Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-10-11


about?" snapped Jim.
1.-THE fuss is because Alicia gave
the impression at Mrs. Stuart's that
! was meeting Tom there almost
daily-and in secret" Megan re-
turned.
Then you should have ex-
planned"
II did," Megan cut in. "But the
harm had already been DONE"
Harm? What possible harm
could come from such thing?"
None at all, except that Alicia
dropped her little information in the
exact way to make it sound ugliest
and of course the women around
the quilting frame were most OF
them mothers with children in the
school, and they promptly began to
wonder-you could almost see them
wondering-just how much truth
there was in the suggestion, and
whether Tom was the right man to
hold the job he's GOT"
"You keep calling him TOM"
her father cut in suddenly, and
there was curious, almost sus-
picious look in his eyes.
Megan set her teeth for a mo-
ment, and then answered quietly, II
have never called him anything but
Mr.. Fallon' or Professor Fallon'
to his face"
She laughed and made a gesture
Of helplessness.
"You see how well Alicia does
her work." she said dryly. "You
wonder why the women at the quilt
ing party yesterday afternoon could
think for moment there was any
truth in what she was hinting-and
yet you yourself, my own father,
are wondering uneasily if maybe I
haven't been just a little-well, in
discreet"
Jim rose from the table and flung
his crumpled napkin down and
| snorted.
THAT'S idioticl I'm not wonder
Ing anything of the kind! I'm just
puzzled to understand why sane,
normal people like these in Pleas
ant Grove should so cruelty mis-
judge woman like Alicia Steven
son. confess I was amazed last
night, to discover how childishly
friendly and simple she is. Why,
I'm positive there isn't a malicious
bone in her body! Maybe she chat
tiers too much-but I'm convinced
it's merely guilty conscience that
makes people think she's talking
about theml You know the old say
ing-'f the shoe pinches'-and he
strobe out of the house.
For the past two years, Megan
had had two dates week with Lau-
renee Martin, from the county seat.
Laurence was a Pleasant Grove
product who had, by grim determi-
nation and an almost superhuman
amount of labor, managed an edu-
cation and law course. Two years
ago, he had gone to the county seat
and into the office of old Judge Ora
ham, where he was getting much
valuable experience and very little
money. He and Megan had grown
up together in Pleasant Grove, al
though Laurence was older than she
by several years.
He had been quite honestly disap-
pointed when he had been rejected
for military service, partly because
Of his eyes, partly because of
stomach disorder resulting, as Me-
gan knew very well, from an inn
poverished childhood, and malnuri-
ton during the years he had been
fighting his way through law school.
On this Tuesday night, Megan
dressed for his arrival, with feel
ing of relief that she was not facing
any complication in Laurence's ar
rival. She liked him sincerely. She
had, she admitted to herself, thought
Of marrying him. He wanted her
to, when, as, and if he ever
achieved position that would
make it possible for him to support
wife. That was an understand
ing between them that had no need
to be put into words.
Tonight, standing before the mir
ror in her neat, cheerful bedroom,
she studied her reflection in the
mirror, with soberness and an in
tensity that she seldom bothered to
give the girl in the glass. She sell
dom had time to do more than
glance at herself as she brushed her
hair; but tonight, dressed and ready
for Laurence, she looked at herself
thoughtfully, trying to see herself
with the eyes of someone else, or
a stranger-perhaps of Tom Fall
lon.
She saw a girl little over me-
dunn height, neat, trim, well-round-
ed figure born of the hard work and
outdoor exercise of her daily life;
she saw leaf-brown hair that had
no need of the curling iron and
that she wore shoulder length be-
cause it was less trouble to have to
60 to the barber shop once in two
months, than every week; her eyes
were her best feature, her chief
claim to beauty. They were gray
blue, long dashed, set well apart be-
meath airy brows. She was not beau
| t;ful she told herself with an al.