The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-03-04
The Rains
Came
CONTINUED From Page Ten)

as A son-in-law Crossing 10 the
bed. she said. u am not going TO
stay here. I'm going into the
town.
You must be crazy. You can't
leave me here alone with the
Smilevs. You can't let anything
happen 10 YOU now. You're all
I've got. Where on earth did you
get such an idea
Quite calmly Fern said. I'm
going because I can be of use at
the hospital or some place. And
I'm going so that I can be near
him.
Mrs. Simon for the first time
sat up on the cot. Am nothing
to you? Haven't you a thought
for your mother -
With sudden feeling of tri-
umph Fern thought. She can't
touch me any longer I'm not
afraid Of her or her scenes. She
can't touch me. Ii was true.
She was free. She said, OF
course, I'm thinking of YOU, but
I'm going just the same. No
matter what happens l have to be
near him. He doesn't know how
TO take care of himself.
Fern do you realize what you
are doing 80
1T doesn't matter what people
think-the few of them that are
left
Il love him more than anybody
or anything in the world. I'd do
anything for him-anything at
all"
Her mother covered her face with
her hands She was too tired now,
too old to make one of her melo-
dramatic scenes. She only covered
her face with her hands and said:
Come here. Sit by me" And
when grudgingly Fern sat on the
edge of the cot, Mrs. Simon took
her hand again, and said 1t
isn't the way would have wanted
it to happen, but hope you are
going to be happy
And then Fern knew that never
again would her mother trouble
her. She was. Fern saw as from
a great height, childish and futile.
From now on she would have to
be cared for, told what to do. The
capitulation the whole collapse,
was too sudden; it left Fern I'M
decided and a little frightened.
Oddly. mysteriously. she had be-
come older and wiser than her
mother. In a little while she rose
quietly from the edge of the cot
and sat in a rocking chair and
presently. out of sheer exhaustion,
closed her eyes and slept.
A long time afterward she was
Weakened by gentle touch on the
shoulder, and waking saw Mr..
Smiley standing in front of her.
1t was he who guided them
across the plain past the Sink
barracks and across the half
ruined bridge into the town; for
they went together, Fern Simon
and Lady Esketh, stubbornly.
against the protests of all the little
party at the mission. against the
protests even of the gentle Mr..
Smiley, who could not see how
either Fern or Lady Esketh could
be anything more than nuisance
in the desolation of the city.
They made the dizzy, perilous
crossing of the railway bridge as
they held hands. making a chain
to steady each other in case the
roaring. rushig water made any
one of them giddy. And when
they had reached solid land and
looked up once more, there RICH,
in front of them was standing
Miss Hodge surrounded by a group
of villagers, all chattering at her.
In her confusion and bewilder-
ment she heard and understood
nothing that they said, that they
were asking her for food, for news
of their children. for security.
They were low-caste people with
whom she had little contact and
they spoke in variety of jargons,
but If they had spoken Gujerati
or Hindustani. she would not have
understood them because she was
parayzed with fear and horror by
all the sights she had witnessed.
She did not understand that the
dirty low-caste people clustered
about her had confused her char-
acter and personality with that Of
Miss Dirks. They knew that if
they asked Miss Dirks for help
she would not refuse them, and
Miss Dirks and Miss Hodge had
been together for so long that the
little group had come to think of
them as single manifestation, a
single phenomenon
Then suddenly she was aware
that Lady Esketh was there be-
side her, speaking to her, only it
was not the Lady Esketh she had
called upon at the Summer Palace,
smart and worldly, the way she
looked in the pictures in the week
ly plctorials. but strange woman
IN a calico dress. looking much
Older, weary and untidy Miss
Hodge stared for a moment into
her face. and in her mixed brain
occurred the thought 1t is the
'NA44t HNlildils Out IL ISll L. soolllf-
thing has happened to her Then
suddenly she felt shy with the
agony of shyness which had swept
over her that afternoon at the
Summer Palace when she had
taken a cigarette and mad not
known what TO do with il.
She was aware that Nh Smiley
was saying something TO Lady
Esketh. and the shyness vanished
in wave Of anger and she cried
out Don't you believe anything
he's saying | know what he's
saying He's saying We couldn't
have you TO tea because we had
10 90 to MI Rsnsome's. It's not
true. He's lying He's only a mis-
sionary And. anyway. Sarah -
dead; she can't bully me any
more"
Then Lady Esketh put a hand
round her shoulder and said II
know he's lying You come along
with me I'm going 10 the hos