Glacier County chief., 1940-11-01

there isn't a bad bone in her BODY
"Mrs. carscadden-" MIS-. Mc
Cam said in a whisper. Her Iace
was chastity. 1--WE knew nothing OF
this" she began again. My son
Frank has always been-we've oe-
pended on him!" she finished 1ain'-
ly.
"You mustn't break, Mammal!
the Judge said. But he looked Dro-
ken himself.
as he so sick?" Sheila faltered'
bursting into tears.
No one paid any attention to her:
Judge Nc Cam, always grave ana
kindly, addressed Sheila's mothef'
Mrs. Carscadden, as soon as the
boy is out of the woods I'll get IN
touch with you"
Sheila's mother appeared not 10
be listening.
"He said it. But l don't behave
it," she said, in dull, stricken
tone.
Nor I, either" the Judge agreed.
There's some explanation-'
"No-no-no, he'd never do that!
Mrs. Nc Cam said in her soft, eager
voice. He never-they never
thought-that was ALL"
well, well, we'll" the Judge said,
well straighten it all out. God S
ways are not our ways. And the
young people today are not what
we used to bel"
Indeed, you're right about that!'
said Sheila's mother.
They were working their way
downstairs; Sheila and Joe, and
their mother, and the senior Nc
Cams, and various other unidenti-
fed persons, servants, cousins,
auntS.
Among these Sheila had confus-
eddy noticed, from the beginning, a
pretty, black-eyed girl in a dark
red suit trimmed with black fur, and
a dark red hat. II she had tried to
identify this girl at all she might
have placed her as one of Franks
younger sisters; he had three besides
Veronica, she knew, or she might
have supposed her to be a con-
cerned. pretty cousin. But as mat
ter Of fact the group had been so
large, and so mixed, and the babel of
voices and the general movement so
distracting, that Sheila, although she
had distinctly observed this girl,
had wasted no thought whatever
upon her identity.
But now, in the lower hall, the
girl suddenly took the center of the
stage by arresting them all with
a quick imperative word to the
judge.
Judge Nc Cam, and Mrs. Nc
Cam, too" this girl began, in a
high-strung and naughty voice. I'm
going. You'll mderstand-you'll un-
derstand, Of course, that this
changes everything"
"Oh, Bernadette, my dear!" Mrs.
Nc Cam said, in a heartbroken
tone.
you must see that!" the girl
said, in quick, feverish manner.
She stood close to Mrs. Nc Cam,
her fingers nervously busy with her
lace collar. "You see that?" she
asked.
"Bernadette," the Judge said,
don't be too quick to Judge him.
We mustn't jump to conclusions.
In a few days-when, God willing.
he'll be better"
mo. never!" the girl said with
spirit. Never! You heard what he
said. He never saw me. He never
spoke to me! 1t vast was"
She began to choke, flung up her
head. was silent.
"Bernadette, DEAR" Mrs. Nc Cam
said, her arm about her, control
yourself. l feel as bad as you do.
It doesn't seem possible it's Frank.
But let's give the poor child the
benefit of the doubt"
Doubt" the girl echoed quickly
with scornful laugh. you heard
what he said!"
"Bernadette," said Mrs. Nc Cam
you Know as well as I do that
Frank Nc Cam is incapable of anv.
thing underhand-"
"Underhand!" The girl caught I'm
the word again, angrily. II don't
know what you call it. Engaged to
me, he was visiting this-this girl
down there at Atlantic Cityl don't
care-1 don't care whether he was
living with her or not!" she rushed
on recklessly, and the judge and his
wife and Sheila's mother recoiled
from the phrase as if from a blow
That doesn't make any difference,
bernadette Kennedy said, beginning
to sob. What difference does tha;
make, as long as we know that he
knew she was there, and was poin 9
down to see her-and her own moth.
er didn't know where she was-and
even the papers didn't know it-lonS
at them!"
Why, that's lie!" Sheila said
understanding at least. "Tbat'e !