The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-04-13

duCS now. but LuOugu ueI InOtleI
lay on her side, her head was turned
so that her face was upward. The
posture looked uncomfortable; and
June very gently tried to move her
mothers head to the left so that it
might be at ease.
But when June touched Kitty Lea
ford's cheek smeared with un-
guents, her heart turned cold.
June caught her mothers Shout
ders. She shook them; she cried:
''Motherl Motherl'
But Kitty Leaford made no re-
Spouse. June might as well have
shaken bolster loosely stuffed with
sand.
The girl backed away from the
bed, her hands pressed to her lips.
She turned and ran down the stairs
to the telephone in the hall.
The instrument was dead. She
snapped on the hall ight-an cleo
trio bulb hanging by one wire in
the midst of the gas chandelier
and in that naked illumination she
tried the telephone again, without
response.
Terror was clamoring in her; she
tried to fight it down, to think what
she should do.
Grandpa and Grandma Hurder
were asleep at the end of the hall,
but she knew there was no help in
them. Even if there were help any,
where.
Then the electric light faded and
died, and June stood in the dark
hall like tomb. She was stified
by the blackness; she gasped for
breath; and the front door blew
open, banging against the wall, and
the girl choked back a scream.
She was swept by desperate and
nameless terror; gust of rain
came sweeping in, and June ran
blindly to- meet it, out through the
door, into the full beat of the rain.
The touch of it was sweet and cool.
Then she remembered that the
front door was always locked and
bolted. Uncle Justus had bolted it
tonight. Why had it opened of it
self? >
Blind panic possessed her utterly;
yet she chung to one thought: she
must fetch Doctor Cabler.
She might have reused Rab or
Asa, asleep next door. Rab had even
a car. But she took no time to
think of these things. She was al
ready racing across the lawn; she
found the gate in the hedge, and felt
the smooth hard macadam under
her feet, and ran swiftly. Occa-
sionally lightning flashes illumined
her way, kept her in the road.
She had gone halfway to Doctor
Cabler's house when a car came
down the hill behind her. She tried
to run faster, to escape this pur-
suer; but this was vain, and she
turned off the road, and fell, and
scrambled to her feet and stood like
wild creature brought to bay.
The car stopped beside her, and
someone asked question.
She stammered something, for
this was mans voice, and June
was not habituated to encounter
strange men. But instantly, while
he used some persuasion, she found
herself IN the seat beside him.
He offered her his coat, but she
refused it. Then this young man
beside her turned out the dash-ight
so that darkness drew a protective
garment over her, and she was
warm with gratitude to him. She
said: THANK you" She watched
him covertly, controlling her breath.
He asked some question, suggest
ing that she was afraid, and she
told him that she was not afraid
Yet her knees were trembling and
her fingers pressed her palms.
He spoke again, but she did not
hear him. She watched the road,
and at the beginning of the path
through the wood to Doctor Cab
ler's house, she babe this young
man stop the car. He did so, and
she alighted. and ran away along
the path.
But hidden in the wood, she
stopped to look back; and she
stayed there till he drove on, watch
ing the headlights of his car till
their CLEAN was lost behind a screen
Of trees.
When he was gone, she stood like
one bereft, as though with him a
part of herself had departed too.
| But then, in the darkness and the
rain, terror returned to spur her on.
She ran up the path and so came
pounding on the Doctors door.
At length a flashlights beam
came down the stairs; she could sea
it through the panel of the door. II
struck her In the eyes through the
| glass; and at the same time the
door opened. The light was in her
eyes, and Doctor Cabler exclaimed:
"JuneI God bless mel"
She whispered:
Come quick, Doctor Cablerl"
''Come In, June" he commanded.
and led her into the hall and shut
the door. You're drenched. What
is it?"
"Oh. hurry, hurryI" she cried.
ITS Mother. She's deadi"
The word on her own lips struck
her like a blow She had not till
this moment shaped this word even
in her thoughts. ooh, hurry" she
repeated; and thought in a dispas-
sionate apathy that the Injunction
was absurd. If her mother was
dead, there could be no reason for
| haste. This had not occurred to her