The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1937-04-08
By Osborne
q Western Newspaper Union

"Oh, yes"
"And will you be terribly happy?
of course you will be, when he
gets here"
"Ah, my dear, If you knew" Tony
said, under her breath.
"If-what?" Brenda said, paus.
ing in the always fascinating bust
ness of putting on Anthony's hat
and coat. "I'm married! I know
1t all! If-what?"
''If-nothing!" Tony said over
her shoulder. laughing.
"You finished your bottle, and
you were good, good boy" Brenda
said In an undertone to the baby.
Don't pull on Mothers hair; no.
no. baby"
Tony helped them both get away,
went down to the Office in a dream.
Anything might happen now; any
moment might he her moment. She
had only to go her way quietly and
to wait.
The city room was languid on
Christmas day. Downtown streets
were deserted, streams Of church.
goers gathered wherever there was
a church door. coming out after
the MONDAY services She had gone
herself with Aunt Meg to church
this morning; she had prayed,
hardly knowing what she hoped or
feared. 1t was too soon to think
Of hopes or fears.
Pictures of the scenes that were
taking place in the far-away French
seaside town drifted through her
mind. Ruth lying still. her eyes
closed, her waxen square little
hands closed-Tony could see them
in her mind. as she had so often
seen them resting with locked
fingers over her quiet heart. White
satin and lace. and the scent of
flowers-violets and lilies of the
valley.
She imagined Larry. tan and
grown and frowning and worried,
seeing to all the details. talking
things over with Caroline. And
all the time the old mother would
be placid and comfortable In her
sunshiny room upstairs, looking
wonderingly at the faces of her
nurses; smiling eagerly when they
brought her her lunch tray and be.
gan to feed her.
Mrs. Patterson had had a slight
stroke. Tony wrinkled her brows
trying to remember how long ago.
They had gone to China. and after
leisurely visits to H0ngkong, Kobe.
Pekin, had gone on through the
Suez canal to Marseilles. That had
been late summer time. 1t was
more than a year ago. Then In Oc-
tober. idling at Nice. Larry had
been seriously i'll, and afterward
Mrs. Patterson had been stricken
down.
Immediately Ruth, always the de-
voted daughter. had rented q villa,
had established the whole family
comfortably within. Her mother
had been allotted two great sun
shiny rooms with a water view;
two good nurses had been found
somehow, an American girl and q
German woman. and presently they
had all settled down to the new
environment and the new way of
life.
Larry was writing letters for
some syndicate; was writing q
book. He had been badly pulled
down by his illness; it had been
some low troublesome form Of ty-
phoid, and It had left him weak
and lazy. Caroline wrote Joe anus
ing accounts of his willingness to
be managed, to be idle.
Tony had never seen Nice; she
visualized It as best she could. A
scimitar-sweep Of Mediterranean
shore; big hotels close to the wa
ter: villas set up on the steep bare
hills. Ruth's villa was the Casa
Santa Teresa; 1t had once be-
longed to the duke of-something.
Abruzzi-di Borgia Zone of those
familiar Italian names.
Now they would give up the villa
or could they. with Ruth's old
mother installed there. perhaps not
well enough to move? Tony would
have q letter some day; any day,
there was no hurry, and then she
would know all about everything.
Meanwhile. there was the ONCE.
There were dull days and excit-
ing days; there was always much
gossip and rumor to consider. and
the tch-Muzzy affair to watch.
Mae Ethyl was wearing white furs
now. and had moved from the fam
fly domicile In Ingleside Terrace
to small apartment downtown. 1T
seemed better for me to be nearer
my work." said Mae Ethyl. Flo
Danielson was gone, and the Oh
sens, Of the big eastern newspaper
chain, had an interest in the pa
per; Tony knew Larry was hold
ing but q passive position among
the stockholders; now and then
they wired him for an option. that