Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1939-08-10
CHAPTER VI-Continued

Sx1f11 v1-OUuC1AuCu
3
They laughed together. Badly was
great fun, Edith decided, different.
''You are wondering, fancy, how
I happened to come here" she said,
leaning back in her chair, her bur-
nished hair against it's faded cush-
ions. 'tWell, an old cook of Moth
er's, Martha Burns, is the wife of
the landlord. She will do anything
for me. / have had all my meals
upstairs I might be a thousand
miles away for all my world knows
of me-"
II was worried to death when I
thought of you out in the Storm"
3And all the while l was sitting
with my feet on the fender, reading
about myself in the evening pa
pers."
"And what you read was a-plen-
ty," said Badly, slangily. "Some
of those reporters deserve to be
shot,
ooh, they had to do it," indiffer-
emily, land what they have said is
nothing to what my friends are say
ing. It's choice morsel. Every
girl who ever wanted DeIs millions
is Growing over the way he treated
me-"
The look in his eyes disconnected
her. tDo you really think that?"
"Of course. We're a greedy
bunch.''
II don't like to hear you say such
things"
''Why not?"
"Because-you aren't greedy. You
know it. 1t wasn't his millions you
were after"
''What was after-I wish you'd
tell me. / don't know"
''Well, I think you just followed
the flock. Other girls got married.
So you would marry. You didn't
know anything about love-or you
wouldn't have done it."
"How do you know I've never
been in love?"
''Isn't it true?"
II suppose it is. I don't know,
really"
"You'n know some day. And you
mustn't ever think of yourself as
mercenary. You're too wonderful
for that-too-too fine"
She realized in that moment that
the boy was in earnest. That he
was not saying pretty things to her
for the sake of saying them. He
was saying them all in sincerity.
''It is nice of you to believe in me.
But you don't know me. I am like
the little girl with the curl. I can
be very, very good, but sometimes I
am 'horrid. -
''You can't make me think it," He
handed her packet of letters.
"Your uncle sent these. There's one
from Simms on top"
II think won't read it. l won't
read any of them. 1t has been heav-
emily to be away from things. 1 feel
like disembodied spirit, looking
on but having nothing to do with the
world I have left"
They were smiling now. 81 can
believe that" Badly said, "but
think you ought to read Sinms' let
ter. You needn't tell me you haven't
any curiosity"
''Well, have" she broke the en-
velope. 'More than that / am mad
ly curious. l wouldn't confess it
though to anyone-but you."
''They can cut me up in little
pieces-before break my silence"
Again they laughed together.
Then she broke the seal of the let
ter. Read it through to herself,
then read it a second time aloud
CHOW that it is all over, Edith, I
want to tell you how it happened.
I know you think it is rotten thing
did. But it would have been worse
if l had married you. l am in
love with another woman, and did
not find it out until the day of our
wedding.
"She isn't in the least to blame.
and somehow I can't feel that / am
quite the cad that everybody is call
ing me. Things are bigger some
times than ourselves. Fate just took
me that morning-and swept me
away from you.
cit isn't her fault. She wouldn't
60 away with me, although l begged
her to do it. And she was right of
course.
'She is poor, but she isn't marry
ing me for my money. The world
will say she is - but the world
doesn't recognize the real thing. 1t
has come to me, and if it ever comes