Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1940-06-20
CHAPTER XI-Continued

Mrs. O'Connor was making entries
with fat soft hand, in a big book.
Sheila said she would pay half.
"That's entirely satisfactory to
me-" Mrs. O'Connor told her, ami
ably. ''They want nice, quiet-looking
girls, and they'll like you. I sup
pose you haven't sister or a cousin
who'd like to 60 with you? It's quite
a lark, the girls say"
''No, haven't" Sheila said. And
to herself she added, when she was
in the quiet, snowy street again,
II very likely won't 60 myself"
She went home, and found the
three dreary rooms of the Bronx
apartment empty and dark. An
gela had gone away with Nicely and
Lizzie. The sight of the place re-
minded Sheila of the days desolat-
ing adventures, of Mas unkindness,
of Joe's doubts, of the Nc Cam
family, who were so ready to be-
Ieve that she would run away with
their precious son and be married
by justice of the peace!
Joe had an old imitation leather
suitcase. Sheila dragged it out from
under the big bed and began to pack
it, crying hard as she did so. She
prayed that they would come in and
find her at it; they would be long
time persuading her not to go!
To be sure, she had given Mrs.
O'Connor three dollars, but then
what were three dollars in crisis
like this? The thought of the money
reminded Sheila of her precious fifty
dollars, and she took it out of the
drawer of the kitchen table, to
look at it lovingly. She put two bills
back again, crying harder than ever.
Ma should have them, Ma hadn't
had forty dollars very often in her
life.
Less than an hour later, turning
into their street, and supporting his
emotionally exhausted mother with
a firm arm, Joe Carscadden said
suddenly:
"Did you see that girl across the
street, Map"
II saw nobody"
~ guess I'm seeing Sheila every
where!" Joe said. eft looked like
her."
CHOW tell you," said his mother,
'they have that child all wrong,
them Nc Cams"
Joe all but stopped short in his
slow pacing, to give his mother an
astounded glance.
Mo 1,a,, IiIn'f FOL hnr
part then!"
81 blame meself that I didn't,
then," Mrs. Carscadden said, walk
ing on.
"You have to hand it to her for
this" Joe said. ellis having money
didn't matter two cents to her! She
didn't want him, and that was all
there was to it,
''It spakes well for her, it does
so," said her mother.
81 thought it did!'
"There's few ger'rls wouldn't
jump at a lad that has all he has.
"I'll tell the world there are!"
"But you'd not get Sheila to in
Intrigue for 'um, just because he was
a rich mans son."
''I'n swear I felt sorry for her!"
Joe said suddenly, as they entered
the dark, odorous doorway of home.
"She seemed so alone, poor kid,
there in that big room, with every
one of us riding her"
''They had me so twisted about,
Joe," Mrs. Carscadden said conf
dentially, arresting him on the long
stairs, 81 didn't know what they
were after. Did they want her to
marry 'um, or didn't they?"
81 think they thought Peter had
got her into something, and the only
decent thing for him to do was stand
by her."
"But you don't think so, Joe?" his
mother asked seriously.
"No." He hesitated. "Of course,
at first I thought she and Peter
were just stringing u.s." he con-
fessed, land then all of sudden
while we were there it came over
me that she was telling the truth"
81 hope she's not mad at us" Mrs.
Carscadden murmured fearfully at
the door.
"Sheila? Oh, she never stays
mad," he said comfortably.
"I'n make her batch of mullins
for supper; she likes them!" the
woman decided. ut scalds me that
she told me yesterda', Joe," she
added, "that she'd been cookin' a
pot-roast, an I never said amy
thing to her about it!'
"You certainly rode her!" Joe
said, STOPPING to grope for the door
knob in the dark.
''Not amy more than the rest of
you," the mother protested uncom-
fortably. "Look how Lizzie done!"
eyes, but Sheila only minded it
from you, Ma"
"Oh, Joe," Mrs. Carscadden said,
pathetically, "don't say that,
dear'r!'
"Why, you know darned well how
Sheila feels when she thinks you're
off her, Ma. It's locked; she's not
home!" Joe said blankly, of the
door.
"Joe, she must be home!"
"She's not. She couldn't lock her
self in, could she?" Joe asked, pro-