Glacier County chief., 1940-12-13
CHAPTER H-Continued

Of steam, every odor. The mill was
roaring on-roaring on without her.
Tom was anxious. Virgie felt bet
ter when she saw his gaunt face.
At least Tom had missed her.
She spent a half-hour telephoning,
then was properly indignant.
'Those government men went
along back to Washington. Bridges
says they said something about wait
ing for this young Wills, then they
decided that probably he'd caught
ride down the mountain. This is
a crazy country! If you catch six
inch fish out of a creek up there in
the forest ranger will chase you
mile-but a man with brains and
potentialities can go to waste any,
where and nobody bothers about i'll"
But Tom was not worrying about
young Mr.. Wills. A government man
more or less could be lost in the
laurel hells indefinitely without loss
to the Morgan mill. Tom had other
things on his mind.
'Old man Perry Bennett come
in" Tom pushed off his wide hat,
worried his forelock. He says he
reckons he won't sell you that piece
up Tuckaseegee. He says he got a
better offer on it."
Virgie's mind stiffened to atten-
ton. who'd buy that cutover piece
and what for?"
Champion maybe
champion have got all they want.
And even with the Government TAX
ing their best acreage, they wouldn't
bother with a little thickety piece
like old Benefits. Tom, I think I
see a few things you don't know
about. You let me handle this"
II amt itchin' to handle Perry
Bennett"
Virgie remembered presently to
pull off her hat and spike it on the
hook on the door. The telephone
purred. Marian's voice came, thin,
with an edge of fright on it.
Mother, it is pneumonia"
keep your head on" counseled
her mother, dryly. "Open the win
dow and keep the fire going. I'll
get Ada Clark out there in a little"
She hung up. where's Lucy?" she
demanded.
The chair, the little desk, the COW
cred typewriter on the other side of
the office were vacant. So was
the prim little wooden costumer in
the corner where every morning Lu-
cy Fields, Virgie's secretary, hung
up her green wool coat, her small
black hat.
Tom pulled out his ponderous
watch. at amt but four minutes
after eight"
MY lord" muttered Virgie wea-
rily, II thought it was most noon"
Lucy came in, on time to the min
ute, taking off her overshoes, set
ting them neatly in the corner.
Lucy Fields was another of those
who comforted Virgie Morgan. Luz
cy's quiet hazel eyes, her husky
voice and smooth hair, gave an air
of calm to the cluttered bedlam of
the Office. Lucy had gone to high
school with Marian, but when Mar
ian was setting out for college with
two trunks full of clothes, and a lit
tie roadster of her own, Lucy was
learning Gregg and swift, assured
ways of knowing exactly which way
a lost car of potash might be routed.
Lucy's mother made watermelon
rind pickles and tufted counterpanes
for tourists. In good weather the
counterpanes hung on clothes-lines
on the porch of the Fields cottage,
facing the highway.
Marian was sorry occasionally for
Lucy, inviting her out to supper,
suavely overlooking Lucy's made
over frocks, her half-soled shoes.
But when there were young men at
the house on the mountain, with
dancing and gaiety, Lucy was not
invited.
"She bushes so. She squirms, ac-
tuaIlyl" Marian justified this omis-
sion. For girl with the poise she
has around the plant, to let the boys
rattle her so and make her tongue
tied, is silly-but that's the way
Lucy isl"
There were things about Lucy that
Virgie was sure she knew. Prim
little secrets that Lucy's quiet eyes
hid. Still maids who fed on dreams,
with no satin or moonlight or rose
petals with which to wrap the tinid
bones Of dreams, suffered. Virgie
knew. She had been a tongue-tied,
tcrmented girl in hand-me-downs,
herself.
She sent Lucy out into the mill
for the chemical report.
Shell have . good day and ev-
ery word will be spelled right II
she eees Stanley Daniels first" she
~ Tom Prlitt.
zEers \ Something sudden, some
49, h1rspid and challenging about