Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1939-03-31

ject when Emily said would he mind
letting her give him a kiss.
She came out to the surrey with
them. 1t seemed as though she did not
want them to go, that she couldn't bear
to part with them, and she hardly had
time to look at her presents, although
she was pleased, especially over the
handbag, but goodness only knew when
or where she would have a chance to
use 1t.
Wen come again, Emily" said Jer-
emy's father. He wanted to cut the
| farewells short, now.
Even Jeremy had been a little af-
fected by Emily's not wanting them
to go. In the end it was rather terrible.
She ran breathlesly along behind the
surrey as far as the corduroy road,
bye, Jeremy er until Jere a1Set fstSer
drew the whip acros the horses nanks
and they plunged forward at a stretch
gallop, rocking the surrey madly. Over
the rough corduroy they tore, while
/ Freeman Dexter had to stand I'D to
hold them, braced back against the
taut reins, his face grim, while chan
nels streaked down from his eyes, and
Jeremy could not help but see that
his father was crying.
Jeremy chung to his arm. CRYING a
little, too, from fright, as well as be-
cause Emily Peterson was being left
alone in this wilderness of pines and
scrub palmetto while her pappy and
brothers were ciceroning the winter
| sportsmen over at Naples -the-Gulf
Anyway, Emily had a gun. Jeremy
had heard her tell his father so, when
Freeman Dexter asked her if it wasn't
dangerous for her to stay here by her
self
When they got back to Fort Myers
1t was Jeremy's bath, supper and bed
time, and he was tired enough not to
raise the usual objections.
In the morning some sixth sense
warned him that yesterdays adventure
was between him and his father, and
not to be shared with anybody else.
His father had not cautioned him
In fact Freeman Dexter had referred
to the trip at the breakfast table say
ing. what an interesting drive Jeremy
and he had had to place called Blue
River But that was all he had said.
Eleanor was gay and friendly. even
towards Jeremy, for she had got her
way.
They would be packing that night
and going back to st. Augustine tomor-
row.
Jeremy remembered that his father
had told Emily Peterson they would
be coming again to see her. He Won
dered when, but somehow he knew his
father never meant to go back. He had
only said 1t to make the parting easier
for Emily.
The Jeremy of today, sitting on the
Slanting porch Of the derelict house
was about the same age now as Free
man Dexter had been when they called
upon Emily and brought her presents
For years he had not thought much
about that adventure of long ago. but
always 1t had lurked in the BACKGROUND
of his mind, so much so that when
Mile and he had trekked south this
fall. inStinctively he had headed for
Fort Myers.
| He had not mentioned his reason to
Mile if. indeed. he had recognized
any reason. and the adventure Of long
ago was still a secret between him and
! his dead father.
AS he sat there the sky suddenly
grew dark and cold wind ripped
through the tops of the pine trees
and sent a crackle as of burning
brushwood through the scrub
Down came the rain in sheets where
only a few moments before the sun
had been shining. Lightning flashed
and thunder rolled. and the sentinels
of the forest tossed and creaked and
| groaned.
! Not wanting to get soaked to the
skin, Jeremy plunged through the cur
| tam OF JeSamlne and found himself
in what had been Emily Peterson's
Kitchen. 1t was dark as a dungeon and
hot as an oven in there. He hoped
Mile was not being too frightened
She hated tflunderstorms.
1t went on for about half an hour
and Jeremy was Just beginning to grow
accustomed to the darkness, when the
storm rolled out to sea and the sun
shone again.
He looked around tho e.r;,,,oi
kitchen where nothing was left but
/ a rusted cook-Stove that had lost two
! legs, and seemed to be resting OBJ
sequiously on its knees. Sand had drift
ed deep over the slanting floor boards,
one of which had worked loose and
thrust itself upward. A wonder he had
not tripped over it in the dark of the
storm.
And then he heard a squeal and
scurry in the hole underneath and
caught the flash of what looked like
pair of tiny red lamps He was curious
as to what sort of animal it was. and
! quickly ripped up the whole OF the
loose tloorboards, but was none the
wiser. The creature had vanished
! But something else was heard that
! caught his attention, tin box all but
buried in the sand under the flooring
1t took him some time to get it out,
since he had to rip up another board
/ before there was enough space TO let
it pass through. The box was fairly
! heavy and it ratified when he shook ii.
/ He carried it onto the porch. where
| the freshened air was full of heavenly
scents of jeSsamine and magnolia, and
finally managed TO knock off the rust
| ed lid
This was exciting. What had the
PetersonS. or whoever came after them