Henderson daily dispatch., 1939-02-14
CHAPTER ONE

mat with mechanical precision,
Iona Alderman wished fervently
that Mrs. Peterman might not OBJ
serve her entrance. make her be in
the kitchen. Don't let her see
me. . Make, her be In the
kitchen" she kept repeating over
and over to herself in a childish
refrain as she opened the door eau
tiously, and tip-toed through the
hall to the stairs. Her heart thump-
ing with much apprehension, as II
she had just robbed a bank, she
started up, taking the steps one at
a time. trying desperately to be
quiet. .
Half way up she paused and,
clinging to the banniSter, listened
intently. Voices were coming down
from above. A mans tones, low and
rumbling, and a woman's, high
pitched and querulous. Lona's spir-
its sank. Mrs. Peterman was in the
upstairs hall! interviewing new
boarder, probably. And she'd have
to pass them to reach her room.
No getting out Of it now, unless
she went back down the stairs and
out into the street again. The eter-
nal street she had been walking all
day! The sickening, grinding pave
ment. No, she couldn't do that. She
couldn't go back out there! Even
facing Mrs. Peterman was prefer
able to that.
Strengthening her slight figure
resolutely, she marched on up the
stairs, her shoulders f1inging them
selves back defantly, her brown
hair making a halo about her set
young face. After all, she had done
nothing wrong-as yet! She was no
criminal to be sneaking about
avoiding people. The worst Mrs.
Peterman could do was to put her
out for not paying her rent. Put
her out on the street again.
Don't let her speak to me.
Make her not speak to me :"
her mind kept saying over and over
again as she trod on each step. It
was odd the way things had been
saying themselves like that inside
her head all day. Whenever she
tried to plant there seemed to
spring up a little refrain, quite in
dependent Of what she wanted to
be thinking. Perhaps it was the
result Of tramping so much lately,
without eating any lunches. And
then last night she had had no sup
per, had been afraid to come down.
stairs here at the boarding house,
afraid to face Mrs. Peterman. She
WINGED at the thought Of the two
weeks the woman had given her
the last time she had been unable
to pay her board. Two weeks that
had been up yesterday.
At the top of the stairs, she
stopped suddenly, and waited.
Standing in the hall were Mrs.
Peterman and. a strange man.
In one hand( the woman car
ried a bunch Of keys, and her face
lighted up when she saw Iona.
1--WE been looking for you, Miss
Alderman" she said, in her
cracked, big city voice. '"This gen.
tleman here is hunting a room, and
since you told me you were think
ing of-ah-of moving, took him
in to see yours" She jingled her
keys and peered at Iona through
the gloom of the hall. Then she
turned to the man.
"This is the young lady I've been
telling you about" she said, signi-
ficantly. eff you don't mind going
down to the parlor and waiting,
I'll sort of-talk things over with
her." She beamed on him.
For a moment he looked at Iona
doubtfully. He was a tall young
fellow, with brown eyes that made
Iona remember, illogically, the
brown spaniel she had once owned.
The hand that held his hat was
hard looking, = and marked by
work. She saw that with a thrill of
ENVY. Work! What wouldn't she
give to be able to stretch out her
own white hands and match callus
for callus! Work!
IT hate to hurry the young
lady," The man looked from her to
the landlady doubtfully. But Mrs.
Peterman would have none Of his
objections.
1.-THE parlor's the room to the
right" she directed. "Tll be down
in a few minutes. I'm sure you
won't mind waiting"
When he had gone, she turned
to Iona. "Well, dearie, you see how
it u.s." she began. Y \
Eyes, see how it u.s." Iona was
trying desperately, now that the
moment had come, to keep hei
shoulders straight, her chin up