The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-02-12

reached Its highest Temperature, and
soon his fearful defamation was add
ed < It, to the general uprToar: Helen col;
George and Schlumbacher between
them got her away to- her room.
There, before my aStoniShed eyes as
I peered round the corner, they locked
her in.
There you stay" George shouted
through the door, until this peasant
goes back to his village in America"
On the spot I determined to be the
t%ervention. this would all end badly,
reflected: Helen and Aleck were
friendless. overpowered; the girl would
simply have to do what her mythical
torbear had done, and flee, more or
less, through the Lion gate. The idea
tiekled my sense Of irony. if that's
ing stick and set off down the road
to the ~Sargopoulos farm.
.A!eck came out to see me in front
OF h house. Perhaps he was ashamed
OF the interior of his parents hutlike
dwelling, but I preferred to believe that
he was eager for news from the inn.
When I told him, briefly and brutally,
his head went down. He was staring
gloomily into the stony soil Of Greece
from which SO many generations before
him had torn a bare and arduous liv-
ing.
II hate this country" he said sud-
denly. This would not happen where
ITS a good country" I said, eff
aren't. Look here. Late tonight you've
got to come to the inn with a car; I
don't car if you have to send to Cor
NTH to get it, but you must have a
car, and all your belongings packed,
ready to go. I'll guarantee to get Helen
out to you. and you can get married
Old oS S enough n s sod rs rs high IL hotfil m ! She sh got
out OF here before that fool Schlum-
bacher drives her crazy. Treat her
we'll"
Helen's room was one of those on
the inner courtyard. It opened on to
the rickety wooden balcony that a
was fairly easy for me to get her at
tention and speak to her through the
door while George and the others we're
busy. with supper. They had their
hands full that night. managing things
without Helen.
an mhf you Sod 5eaily H Wans to go With Ai iesd
IS I do. I dol" she called ~tearfully
"Then you must pack what you want
to take and be ready late tonight. to-
ward eleven or midnight, when every
here. with a car, and you can be a
ried in Corinth. Before long you'll be
in America"
The gasp of surprise that followed
from the other side of the door a
succeeded by a rush Of words. so riot
GUS indeed in gratitude, that I had to
no ioS doubt tbt VIZ a a!G about uti Il, Helen Helen was
wildly in love: and I could not help
thinking that old Georges opposition,
the midnight elopement and all the
rest of it. by appealing to that Homer
bred and Schlumbacher-fed romanti-
cism of hers. had powerfully assisted in
the miracle.
l. I don't know whether any of you
have eve picked a lock, but I assure
you that if you have a piece Of good
stout wire and the lock is a simple
one you'll have no difficulty. I had &C
quired the accomplishment in school,
years before, and found it very useful
that night. Toward II O'Clock the inn
and Mycenae and. it seemed, the whole
Of Hellas slept. I waited a bit to be
sure: then I crept down the way to
Helen'S room and set to work. Before
long she was emerging from the opened
door, timorous and still weeping. There
was nothing of the marble goddess left
in her now.
quick and quiet" I said, "is the
system. Come along!"
Aleck Sarge, bless him, was lurking
under the olive trees in front OF the
inn, and five minutes. away he had
left the cara car which. as I after
wards heard, had cost him immense
sums and had come all the way from
Corinth. The whole thing was over in
three minutes-they had whispered
their unending gratitude; Helen had
flung her arms about my neck in a
paroxysm of thanks; they had faded
quickly into the shadowy summer
night, and I crept IN back to my
room. I scarcely need tell you that the
inn was shaken as by an earthquake
the next day; George and Schlum-
bacher between them made life insup-
portable: I know they suspected me:
I was a trifle uneasy in my mind; I
left Mycenae earlier than usual that
year.
In his customary way $50 exasperat-
ing. we always thought) Harvey