Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1942-05-15
CHAPTER XIV

He saw that She was telling the
truth. although perhaps not All of it;
and she looked entirely exhausted. lie
pushed a chair behind her. and she
dropped into it as il her knees would
no longer hold her.
Does Nom know"
mo"
care you going to tell her? 1t
would kill her, Chris"
He considered that, his head thrust
forward. 1t was futile to expect
anything from Lily but tears and re-
examinations and the affair was too
grave for either. Katie had escaped
once, but another time it might not
be so easy. And he did not want the
girl driven to the street.
"Ill think about it, Katie he said
more gently. But you'll have to fix
up story that she'll believe. What
on earth made YOU do it? Take those
drinks, l mean?"
And then to his utter horror she
slid off the chair to the floor at his
feet and began to sob.
II was so wretched, Chris. You
never even see me. You look at me
as though l wasn't there. And Pm
so crazy about you, so crazy about
you"
He was almost frozen with conster-
nation"
You silly little fool! Get up and
stop crying What do you know about
love anyhow? Get up and stop this
nonsense"
Chris was red with Indignation and
embarrassment when Katie dragged
herself to her feet, but she looked so
crushed that for the first time he felt
a faint stirring of pity for her. At
ter all, she was hardly more than
child, foolish, romantic child; and
she must have had a pretty thin time
that day, to say the least.
Listen" he said. when did you
eat last?"
81 don't know. Last night I
guess"
That's what's wrong with you.
Suppose you sit here while l make
some coffee and find some bread and
butter. l missed my dinner, too"
"I'lI do it," she said, and got up.
"And-just forget what said, Doc
tor. l guess l was excited. l kind
of lost my head. 1 didn't mean it,
you know"
He was glad to let it go at that,
to believe it was true. When the
odor of boiling coffee brought Lily
Walters down somewhat later, it was
to find them companionably cutting
bread and butter, and to listen to
Katie's carefully invented story of
having danced until morning and slept
all day at the home of some girl she
called Cert.
"You might at least have let me
know"
"They haven't any telephone Mom."
And that was ALL Chris, listening
to this exchange, could only marvel
at the ease with which Katie had COW
cred twenty-four hours of sheer
drama and near tragedy. 1t was fan
tastic, incredible. But then the whole
situation was fantastic. Sitting there
at the kitchen table, eating incredible
, quantities of bread and drinking vast
quantities of hot coffee, he surveyed
what now amounted to his family; a
helpless woman, a foolish girl, and a
mongrel dog. His family!
He did not go to sleep for some
time that night. Beyond the parti-
tion Katie was tossing restlessly and
he thought that she was crying. The
little fool! He raped on the wall.
Listen, child" he called. "It's all
over, and it's all right Forget it and
get some Sleep"
"All right" she called back in
small voice. "Just so you're not an
cry"
"Who? Me? Pm never angry"
He thought he heard her laugh
4 little, and at that he turned over and
went TO sleep.
On the first of December the Staun-
ton Lewises gave their first dinner of
the season = three footmen and
Holmes in the hall, table set with
purple and-white orchids in the dining
81 4bo dvix,oxuov filled with