Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1939-08-18
CHAPTER Nv

Mrs. Emma Forrest was fine
woman. Her friends agreed that
she was fine; that she had an over
plus OF those sterling and pious quail
tiles which make tor social success
and domestic happiness in town
like Beverly.
NO one, or at least very few, per-
sons ever criticizeo Emma Forrest.
She ran her home immediately,
dressed Wen ana plainly, did ardent
church work, belonged to a reading
circle, and was inorulnately fond Oh
neiping neighpors when there was
illness IN the mouse, though 1t was
not unknown that after these nelgn-
porly excursions sne invariably had
something to talk about: something
personal and intimate, like the
dearth of bed linen or the condition
of kitchen plumbing or the shocking
failure of the i'll woman to have
stocked her pantry shelves with pre-
serves.
Mrs. Forrest was forty-eight years
Of age. She was not fat, but she
definitely was heavy. Solid. Not COM
Portable at all, but solid. Folks as
serted that her face showed strength
of character. Her manner was pos
itive-so positive that Andrew For
rest, her rather smallish husband,
had acquired a chronic submissive
ness. He never-or very seldom
argued with Emma, and on such
rare occasions as he did, he never
won. At least Emma never &C.
knowledged that he had. She was
that sort of a woman: a thing was
right because she said it was right.
The good upper middle class
housewives of the town admired
Emma Forrest. They admired her
sterling qualities, her goodness Of
heart, her efficient management of
her household, her success in having
nodded her twenty-two-year-old son,
Andy, into stalwart masculine edi-
ton of herself. And they wondered
why a thoughtless Providence had
inflicted upon her such a daughter
as Kay. "She's wild, that's what she
is-in spite of everything her moth
er has tried to do for her." They
said, Shell come to no good end,
mark my words" They said, Its
a pity Kay couldn't have turned out
to be fine girl. Emma didn't de-
serve to have that sort of daughter"
BY that, Beverly did not mean to
infer that Kay Forrest was immor-
al, although there were some few
who, without particular conviction,
limited that they wouldn't be so ter
ribly surprised to learn that she
| was.
This morning the family had fin
ished breakfast. They were wait
ing, Mrs. Forrest and Andy rather
grim and pious. Andrew Forrest
who, by original selection and bio
logical chance, had become nomi-
nal head of the household, uncer-
tain and i'll at ease. He knew that
Kay was to be greeted with bar
rage OF criticism, and inasmuch as
there existed between him and his
nineteen-year-old daughter bond Of
friendship and sympathy and under
standing which was beyond the COM
prehension Of the virtuous Emma
he waited calamity to give
such meager support as lay within
his power.
They saw Kay step out Of Barney
Hamilton's little car. They saw her
move up the walk; cross the veran-
da. They saw her come through the
front door and approach the dining
room. Mrs. Forrest greeted her with
q remark which was not unobvious.
Mrs. Forrest said, We've been
waiting for you, Katherine"
Kay caught an almost impercep-
tible warning flicker Of her fathers
right eyelid. Therefore she answered
| meehly, Eyes. ma'rm.''
ITO Be CONJiNUEDy