Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1942-07-30

went at once to Ann McGarrah's.
Ann and Janet were eating sup
per. He sat with them, listening to
Janet's cool voice recite the little
things that had happened to her,
watching the way Ann McGarrah's
faint smile came and went away.
Janet left the room. Ann McGar-
rah sat back in her chair. Her
arms were round and firm on the
table She had way of looking at
him, straight and intent, with a
shadow across her eyes. Her lips
were red and pleasant; they had
gentle strength. what is on your
mind, Clay?''
'Odds and ends, guess"
''Did you have luck?"
81 bought the piece How did you
know was on that business?"
ut was all over town, half an
hour after you Left
He said, "I'll be back for Janet
in minute and walked to the
store porch. He stood here briefly,
watching the street until he discov-
cred Jesse Rusey paused in the
shadows at the corner of the hotel
an obscure shape patiently waiting.
He crossed to Rusey, observing the
marshars short solid shape swing
around to him. Rusey's voice was
inflexibly courteous, giving Morgan
his due, nothing more and nothing
less. 'Evenin', Clay"
Morgan said: who started the
ball Friday night, Jesse?"
The marshal's head tipped. Sc
cret care flowed from him. His
voice, when he spoke, was unsenti-
mental and without favor. ''They
was jiggerin' around from point to
point-Breathitt and Conner and
Bones McGeen. Breathitt met Con-
nor once, down by Old Town, but
neither of them was ready. Connor
foated up the street, past the dance
hall. McGeen dropped back into
the crack by the bank. Hack showed
around the corner of the dance hall,
and met Connor." He paused, weigh
ing his words with an extreme
thoughtfulness. cit was a case of
love at first sight, only Breathitt got
in the first kiss. Bones was wastin'
his shots all the time, just stinkin'
up the wind. Hack got out of town
two jumps ahead of his own funeral
Tell Hack, if you see him, I'll throw
him in the cooler if he does that
again. There's rule against smok-
in up this town.
'Tell it to McGeen," said Nor
gan.
"He's been told," retorted Rusey.
''I'd tell it to anybody-even to the
Almighty"
A long halloo shrilled through the
shadows and a cloud of children
raced down the street Ann Nc
Garrah waited on the porch, slim
against the store lights. Janet, out
of breath and softly giggling, trot-
ted toward her. Morgan turned to-
ward these two.
He said again, Chine to CO., and
watched Ann McGarrah's face show
darkening at his tone. Janet's
hand came obediently to him and
they strolled up the street. At Gen
try's he saddled Janet's horse and
boosted her up, and rode from War
Pass.
The night was soft and luminous
and fragrant. Earth's warmth rose
around them but the wind drifting
from the south brought in sharp,
cool eddies of coming winter. The
two of them rode in silence across
the rutted desert and took to the
steep road up Mogul.
Morgan said: "You did fine, Jan
ct. l guess I was pretty proud, sit
ting there and listening. Don't ever
be afraid of anything ahead of you.
Never borrow trouble. Walk right
up to it. Listen to the crickets.
They've been singing like that a
thousand years, and they'll be do
ing it for another thousand. Moth
ing changes, honey. Remember that
when you feel like running away.
Nothing changes and nothing ever
really dies
Sometimes when he talked to her
like this he felt the absorbing at
tention she paid him. Sometimes
her mind was away on it's own
dreams, locking him out-as Lila
locked him out. She spoke sudden
ly and seriously, as though she
hadn't heard him:
''Will you ever marry again, Dad
! dy?"
Nov why should you think of
that?"
She said in her small, still voice:
81 just wondered. Maybe l could
like another mother"
(TO BE CONTINUFJ'