Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1940-06-27
CHAPTER xII-Continued

11OW Is youI u1otuC1s HAoiAh'
asked Sheila.
''Mother feels very badly about
you. She feels that we could have
shown a little more confidence in
you that day."
''She didn't believe me-"
''She was all upset"
'And your father didn't believe
me-
''Well-he did, kinder"
Sheila was looking somberly ahead
of her, resentment smoldering in her
eyes.
81 can't blame you, if my own
mother thought I was iar!" she
said bitterly.
81 believed you, right through"
Frank said.
Sheila's look was scornfully in
credulous.
Honestly did," he said. '"Truly.
But it seemed to me that anyway,
true or not true, you and Peter
might want to be married"
81 don't love Peter. I'm not 60
ing to marry anyone don't love-"
Frank shrugged.
"Perhaps you're waiting for some
thing you'll never find," he said.
eff I had known that you knew
where I was," Sheila said, after a
long pause, during which her blue
eyes had rested steadily on his face,
81 would have run away again
from here, mean"
"It wouldn't have done you any
good"
She looked up suspiciously.
"Wouldn't?"
''No, you can't run away from
things. 1t only makes people think
you've got something to hide"
II don't care what people think.
"We'd have had to find you. But,
knowing where you were, I could
tell them you were all right" Frank
said. 81 knew it wouldn't hurt you
to work off your mad. I was down
here the day after you came, and
saw Mrs. Kearney. She's good
old GIRL" Frank said. "She said
she'd keep an eye on you and not
talk. I didn't tell her much"
Tears of helpless anger stood in
Sheila's eyes.
"You did it up in style" she COM
mented, dryly.
~"Ah, now listen" Frank began.
4 ''Listen nothing!" she said, with
a sudden choke in her voice. FYou
double-crossed me. You've all been
laughing at me, all this time. Nam
ma and Joe and everyone"
''There isn't one of them has the
faintest idea where you are!" Frank
interrupted.
"Why, Sheila," he added, as she
did not speak. "Do you suppose your
mother'd let an hour go by without
coming down here after you? She's
breaking her heart for you. She'll
never forgive herself that she didn't
believe you that day."
Mamma" Sheila said thickly,
and swallowed, and was still.
'About every third night I tele-
phone Joe at the Office" Frank went
on, land tell him to tell her that
you're all right"
els Joe working?"
"Papa got him job, with a con-
tractor"
ooh, that makes me feel happyl"
"Sure it does" Frank said en-
couragingly.
"Where is it,"
''It's over on Long Island. Papa
has some little houses there. Your
mother and Angela were going down
to look at one"
"a housed"
$50 that, you see, if you did go
back, Sheila, you'd be in a new
neighborhoo d-everything'd be diff
ferent-''
"But what rent would Ma have to
pay for a place like that?"
"Well, guess that part of it
wouldn't worry her. My father knew
your father you know, and your IA
theirs father"
Sheila pondered, with a knitted
brow
''Your fathers an awfully good
man." she said slowly.
'sSheila, why don't you come
horne" Frank besieged her sudden
~.
<"I can't" Sheila answered in a
troubled tone. She did not look up;
tears dropped on her hand. "They'd
all think-everyone-that I had
done something wrong" she said.
II couldn't face it,"
"You couldn't" he said persua-
sively, ''just slip in again, and
put up with-whatever you had to
put up with? Would it be so hard?
We've all got to take it on the chin
sometimes, you know. What do you
care what people say? Your own
people love you and want you. Isn't
that all that matters?"
Earthquake and fire had torn her
old world apart. Now she had had
ten lonely, weary days in which to
rebuild new world within her own
soul. Prayer, loneliness, most of
all the contemplation of other wom-
ems lives had helped her. She sat
bordering, looking down. And in
the silence came the still clear
voice, as of old. She must carry
her load.
The sheer heroism of it appealed
to her. Perhaps the Sheila of a