The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-02-19
Moon? Yes, there is a moon"

Moon? Yes, there is a moon"
Don't you want to wear your coat?
There's a cold mist out of doors"
he always did When he did not know
exactly what to say.
I'm not cold 49," And that would
be all.
Then once she got up when he wa
leaving the kitchen and went into
the dark garden with him. He did
not protest and even held the door
open for her. She followed him closely
as he walked in front of her with
she put out her hand and clutched
at his shirt sleeve. He halted for a
moment but did not turn around, and
when she had found her footing he
went on.
Let's sit down here for a WHILE"
said Greta when she knew by the
sound of gurgling that they had
reached the stream. They left the
path, found a stone close to the water,
and sat in silence for a few minutes.
"Efrem," said Greta, Judging the
moment opportune for a little roman
tic pressure, have you a sweetheart?"
But aren't you dreadfully lonely
all by yourself always?"
Efrem,s soul was suddenly and
wildly invaded by the memory of a
dark-eyed, slim girl who had been the
companion of his childhood and then
his bride. She lived in the recesses
of his subconscious mind. Was it not
expecting her to come to him over
the ~moonbeams, his dark-eyed Dunia?
Il married." said Efrem.
"Marrled?" said Greta i~ncredulOuSly;
nobody could have seemed more un-
married than Efrem. And where is
your wife?"
I'm Russia. I leave her in Russia
when Wrangle army go to Constan-
tinople. I also got two kids-boys."
And in the darkness Efrem made a
gesture to indicate how tall they were.
To him they were still only a very
few feet above the ground.
You left them in Russia? And
what are they doing there?"
II not know"
But don't you hear from them?"
mo"
Haven't you ever heard from them
since you left R~ussia?"
Never"
But why don't you go back and
find them?" Efrem shrugged his
shoulders.
mo USE" he said in his dispas-
Slonate voice.
Greta's notions about what had been
going on in Russia were vague. She
knew that there had been a revolu-
ton and that some years ago a number
of Russians were forced to leave their
country; that for many of those who
remained behind life was hard. But
she was told that people in Efrem's
situation had a much easier time. She
tried to make him explain why it
was no use going back, and from the
one thing clearly, and that was he
was cut off from everthing-country
family, home. Who could have done
such a thing? Greta thought of her
family back in Norway, of her father
and her mother in the poor little
fishing village. She seldom heard from
them, out she knew they were there,
them, that she could go back and find
them where she had left them. How
could it feel to be cut off from home?
Greta's sentimental mood had left
her; there was something too remote
for her in this nan who did not con-
form to any type known to her, who
was drifting in the world with no ties.
She was afraid of the tragedy that
she Sensed about him. She got up to
go. Efrem made no movement to &C
company her and she CROPPED her way
back by herself.
But his friendship with the children
grew steadily. Little Eddy was six,
Barbara four, about the same ages
as were his own children when he
had left them. Efrem's large awkward
hands were in some ways surprisingly
deft. With a penknife he could carve
a horse or a lamb from a piece of
wood; he even made a wooden re-
volver and painted 1.-THE butt in black
and the barrel gray. Eddy tucked the
revolver into his belt and armed with
it, played at being a policeman. For
Barbara, Efrem made dolls out of
straw and the children preferred the
rough toys made by Efrem to all the
pretty playthings they had in their
nursery.
CTo Be Continued)