Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-04-26
CHAPTER XIV

Have you ever been to the Unit
ed States before, Mr.. Kessler?"
He turned to her at once, and
Elizabeth thought, Hes as relieved
as I am to have that look between
us broken, or if he's not, then I'm
letting my imagination 60 haywire."
He was answering Cherry,
Yes, Miss Herlong, but that was
many years ago, long before this
country was frightened by your ex-
istence."
Say, that's very good!" Dick ex-
claimed with a grin.
Elizabeth flashed him a teasing
glance. You will, Oscar" They
all laughed, and Dick said to Kess-
Ter,
You speak awfully well for a
man who's just been here once, and
that so long ago."
ut has been three years since
left Germany. Besides, have visit
ed England and Scotland. We have
more chance to practice foreign Ian
guages in Europe than you have
here"
"Oh yes, of course you do" said
Cherry. 1--WE don't have any. We
take French, and learn to say Have
you seen the garden of my grand
mothers couSin?' and then school is
out for the summer and we forget
1t. At least, I always did"
Haven't you three children, Mrs.
Herlong?"
why yes" said Elizabeth, "but
&c oil ha ho1 hI1
dinner early" But she could not
help asking, How did you know
there were three?"
'Mr. Herlong told me, and showed
me a picture of you all. Brian isn't
asleep yet, is he?"
I'm sure he isn't. Do you want
to meet him too?"
Il should like to very much, if
it's quite convenient"
Elizabeth laughed little. "Mr.
Kessler, you should know it's new
er inconvenient for mother to dis
play her jewels. Dick, will you run
up and get Brian?"
Sure, but you'd better warn Mr..
Kessler that he'll be all smeared
with glue and bugs. Brian's mount
ing butterflies, does it all day and
night, and he'll talk your ear off
about them if you let him."
Il should like that. Tell him to
bring his specimens down and show
them to me-"
There are thousands" Cherry
warned, but Kessler showed no dis
may. He only said,
tarTbar toll b;r, 20 hr;,- , fo,,
and don't make him brush his hair,
or he'll dislike me before he sees
me-" He and Dick exchanged a
look of understanding. AS Dick went
out Kessler turned to Elizabeth. 81
hope I'm not upsetting a domestic
arrangement, Mrs. Herlong, in ask
ing that he come in. But your two
older children are so entertaining
that I couldn't help wanting to see
the other"
aren't you NIGEL" exclaimed
Cherry.
THANK you for saying So" an
swered Elizabeth. "Of course, their
father and I think they are, but we
love having other people agree with
u.s."
''I'm sure other people do. You
should be very proud, Mrs. Her.
long" He glanced around him.
"When one sees a home like this,
one knows who is responsible for
it. l don't mean the physical fur
nishings of your house, attractive as
they are-I mean its atmosphere.
It's not by chance one achieves such
confidence and vitality"
His words made her feel better
than she had felt all day. Now that
the two of them seemed to be back
on normal basis from which a
friendship could be started, it &C.
Cured to Elizabeth that perhaps
Kessler, fresh from Nazi Germany
but evidently not part of it, could tell
Dick more clearly than she ever
could something about the issues at
stake in this war he was going to
be asked to fight. Much as she loved
Dick she could not disguise from
herself the fact that he was more
superficial than she would have liked
him to be, so occupied with girls and
football that he was glad to accept
cliches that relieved him from being
occupied with more troublesome
matters. Dick was a nice boy, but
mentally he was rather lazy one,
and neither she nor his father was
quite capable of coping with him.
Spratt was inclined to believe he
would begin to take life seriously
when the time came; Elizabeth
thought the time had come for it.
Sometimes it happened that friend
was better at this than the parents
who had spent so many years being
more indulgent than they should
have been, or who at least had en-
phasized details of socially accept
able behavior at the expense of the
much harder job of making a boy
think for himself.
Her thoughts were interrupted by
the opening of the door from the