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

as a sort of adventure, something
that might happen in a movie, say?
You and Pete will think this IS q
great joke, some day."
"There's only one thing" Sheila
began suddenly, after troubled
study of his handsome, dark face. i
won't marry Peter Nc Cam. Not If
the Church itself"
Listen, listen" he said soothing
ly, his hand on her arm, "you
don't have to get so excited about
it. You don't have to. You don't
have to marry anyone, if you don't
want tot"
"I'n become a nun, first" Sheila
whispered, fiercely. She saw Franks
characteristic half-smile brighten
his face.
"You won't have to go that far"
"But if his mother and father ex-
pect me to" Sheila began, anx-
iously.
Frank reflected a moment
"They DON'T" he told her briefly.
you're sure they don't?"
The man spoke more slowly:
"Why, they wouldn't want you to
do anything you didn't want to do.
They might think you wanted to-"
"Well," she said, in instant re-
lief, II don't want to-
"You know, Sheila," Frank began,
and looked away, hesitating. "You
know, my mother thought" he be-
gan again, that since you and
Peter had been shut up in that place
for two nights"
He hesitated, and Sheila took it up
defiantly:
Eyes, l know. And what's more,
Peter was in my room that first
night, what there was left of it,
that is. But don't care! 1t doesn't
make the slightest difference"
at was only question of justice
to you, Sheila."
"Well, you can tell your mother
that I'm perfectly satisfied"
Miss Kennedy - my young la
dy-" Frank persisted, agreed with
my mother"
well, then she doesn't under
stand the way l feel" Sheila said
hotly.
Frank was smiling, as at an an.
cry child.
She's a pretty wise young lady,
Bernadette," he said, as if he were
merely thinking aloud. Sheila stood
looking at him, painting.
"You don't think ought to marry
Peter!" she challenged him.
81 thought" Her eanestness af-
fected him in spite of himself, and
he looked at her with his kindest ex-
preston. Sheila seemed small and
pale, in her scant old cotton gown,
with her tumbled coppery bang fall
ing on her broad forehead. She was
fighting for her life.
81 thought you'd want to, Sheila,"
Frank said, sympathetically.
Frank" Suddenly she was cling
ing to him, jumbled against him.
soft and warm and sweet. Don't
let them make mel"
If he said anything to her she did
not hear it. His arm was about her
for minute, his face against her
hair.
Then they had drawn apart, and
his fingers, that had been gripping
hers, were loosened, and he was
running down the stairs. Sheila
stood dazed, alone in the hallway.
After while she turned toward the
kitchen; a strange light was in her
absent eyes, a dreamy smile on her
lips. She moved like sleepwalker.
When Sheila re-entered the room
1t was to a sulphurous silence on
the part of her mother, who was
alone there. Joe had gone to bed
in the front room, and Angela was
in Sheila's place in the big bed,
crying, asleep, or feigning uncon-
sciousness, Sheila could not tell. It
was little hard to manage a dig
nified performance of disrobing and
additions with her mothers steely
eyes upon her, and with the con-
sciousness that she would presently
come to bed in the same small room
with her, but Sheila achieved it.
Angela rarely slept in the big bed.
1t was tacit sign of Sheila's alien
alton from the family that she should
be there tonight.
"A lot I care!" Sheila thought an
grily. They're all against mel"
She deliberately summoned Frank
Nc Cam to her mind, deliberately
dwelt upon every look of his, every
word, his smiling remoteness from
any trouble of hers; he that was
so cool and faultless and amused
at it all! mo girl would ever get
that one into trouble" SheiIa
thought, going off to sleep.
At eleven o'clock the next morn
ing she and her mother and Joe
presented themselves at the Nc
Cam mansion. Part of the way
they rode in a bus, following the
Fifth Avenue side of the park in
the holiday-morning excitement.