Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-01-22

always a slightly stuffy feeling about
it. for his mother disliked keeping
window open beyond very short time.
An open window means, as a rule,
plenty Of dust.
He recalled the few days that the
girl who had all his heart had spent
with his mother. Mrs. Avery had fallen
down and hurt her foot when polish
ing the upper part OF a high mirror;
and Cathie had offered to come and
help her. They had not been happy
days for any of the three, excepting,
of course, for Rudolf and Cathie when
they were alone together. But that they
should be alone together, his mother
had done her best to prevent.
Luckily Cathie Stevens was so used
to people liking her that she had
thought Mrs. Avery'S manner was just
her old-fashioned way Of behavior. But
he had been well aware of the older
woman's growing disapproval, and at
last his mothers censoriouS dislike Of
her future daughter in-law had sur
rounded the young man as II 1t had
been a niasma from a poisonous
swamp.
An this being so, he asked himself,
uneasily, whether he wasn't being a
fool to allow Cathie TO make second
stay with his mother. But Mrs. Avery's
foot still hurt her, and she wouldn't
hire any ordinary help ito mess up her
place." as she put it.
He sighed, and then his mind swung
round to his mothers boarder. Mr..
Channon was nearer so than 80, but
he was still a very good looking man.
and he took far more trouble to keep
himself in fine physical condition than
do most men of his kind and age. He
ate sparingly, and always walked to his
office.
well aware. it was not the pursuit OF
money which dominated Mr.. Channon's
life. What he really lived for, was his
secret exciting chase of those he would
sometimes call by the old world term
of ''the fair" and what shrewdly ir-
ritated Rudolf was that all women
seemed to like the man. Rudolfs
mother, prim Mrs. Avery, was quite
silly about the boarder, and often held
him up as model to her son.
Franklin Channon kept two or three
love affairs going on simultaneously,
much as a conjuror keeps two or three
plates flving up and down through the
air. Like conjuror, too, at the right
moment he invariably caught his
quarry. But always one Of these women
meant a good deal more to him than
did the others. For some time now he
had been absorbed in q certain Mrs.
Perry; in fact, he seemed to think Of
else, and judging by q photo
graph he had proudly shown Rudolf,
she was beautiful.
Mrs. Perry? Rudolf sometimes found
himself dwelling on this woman Of
whom he knew at once so much and so
little. Her husband was engaged in
building UP big business and what
would soon become big fortune. Yet
he was very close with regard to money
jealous of his wife. About fortnight
ago Mr.. Perry had opened a letter !
from Mr.. Channon to Mrs. Perry; but .
fortunately for her, Mr.. Channon never (
put his real name TO love missive. :
To one lady he would be 'SYour de-
voted Julius Caesar" to another (
Longing to see you, Alexander Ham
llton." However, Mrs. Perry had per-
suaded her husband that the letter
q facetious epistle written just for fun
And, with a craftiness which appeared
TO Rudolf disgusting, and to her lover
DELIGHTFULLY."- clever, she had actually
brought the two men together in order
that Mr.. Perry might see that the
writer Of that curious letter might al
most have been her father as to age T
Illus 4ldQ MI 4 CRY ouoJtClo1io DCCll J.
laid at rest. Since then, however, If
Mr.. Channon was TO be believed, the
lovers had met almost every day
It was a sordid story, and Rudolf
felt disturbed at the thought that
Cathie Stevens and Franklin Channon
must inevitably meet during Cathie's
stay with his mother. The first time (
she had visited Mrs. Avery. the boarder
had been away on business.
mfr. Channon says he thinks very
well Of Cathie. and that II ne was a I
young man she's Just the sort Of girl
be would think Of for a wife. I was
pleased to hear that"
I'm sure you were, mother" and I
there was both wrath and sarcasm in
his tone.
"Of course, he's only seen her at her
best" went on Mrs. Avery. Then she
added, not unkindly, ''it was after she'd
changed her dress. and was waiting for
you and longing for you to come in"
Rudolf said nothing to that. It was
70 him hateful that Mr.. Channon
should ever have caught q glimpse Of
his precious Cathie.
This very evening, as his mother
had had IN q friend to meet her future