHOP was painted over the door
pig white letters, but there was no
'dy there except a clean gray and
a ! tomcat sitting delicately separ-
e beside the huge doorway, MAKING
mSelf even cleaner yet. One unshaded
ectr1c bulb burned dimly in the back
the cavernouS place, picking ont fine
romlum fittings of the two or three
rs n a Johnny Slocum was working
j; ana Tor sounds there was ONLY the
king of a clock.
MIR. Slocum." she called. but onIv
echo came back to her.
There was a chance. she tho11oht
he might be back in there some
lere, and went in.
Joe Henry was back in there. asleep
an army COT, with the light shining
My on his face.
me bulk OF him under the auto
,bile robe that covered him seemed
thlng at all. How little and young
. innocent and peaceful he looked
.rtied her-lying there with one arm
from under the cover and his hair
back and away from his soft
ehead with the band of white at the
Where MS cap protected it from
sun-aH the days dynamisrn gone
OF him. Sleeping there without anv
'etS between two old automobile
'eS. With his folded clothes piled
lily on top of a clean newspaper on
seat OF a greasy chair beside him
ing off to Shank's Mill to pile slabsi
SHOES there side by side on the
lent floor, freshly polished, Waiting
pc walked off in towards the train
l Shank's Mill early in the morning..
2 station was just a block away, and
ybe his fathers place vas across
n somewhere. Probably he had gone
ped SO early on account of the early
n.
he reached over to wake him I'D
tell him it was all right about the
LV and RI fnrnnf oL0,,& 49, L-.-