Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-01-07


I can expect. It's no more than any
mother can. She slaves and sacrifices
for him and then the time comes when
he brings somebody else in TO take
her place. He's through with his
mother; he doesn't want her any
more" Her lower lip trembled as II
she sat helpless before them. They
could hurt her in any way they chose,
she could do nothing about 1t.
Mrs. Pryor" Annie cried, 'tt won't
be that way. Don't think that"
But after that afternoon Annie
didn't repeat the visit and they put
off setting the date for the wedding.
I'll wait until next spring." Annie
said "That'n be better. It'll give your
mother more time to get used to the
idea. And it'll give them plenty Of time
| to elect somebody in my place" But
| the next year she went on teaching
Just as before and the next year 1t was
the same and the next and the next
'Why doesn't Rodney buck right up
, to her?" Della asked. TITS his house
as much as it's hers. You ought to go
on over there no matter what she
says"
Between u.s." Annie whispered,
drawing her breath in sharply I'VE
would kill him" That was why. She
could have gone over there and held
her own with that deceptively strong,
bony little woman. She could have
matched strength for strength, but
Rodney was not strong in the way they
were strong. He was good and gentle,
his brown eyes pleaded for peace. They
would have torn him apart.
What is it she holds over his head
for whip anyway"
Gratitude. She holds him with
gratitude. She tells him how she
worked for him when he was little, /
working to keep the place so he could !
have it when he got grown, working
all by herself while he went to school |
to get an education, working even to |
send him one year to the university. /
She never lets him forget for a day /
how much she's done for him"
The grove Of cedars. so thick and
dark, so thickly undergrown, became
a welcome wall between the two places.
Mrs. Pryor knew, she could guess,
at least they hid the sight Of it from
her. It got to be as If Rodney lived
two lives, the life that he lived over
there alone with his mother and this
other life that he never mentioned to
her.
She couldn't see him when he stopped
for Annie every morning. Year after
year the school children grew used
20 seeing Miss Annie Provence get out
If the milk truck in front Of school
With a funny old felt hat on her
oobbed hair. Her hair wasn't becom-
ng, 1t looked too thin and close to
Ter head for her big face but she
liked 1t bobbed, she said 1t was so
sensible, so much easier TO do. Law, ,
he didn't have time to fool with her !
lair.
At nights Rodney stayed at home L
With his mother, but on Sunday aft !
moons he used the roadster instead !
4 the truck and he and Annie went
irving. Usually they ended up on the r
courthouse hill to look at the sunset !
nd the river and people seeing them !
itting there together would think 4
low long they had been going to- =
ether and wonder If they ever would I
marry.
AS soon as they married, Annie I
loved over to Rodney's. She went with /
igor, the vigor Of release because it 3
ad been like secret song in her so g
ing to go over there and open up r
nat house, to let those imprisoned 1,
0oms know what 1t was like to have q
IN and air, to let Rodney know what Il
was like to have a real home, to n
We all over q house and not TO be
popped up Just In the back. A
For 10 years she had been looking a.
,rward to this. She had had a secret n
sion Of how It would be, herself and a,
odney, Just the two Of them before ii
fire in their own living room, room d
lat she imagined made out OF one Of "
lose stiff dim rooms over there IN h
lie Pryor house, q free and easy room, ID
and fun of light and color
rs what she had In mind. h
In winter she would even study the n
ctures Of draperies and cushions IN -
e magazines though at first she had
'en self-conscious about letting her ~
other and Della see her do it, such
tngs having always been so foreign
her nature
I'm like an Indian" she would
ink. little laughingly 10 herself, as
e turned the pages. ~Give me plenty
color. don't care how gaudy e
just 50 its something that win
Ash." Rodney, she thought gently. |
,uld appreciate the room ghe had "a
md: she knew he would.
As they went IN the door that first
~ the k1krMRY dnnY AZ nannaaT fsnNA -