Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-07-25

but strange uneartnly, moldy smell
filled her nostrils. She felt to mysti-
fled by ii and By the half-discerned
aspect of the room that she felt she
must be dreaming.
She CROPPED her way to window and
put up the blind. Sunlight came pour
/ ing in
But its brilliance only made her feel
more dazed than before. more certain
that she was under some nightmarish
delusion Yet she could see by the dim
reflection in the mirror above the
mantelpiece that she was there in the
flesh. The pain in her injured hip was
real enough. She sat down in one of
] the two STRAIGHTFORWARD chairs, which
had been her great grandmother's to
rest and clear her head. BY degrees
she became calmer and was able to
take in the condition OF the room, to
realize that she was wide awake and
that what she saw was the result of
months of the most brutal neglect
1t was obvious that, in those long
months of her confinement, no broom
or brush had ever touched the rugs
or floor. They were thick with dust.
The window at the far end had been
left open and the roadside dust had
poured in. Rain had draggled her most
priced curtains. Wind had beaten them
to sodden faded rags. She sprang up
and hobbled TO the table beside the
window. On it stood two old family
silhouettes, in their original frames,
and beside them lay the l50-year -old
Bible of the Peel family. All we're
ruined
She made little moaning sounds and
braced herself with her hands on the
table. She had not known that a room
could be so treated. Surely nothing
like this had ever happened to wom-
an before! To have had her trust so
outraged, to have been so hoodwinked
by an INSCRIPTIONS huzzy of girl,
was enough TO kill her, on top Of all
she had been through.
She must know the worst She must
see the dining room.
Slowly, to conserve her strength, she
walked, looking straight ahead Of her,
into the hall, crossed it, and opened
the door Of the dining room. Here, too,
the blinds were down but there was
not quite such a smell Of mold and
damp She put them up and surveyed
the room, prepared, as she thought, for
the worst
But the living room had not pre-
pared her for the dirt and disorder
here. Evidently Eileen made free use
OF this room. A pair of muddy shoes
run over at the heels, were in the
middle Of the rug which was gray with
dust and bore a large stain from an
overturned coffee pot. The beautiful
mahogany table was strewn with dirty
dishes above which cloud of flies
buzzed. On the sideboard stood the
silver, furnished beyond recognition.
} Among it was a bundle wrapped in a
} soiled towel. She opened it and dis
covered the best silver teapot, shining
and bright, ready to be taken upstairs
for her inspection.
She was quite calm now. Her legs
were not trembling anymore and the
pain in her hip was gone But a new
rage, icy and fierce, rose in her when
she saw pair of coarse socks, a mans
socks, lying among the silver, a ball
Of yarn beside them waiting to be
darned. She was about to hurl them
to the floor when she heard voices in
the kitchen.
She left the socks where they were
and hurriedly drew down the blinds.
She opened the door OF the pantry and
stepped inside closing it softly behind
her. She all but screamed when a
mouse, nibbling a piece OF cheese,
Squeaked in fright and darted out of
her way. She sank onto stool and
bent forward to listen.
A mans voice, in a heavy Swedish
accent, was Eileen, Eileen,
vich isS de cream?'
There, on the table, you big baby"
The swing door between the dining
room and kitchen was thrown open
and Miss Peel heard the two enter
She smelt sausages and heard dishes
being set on the table No heat-proof
mats under them either! She heard
coffee gurgling from the pot into their
cups. She heard the man gulping his,
making animal noises over the sau-
sages With his mouth full ne said:
so, de old girls gettin' better"
Gee, you never saw the like how
she's gaining. She'll be able to come
down here in two weeks"
The man chuckled. 'Where'll you be
den, eh?"
mot here, you bet. She can get
someone else to clean up. What'd she
take me for, powerful katrinka? En-
pecting me to cook and clean and wait
Oll her, lldllQ ana loOl! Say, SIZE one
of the sort would make slave OF you,
if you'd let her. She near drove me
crazy at first with her fussing, but I
found out how to manage her!"
You bet you did! And you've given
me a good time, baby"
Hugs and kisses. revolving in their
energy, sickened Miss Peel in her hid
ing place Yet she was able to control
herself. She even opened the door a
hairs breadth and had glimpse of
the pair locked in a heavy-breathing
embrace
When they were gone Miss Peel crept
softly up the stairs, helping herself by
the bannister. When she reached the
top she was almost exhausted. She was
just able to totter to her chair and
fall into it.
Her one thought now was that she
must conceal her agitation from Eileen.
She pretended to be doing the first
time she came into the room. The next
time she told Eileen that she thought