Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-10-01
IN TWO PARTs-PART TWO

She was reduced 10 the defensive
terror OF talking about the children In
loud tone Of voice, while knowing all
along 1t was a mistake TO remind Tom
so obviously of his responsibilities
Shed been late coming to the ship,
she said, because at the last minute
she'd discovered the children doing q
William Tell on the front lawn, with
little Tom in the act Of aiming an
arrow at an apple on the head Of baby
Kitty, who was trustfully standing not
two feet away from him.
Sylvia, who was an intense soul, end
Kit had counted on that after hearing
the cello story, listened breathlessly
and turned with some surprise to Tom,
who hadn't even bothered TO ask how
it had all turned out.
did you hear?" she cried. zone Of
your children nearly shot the otherl"
Tom got up, began to stack the plates.
"Oh," he said. Exit makes q good
story; there's probably not q word Of
truth in it. Who wants coffee?"
Sylvia's jaw dropped. It was obvious
ly the first even family uncivi1 remark
that she had heard Tom utter. But
Tom didn't see Sylvia'S expression, and
tramped out cheerfully into the galley
A ray Of light began 10 penetrate
Kits despair It would seem that her
plan had started to work In spite Of
herself. Toms little way Of letting her
down in public, long source of nobly
suppressed dismay to her, was now dis
maying someone else.
But when Tom came back again from
the galley with the coffee, fun of energy
while Lem and ape refused to move,
Kit saw the spell return to SylVlas
fEhiC NJ the harrnct of oil 70
watch the bemused girl and understand /
only too well the charm that held her. I
For she loved the same thing in Tom, !
his animal grace, the mere sight of (
which gave her feeling of freedom 4
and release as he moved about the
table like black panther, beautiful in (
the perfect physical coordination of
ripping under that filthy black
shirt. When he went out into the galley
because Lem demanded milk instead of
coffee, she leaned forward and inter-
cepted Sylvia's becalmed following
gaze.
yes" she said quietly, che is beauti-
Ful-isn't hep"
you mean-Tom?" said Sylvia, her
1ostrils reddening. That was, It seemed,
.he way she blushed, and it was eff
'ective, making her face look like a
wax figures in the Eden Musee. But
'he was looking at Kit warily for the
irst time, over her pretty waxen nose.
I'd hardly call a man beautiful
would you?" she said
Like the poem In Elinor Wylies TO
Beauty I would" said Kit. 1.-THE last
'erse, If you shift pronouns:
Oh, he is neither good nor bad
But innocent and Wild
Confine him and he dies, who had
The hard heart of q child"
Sylvia stiffened, and looked at her
nth eyes that we're suddenly defensive
She knows now that I'm fighting, Kit
hought False move. Withdraw to re- !
onnoiter before striking again
'he got up and stacked the plates that {
1ere left on the table, singing, II was !
0 young, you were SO beautiful" under {
Ter breath, and Tom came back with {
ems milk.
Ape had by now drunk enough TO 6
wing into the crowded moment that
'as generally his before he passed out. /
1t was all that was needed to give {
ON the illusion of a gay, successful S
arty, which he proceeded to ride rough 6
nod over the ungay, unsuccessful mem c
ers of it by sitting at the table with c
ne coffee for half an hour while he S
nd Ape sang "a verses Of THE Hermit 4
Shark Tooth Shoal," the one song
ON Liked, which he had evidently G
sught to Sylvia, who sang too while S
em and Kit fidgeted. +
In spite Of her rarefied cello sonatas q
ylvla obviously thought Kits refusal
join was just another proof of what Z,
unsympathetic wife Tom had. When =