Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-12-20
BY HELEN TOPPING MILLER

III iot SOuiS " tdlh dpout nlOi-
gan trees" she said. Il want to
talk about yours. Do you know any
thing about that property of yours
over the ridge - that hardwood
tract? What shape is it in2"
Tom twisted the hat nervously. 81
sold it. Way back in '26. You knew
about that reckon. / sold it to that
Phillips outfit. They paid me the
first payment. They amt never paid
any more"
wnaI sort of papers did you get?
Have you got lien?"
They're all in the safe. Dave
put EN- away for me. Dave told
me I'd ought TO foreclose-then he
got down and you know how we been
ever since-we amt had time to
think of nothing but keeping this
here mill running"
Virgie sighed. ITS my fault, l
you-just like I've got to take care
of Lossie and Lucy out yonder and
some more helpless people,"
II got a good piece of money out
of that land" Tom defended.
They defaulted on the contract,
didn't they? The company's out of
existence. 1t will take a lawsuit,
probably, to repossess it-but some
body'S interested in it. / met a
couple of men-bankers, they looked
like-up on the ridge. They were
asking the way to that piece you've
got over there-that strip down Ha-
eel Fork with the big poplar on it.
You get those papers out, Tom, and
let me look into them"
Tom numbered out of his chair.
There was one kind of action he
could understand, indorse, and fol-
low. Strange men had been on his
land-land that Virgie said was his.
Il low them fellers better keep
off, over yonder," he doomed, his
eyes dour. Il don't know no law,
but if that's my poplar them bank
ers better keep off my place."
We'll, you've got to have the pa
pers first. I'll have Lucy open the
safe for you"
But when Lucy came back, MOON
eyed and absent, with a droop of
unhappiness about her mouth, Vir-
gle regarded her with impatience.
Lucy had been strung tight as fid-
die lately, making mistakes and be-
ing rushingly apologize about them,
jumping when the telephone rang.
Virgie knew what was the matter
with Lucy. Young Stanley Daniels
was fiattered by the sight of Lucy's
little silver heart fluttering on her
sleeve. He had grown arrogant and
cagey.
Lucy needed shaking. So, because
she was disguised with Lucy's
meeknesS, Virgie climaxed a day
of eXasperations by giving the girl
a raise.
Go out and buy yourself new
hat and some lipstick," she ordered,
land if that young Daniels is hang
ing on the gate when you start home
give him the back of your hand and
your chin in the air. can do all
the moping we need in this pulp
business"
Lucy was TREMENDOUSLY grateful
and husky. at isn't-that exactly,
Mrs. Morgan. It's-oh, everything!
Old lamps and the rug wearing out
and food costing so much"
Il know" Virgie was gentle. I'VE
had sofa that Topped over and
made a bed and my brother had to
sleep on it. 1t was always Topped
down in the parlor when l had a
beau. Don't let it get you down,
Lucy"
At night Joe and Ed reported that
the two strangers had walked over
Fruits land, climbed back into
their car, and gone away again.
She would hunt up her lawyer, as
soon as she had time, Virgie de-
cided, and find out just what could
be done for Tom.
Young Mr.. Branford Wills was
still seriously i'll. A half-dozen tele-
grams had so far failed to locate
anyone who belonged to him or who
might be interested in him. Virgie
had that to worry about.
She took time to hope that Lucy
had found decent hat.
She did not know that Lucy was
sitting alone at home, among the
rawlings, and that Stanley Daniels
was, at that moment, occupying a
rocker in front of Wallace Withers'
old woodworking stove, smoking one
of Wallace's five-cent cigars and
thinking very well of himself.