Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1936-08-13
HONEYMOON MOUNTAIN

listed man in the navy, completely I'M
| der the arbitrary control of any whim
of my superior officers and subject to
the restrictions of anyone on board
ship out of touch with land and such
| conveniences as mails.
And now for Deborah's story. What
| she has told you, I do not know, as l
mentioned before, but looking at the
| matter from her point of view, and try
| ing to be just and generous, l am forced
to the conclusion that whatever she told
| you must have been both exaggerated
and biased. I was very much disturbed
over the whole business, and spent all
| my shore leave when in San Francisco
| trying to find her and explain, but OF
course it was an impossibility to do so.
| 1 don't know whether it has occurred
| to you, Mrs. Larned, to think how COM
| pletely ignorant of the world and it's
| ways Deborah Is. l was prepared, of
| course, for a certain amount of unso-
phistication, knowing to some extent
how she had been brought up, but l
did not realize that any girl could pos
sibly, in this day and age, have re-
| manned SO entirely unaware of all
trends of modern times. I have, of
| course, every respect for the manners
| and customs of the time of my parents
and grandparents, as am sure you Will
| know, but having lived normal life, I
have naturally progressed with others
| of my generation to an acceptance of
| the manners and customs of the present
| day. Deborah has not. This was obvf-
Gus to me on our first meeting, from her
| appearance and from her absolute in
| ability to meet an ordinary situation
| with calmness. I grant you that 1t must
| have been difficult for her to come down
alone to meet me, and perhaps If had
known just how difficult, If had real
lied Deborahs state of mind and lack
| of understanding Of modern life as 1t is
| lived, I should have been able to over
| come her objections and explain away
| her difficulties. AS it was, I could do
nothing. Deborah was in state of
frantic terror before had chance to
I see her at all. and by the time 1
reached her, she was beyond ordinary
| reasoning. 1 am bitterly sorry for it all,
and reproach myself that I didn't guess
what to expect, and so prepare the sit
uation accordingly. 1t seems to me that
I might have been warned, Mrs. Larned,
| of what I should have been expected to
encounter.
Even as it was, 1 might have been
able to overcome Deborah's childish ter
rors had it not been for the absolutely
| unwarranted interference of some I'M
known person in the lawyers Office.
Deborah will probably have mentioned
him to you, and made some satisfactory
explanation as to her conduct. I was
certainly panied and astonished to dis
cover that she had so little good taste
as to be willing to take up at once
| with stranger. The fact of Mr.. Hol-
| worthy's presence was all that recon-
ciled me to leaving her, angry as
was. may add that the time will
come when will make it my business
! to discover this strangers identity and
settle with him for the insult he Of
| fered me.
However, this is all beside the point
The really serious question between us
is that of your husbands will and Deb
orah's estate. With my copy of the will
I have consulted lawyer, and 1t is his
opinion that under certain circum-
stances we might make fight for the
estate that would ultimately prove sue
cessful. The circumstances are, of
course. marriage between Deborah
and myself which would take place
with your approval This, unless there
are aspects of the case with which
am not familiar. seems to me to be,
from your point Of view. an absolute
| necessity. I have examined the list OF
securities named in the will as the
source of your present income, and, as
you doubtless know only too well, most
of them are completely worthless. How
you have managed for the past few
years is a mystery and may possibly
explain Deborahs appearance and OBJ
vious lack of advantages. In any case.
no mitigation of your circumstances
may arrive except through me, and al
though was deeply hurt :. TT think
broke his Jaw" Bryn said happily
>. deeply hurt and mortified, not to
mention my disappointment and the
general disruption of my plans I am
willing, for the sake of the friendship
which has existed between our families
for so long, / am willing to do what I
can to make things easier for you.
have obtained from my commander
an extended leave of absence, and 1 am
leaving San Diego tomorrow morning
to drive up the coast to your home.
You may expect me at the latest by
Wednesday noon, unless 1 meet with
unexpected difficulties along the road.
Yours sincerely,
STUART OGDEN GRAHAM.
Bryn folded the letter. Tubby thrust
to saunter up and down the room,
whistling beneath his breath. Simon
put his hands behind his head and
stared at the ceiling. Sally was trem-
bling with excitement and clutching
Simon's knee, and Madeline walked
slowly across and dropped down beside
Deborah.
"Well," Tubby said, buttoning his
coat and squaring his shoulders, IF
he's got to be kept away, he's got to
be kept away, and that's all there is to
it. After all, there are four men of
us here, and Burch. Five against one.
That ought to be easy"
"You talk as If we were going to
fight about it," Sally said tearfully.
with guns. 1t isn't half as laundering
or easy as that"
mot half" Madeline echoed. "This
is going to be strategy. And strategy,
Tubby, never was your strong point, II
you will remember" She smiled up
at him, warm tender smile that made
him blink and look as If he saw her
for the first time. But you're dar.
ling, .Tubby, and you're loyal and
strong, and worth lot more than one
of those slippery strategists."
"Well, gee," Tubby said. bewildered
and sat down.
"We might bar the road" Tubby said
hopefully. Put a gate across 1t, you
know"