Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-10-04
CHAPTER Ix-Continued

wen, we wanted 10 see each 9TH
CT, Joe. You see, when went to
give back that blue purse-and
lost it, Ma, but my moneys here
safe, left it home! Well, and then,
Joe, when / went to the Nc Cams,
to give back the money, got my
self up like beggar, remember
SO that they'd feel sorry for me,
see? Well, it seems that this Ger
trude Keane, whose purse it was, is
ward of the Nc Canns-her ia
Their and mother died when she was
little, and she grew up with the Nc
Cams. And Peter Mccain was right
there-and ! hadn't seen him since
Tiller's Beach because he had lost
my address but I didn't know
that"
"Slow up, Sheilal You and he
liked each other at the beach,"
"Just that one day. And then we
danced that night"
"And then the next time you meet
him it's four days before his mar
riage to another girl?"
"You see, Joe?"
But you were still in love with
him?"
well, sort of liked him." Sheila
suddenly took a firmer tone. but I
hate him nowi" she said.
Three days afther we've merried
himl" her mother muttered in an
undertone. THAT'S fine doin's!"
"Wait a minute, Ma. So you and
Peter said you'd meet?"
Che e1,o11o,,aI -alIaJ
her brothers face anxiously, with
drenched eyes. Then, fighting back
the tears, she told them of her in
credible adventure.
Presently Joe interrupted.
"Sheila, listen. ! want to believe
you, and I want to get this straight.
But it sounds awfully fishy. Why
should those men want to drag you
and Peter Nc Cam along with
them? Why shouldn't they let you
60 homer"
'Well, they were trying to hide
something, Joe; they were afraid.
They were trying to hide some
thing!"
Go on. What happened them"
"Then we went humping up and
up and up into the most desolate
old house you ever saw, and I was
so tired I lay down and went to
sleep with all my clothes on.
"And the next day-yesterday-
there we were with three terrible
looking men, only they turned out to
be not so fierce, and then this first
man came up and I guess he told
them everything was all right, be-
cause, anyway, we started down in
the same truck-only first I cooked
dinner for them. Ma, I cooked a
pot-roast, only I had to thicken it
with flour, because there wasn't any
cornstarch-so then they brought us
to this place called Capitol juno
ton"
''But when were you in Boston,
Sheila?"
I'm Boston! We weren't in Bos-
ton"
That's where your telegram
came from"
why, it couldn't have been, Joe!
We gave him our names on Satur-
day at the studio, and he said he'd
send the kilograms right away. He
thought Peter and I were married,
or were going to be, anyway"
"But listen, Sheila, let's get this
straight. We're you married here in
New York;"
Married! Joe, you're crazy, or
else I'm going crazy. I don't know
which! We never were married.
We hate each other! We never
thought of getting married."
Il guess you and I don't under
stand each other" Joe said slowly,
after a long pause. 81 guess we're
sort fin the dark. Who sent
that?"
He took much-folded limp OBJ
long of yellow paper from his pock-
ct, opened it, passed it to Sheila.
She flattened it, read it, and looked
at him. Then she read it again,
this time including a glance at the
date line, Boston, March Is, 1918
A. M"
The message was brief:
Peter Nc Cam and / married
by justice of the peace this eve
ning,' it said. very happy letter
soon"
It was signed "Sheila."
For long time Sheila sat staring
at them all in silence. The color
drained from her face.
SIS that what he sent?" she whis-
pered at last.
"That came Sunday morning."
Joe answered, watching her.
well, Of course it's a lie, Joe,"
she said simply. 1--WE never were
in Boston, we never were married.
You can 60 to the library and you'll
see the marks ON the roof where we
jumped out, ! suppose. They're
probably still there in the snow. And
you can see the studio. Peter'u
tell you the same. And you can find
Capitol Junction on the map!"
"You all believed the worst of