The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-14

~ heat about the alright stove,
and crossed to the front window of
the rough room that she had so
painstakingly schooled Ted to call
the "living room" She shivered as
she peered through the slanting
downpour outside.
Rain, rain, rainl Would it never
stop2 She tried to picture the tim
bered ridges and distant peaks that
lay behind that dismal gray cur
tain, but 1t brought cold comfort.
With a rebellious shudder, Babs
turned back To the warmth of the
stove. She spread her fingers over
it to take out the chill that even
those few minutes at the window
had brought, and her blue eyes har-
dened with the brooding thoughts
behind them.
If there we're any sense in under
going this hardship, that would be
one thing! But it YVES pure stub
bornness on Ted's part to insist on
sticking 1t out.
Babs' mind flashed back to the
angry argument they had yesterday,
when he had said that he was going
off to the upper range for two days.
He'd be willing to leave her, to chase
around in the mud after cattle that
probably weren't begged down, any,
wayl He'd be comfortable, all right,
in that little shack of his up there!
Glad to be alone and rid of her for
a night
MO, I'm not being unreason-
4 y able!" Babs' inner sense of
justice goaded her to a defensive
soliloquy. tits Ted who's unreason-
able. He has no right to ask me to
stay here, when we could hire man
to look after things in the winter.
Ted could pick up something to do
in Omaha and, even If he couldn't,
I can always get my old job back
for a. few months and make enough
to pay for it,"
Babs' lips quivered at the men,
DRY Of Ted's reaction to that sug-
gestion. She could see MIN stand
ing there in the doorway practically
filling it with his broad shoulders
and towering height. His gray eyes
had been hurt and angry, and his
voice had had a tone she had never
hear before as he said, "If you'd
rather have Omaha and your job
than me and the range, that's up to
your
If he'd only left it at that, it
would have been easier to think
straight. But he hadn't. A minute
later he'd been back, crushing her
to him and kissing her with the
abandon that had swept her off her
feet six months ago. Then, he had
gone once more, this time for good
For a long moment Babs stared
before her with unseeing eyes. She
was hearing again the dire predic.
tons of her family and friends over
her whirlwind romance and mar
rage to Ted.
IIAD they been right? She'd
L l. been so sure that life in the
wilds of Wyoming - life anywhere
with Ted would be perfect
She brought her eyes to focus
consciously on the living ROOM"
How Ted had leased her about the
"frills and furbelows" which she
had substituted for its masculine
austerity!
Oh, Ted loved her! There wasn't
any doubt of that. And she loved
him! But she mustn't let that
blind her to the fact that this was
a turning point in their lives. 1t
had to be met with intelligence,
not just sentiment.
Now was the time to strike! 1t
seemed silly in way not to go
through with the winter when she'd
stuck it out so long. But, on the
other hand, if she couldn't make
Ted see reason the first year they
were married, she'd never be able to.
With excited flush in her
cheeks, Babs darted over to the
desk and started feverishly to write.
Released by her deep conviction
that she was taking the right
course, the words poured out.
When finally she leaned back to
read the letter she meant to leave
behind her, Babs felt she had done
a good job.
She hadn't let any bitterness
creep in. She'd presented the case
calmly and reasonably. The argu-
ments were unanswerable. BY 60
Ing back to Omaha for the worst
of the winter, she and Ted woui
not only be spared the dreariness
of these CHASTITY months, but they
would be giving a job to some
puncher who needed It.
MYTH breathless little laugh,
w Babs seized the pen. and add
ed postScript, rich color surging
into her cheeks. That would bring
Ted in post haste after herl
Her resolve once taken, BabS be-
came a dynamo of energy. Shed
leave everything ready so Ted could
start the first thing in the morning.
They'd send a puncher back with
the blackboard from the Junction, to
take charge, then catch the after
noon limited.
BY noon the cabin was shining
and immaculate. Ted's supper was
laid out so that he could heat it
with a minimum of trouble. The
letter was propped against the
clock. where he'd see 1t as soon as
he came in.
1t was desperate business getting
the horses harnessed TO the buck
board, but at last she was started
down the road.
The horses picked their way with
obvious reluctance and 1t was ter