Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-10-25
CHAPTER vi

But Laurence could not drive to and
from the farm to Meadersville,
where his own destiny lay. Per-
haps when the war was over and
cars and tires and gasoline were
once more everyday matters it
could be done, but not now.
1t all boiled down, she decided at
last, to the fact that she could not,
must not marry Laurence, not now.
Suddenly she felt very tired, but
she had reached her decision. She
could not marry Laurence and sell
the farm and go to live in small
bungalow with a backyard-garden
and one cat and one dog. Her life
was here. Somehow, she must make
Laurence see that. 1t wasn't going
to be easy, but her mind was made
up. And as though the achieving
Of a decision had relieved her of
some great burden, she threw back
her shoulders, and stood up sudden
ly, spilling a startled and indignant
Susie to the ground. Feeling sud-
denly light and free
A movement in the backyard be-
hind the Westbrook place caught her
startled attention. At first she
thought it was merely something
white hanging on the clothesline,
f1uttering in the soft mild wind. And
then she realized that it was hui
man figure, a woman in white, NOV
ing oddly, bending as though to pick
something up, Strengthening to fling
her arms wide, her head back. At
this distance, she could tell nothing
more than that. And then suddenly,
with little creeping feeling of dis
comfort, she realized what the wom-
an was doing-she was dancing!
Megan stood stock still, her heart
pounding, as she watched the dane
ing woman down below in the back
yard of the Westbrook place.
A queer, oddly rhythmic dance,
grotesque in its lack of grace, clum-
sy and awkward. The sun glinted
on the woman's golden hair, as she
bent and postured and Strengthened
and whirled, her arms outflung!
Suddenly shorter, darker figure
hurried out of the house to that
weirdiy dancing figure. The dark
figure, short, rather stout woman
in dark dress, put her arm about
the dancing figure, and managed to
draw it into the house.
Megan shuddered and put her
hands over her face for moment,
as though to shut out the remem-
bered figure swaying and posturing
and turning. Tom Fallon's poor
wife, of course. Mentally ill.," he
had said.
Her own period of troubled indie
cision seemed absurd and childish,
compared to the horror that must
live with Tom Fallon all the days of
his life. She went back down the
Ridge and across the meadow to the
house.
Annie was getting the midday din
ner on the table as she came in, and
by the time it was ready Jim came
down, little bloodshot and drawn
about the mouth, but freshly shaver
and neatly dressed.
"Well, my DEAR" said Jim hap
PLY, II think we're going to be able
to get an excellent price for the
place. I was talking to Matthews
yesterday, and he tells me that we
should get seven thousand at the
very least. l confess I would have
been delighted at six thousand, but
Matthews says the farm land is at
a high peak"
"We're not going to sell the farm,
Dad Megan told him quietly.
"Aren't you being a little ridicu-
lous, Megan?" He seemed to bite
the words off. after all, you've
had pretty hard time of it these
last few years, and especially since
Annie's two sons and the rest of the
available farm labor in the section
was drafted, or went into war
plants. How do you propose to run
the place without help?"
II don't quite know, Dad" she
admitted humbly. II just know that
I'm not going to SELL"
Jim said furiously, "Well, you've
certainly put me in a tough spot!
You might at least have given me
some inkling of the way you felt be-
fore gave Matthews the listing on
tne place.
In swift alarm, Megan said hur-
riedly, "Oh, Dad, you didn't"
II most certainly did," her father
told her CURLY. II happened to run
into him up at the service station
and he was looking for a place for
some people who. want to move
down in here-though Lord knows
why! A more forlorn and ghostly
place to live l can't imagine"
''But if you listed the place and
he made you bona fide offer and
you accepted it." she protested.
(which is exactly what I did,"
her father told her with obvious sat,
isfaction in his voice. And he's go
ing to bring the people down here to
see the place the first of the week.