The midland journal., 1946-06-07

"Oh, good Lord, you can't live
with her"
Either that, or I have to agree
to sell the farm, and she and father
will live in her house."
sand you don't want to sell the
farm, or go away from it." Tom
understood that without any words
from her. "I've gathered since I've
known you how much the place
means to you"
She found it very soothing to sit
here with him. It was surprising
to discover that they knew each 9TH
er well enough for silence to be
pleasant and companionable so that
speech was unnecessary.
Gradually the silence and peace
Of the moon-silvered pines seemed
to drift into her heart; her spirits
lifted a little. Someway, some
how, she would find a solution to the
problems that now loomed so terri
bly, strong and black and evil. Per-
haps it was only that she was emo
tionally exhausted and had reached
a place where she was conscious
only of a lack of emotion that had
replaced her grief.
They talked quietly, after that in
terval of peace and stiffness. She
asked about Martha and he told her
that Martha had completely recov-
cred. She asked hesitantly about
Mrs. Fallon, and Tom told her, his
mouth taut and tired. that there was
no change there.
"She's completely helpless, of
course, and there is no change men
tally" he added wearily.
"You mean-she can't leave her
bed? Can't get around by herself?"
asked Megan, remembering, with a
feeling of chill, the morning when
she had sat here and had watched
that grotesquely posturing figure on
the back lawn.
"She hasn't been out of bed in
months and MONTHS" he told her
heavily. "The doctors say that there
is a thin chance of her recovery.
That's why we can't bear to-send
her away. If l had the money to pay
for a private sanitarium-" He
shrugged and his hands clenched
into hard, tight fists. "But I can't
turn her over to state institution.
Not while there is the smallest, faint
est, tiniest hope that she can be
made well again."
Megan asked uneasily, "But
shouldn't she be having treat
ments?"
"She's had treatments for the past
four years." Tom answered YEARLY.
Everything possible has been done,
and a few months ago the doctors
told me that the only hope was to
get her away somewhere quiet,
among new scenes, and just try to
build up her physical condition. That
might help to restore the lost men,
tai health, but they couldn't guaran-
tee it. She-went to pieces when our
son was born-dead."
Megan said, her voice shaken and
ragged with pity, "I'm so terribly
sorry"
Unconsciously, she had put out her
hand to touch him, and as his hand
closed over it and held it hard for a
moment, she heard him mutter
something-she couldn't be sure
what.
They were still for a little, and
Megan wondered uneasily about his
saying that his wife had not been
out of bed in months. She knew
that she had seen her, a slim white
form, the sunlight cleaning gold on
her head, dancing weird, gro
tesque dance-a dance interrupted
by Martha, who had taken the white
figure into the house.
Did Tom know, she wondered?
Did he try to conceal the fact that
his wife was not a helplessly bed
ridden invalid, in the hope of con-
vincing people that, while she was
a mental case," she was complete
" harmless? Of course he and
Martha were doing everything hui
manly possible to keep anybody in
Pleasant Grove from knowing that
his wife was mental CASE
She stood up suddenly and said,
"I have to go-I shouldn't have
come, at all, but habit is strong"
"I'm glad you did," Tom told her
quietly. "And I hope you didn't
mind finding me here"
"Of course not. There's room on
the Ridge for both of us-and who
knows? Maybe we'n both find solu-
tions to our problems here" she an
swered as she turned to 60. mo,
you mustn't come with me"
"Only to the fence" Tom told her.
"From there on, you have the moon
light clear to your back door and
/ can watch until you go into the
house and know that you're SAFE"
There was a look in his face that
made the protest stop on her lips.
She nodded and they walked to-
gether to the fence. When she
crossed the meadow and stood at
the little foot-log that bridged the
small, busy creek, she turned to look
back and saw him still standing
there. She threw up, her arms in
I;ttla gesture that said pood night