The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-11-26
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of him."
He's breathing yet-but you'd
better hurry" ''
She did not faint, thank good
ness.
Don't send him to any hospi-
tal-you bring him here" she or
dered, when Slim helped her into
the house.
And then, when people were
running around frantically and
telephoning and exclaiming, she
sat on a straight chair and won
dered what had happened to her
hat.
The bed was smooth and cool,
and the windows of the room
looked out on wide pastures and
little ravine where mesquite
trees were beginning to turn a
gay, pale green under the spring
sun.
When his side had stopped its
dull aching and his head had
cleared up and the nurse stopped
shooting stuff into his arm every
time he moaned. Gary Tallman
became aware that it was spring
and that there was a tawny-hair-
ed girl who came into his room
now and then.
Her name, so he had gathered
out of the muddle of his percep-
tions, was Adelaide.
Other people came and went.
Mrs. Mason, with a patch of plas-
ter on her forehead and worried
look on her kind face. She felt
responsible for his broken ribs
and collarbone and the crack on
the head he'd OF when the car hit
the pig, and she urged him over
and over not to worry; he'd be
taken care of and just as soon as
he was strong enough they'd see
that he got down to his job in
Mexico.
And now and then, Mr.. Mason
came in. Gary was very apollo
getic when the big sandy man
lowered over the bed. Bur Har-
vey Mason didn't seem to resent
his presence.
This room he lay in belonged to
Harvey Junior, so he had learned.
Adelaide Mason had a husky
voice and slow gray eyes. Lying
in the dark, with the spring
breeze stirring the curtains, Gary
could still see her eyes. Little
dark blue rings around the irises
and her lashes had gold on the
ends and made shadows on her
cheeks. There was peppery
line of freckles across her nose,
and her lips were lovely. She
had nice, clean, bringh hair.
The older Mason daughter,
Grace, came on Sunday. She
was different. Her hair was
black and her eyes cold and in
different. She wore too much
lipstick and she had husband
who looked like a collar ad. His
nome was Oliver, he was in solid
with big petroleum concern.
Oliver asked him about foot
ball and about Mexico, and said
he thought chances were darned
slim down there and anyway
cheap Mexican crude was playing
the dickens with the oil business.
He decided that he didn't like
Oliver, and his opinion did not
change even when he saw Oliver
in old fishing clothes.
But Adelaide was different, and
Mrs. Mason was swell. She
brought up trays herself and fed
him custard with a spoon, when
they wouldn't let him use his
arm or lift his head. The hand
was purple and felt like wood,
lying on the cool Counterpart.
Mrs. Mason told him about her
httSe boy, Phil, who had died
when he was six.
"He would hava been just your
age now. He'd have looked like
you, I think. He was a year older
than Harvey Junior-and three
years older than Adelaide"
So Adelaide was twenty one.
Mrs. Mason told him that she had
had four children in six years.
"They were all little at once
and then they all grew up at once,
and now I'm left with nobody to
mother" So she mothered calves
and ranch hands and Gary Tall
man.
'Pll have to be going soon"
Gary reminded her. 1--WE been
enough trouble to you. And I'm
going to pay back everything,
you iknow-the nurse ami the
doctor and all. It may take a
couple of years, but I'll pay.
"Of course" Mona Lee was too
wise a woman to begin protese-
ing that he owed them nothing.