Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-03-15
: CHAPTER VIII

of hair off her forehead and reached
for cigarette "What fool am"
she said, her eyes on the picture Of
Spratt that was standing on her desk.
She had picture of Arthur packed
away somewhere in the back of a
closet, but it had been years since
she had looked at it. She wanted
Spratt there, Spratt whom she
loved, her children's father! Spratt
and her children were what she lived
for. They filled up her thoughts-ex-
cept for these rare minutes of agony,
minutes that were more cruel be-
cause they had to be borne in silence.
She could tell Spratt anything on
earth but this. She could mention
Arthur to him without self-conscious-
ness, as she did sometimes-'"There
was man like Mr.. So-and-so in the
company Arthur worked for in Tulsa,
one of those observation-disclosures who
bought first editions for no reason
but to show them off. I remember
one day Arthur said he :" Just
as simply as that. And they
would chuckle over Arthur's wise
crack and 60 on talking. But no
matter how seldom they occurred,
she could not tell Spratt that there
ever did occur such experiences Of
black anguish as the one she had just
passed through.
And why in the world should she,
Elizabeth asked herself now. 1t was
over, gone completely until the next
time, if there ever should be next
time. By tomorrow she would have
forgotten it. Already the fact that
she had been powerless to escape it
was making her ashamed of herself,
and glad to ignore such absurdity.
The air was growing chilly. The
children should have come in from
the pool by now, and she hoped they
had hung up their suits properly. It
was about time she went downstairs
and got out the cocktail tray to have
it ready when Spratt came in.
The telephone rang again, and when
she answered it she felt pleasure at
the normal steadiness of her voice.
Her caller greeted her cheerfully.
"This is Irene Stern, Elizabeth. How
are your"
lue, never DeLteT.
"And Spratt?"
working himself to death and
f1ourishing on it."
ANY news on the picture, or do
dare ask?"
Good news, hope. Anyway, a
new writer who seems to have
IDEAS"
Anybody know"
II don't think so. He's just off
the boat"
ooh dear. Spikka da Inglis?"
Fairly well, I believe. They're
better at languages than we are"
They should be, can't go a hum
dred miles over there without need
ing new one. Elizabeth, called to
ask if it's all right for Brian to stay
for dinner with Peter"
Irene, you're an angel about that
child, but are you sure it's no trou-
BILE? Brian takes half his meals
with you as it is"
cts no trouble and 1 wish you'd
let him stay. He and Peter are up
stairs getting starry-eyed over new
collection of bugs-Elizabeth, is it
really necessary for the Scouts to en-
courage such a fearful interest in
natural history? Peter does nothing
these days but mount insects
Il know, Brian's room looks like
all I've ever heard about delirium
tremens. There's nothing we can do
about it,
TT must be recent craze" said
Irene Stern. II remember Jimmy"
she was referring to her older SON.
Jimmy was an enthusiastic Scout,
but he never had this passion for
creeping things"
Elizabeth began to laugh. you'd
better send Brian home, Irene. He'll
be a distressing influence on Peter"
'But when they're mounting bugs
together they're so happy. l can't
bear to separate them. So let him
stay for dinner, Elizabeth. Wen
bring him home by nine"
"All right then, and thank you
for being so good to him. It's been
ages since I've seen you-I'm going
to ring you one day this week for
lunch"
DO. I'd love it,
They said goodby and Elizabeth
put back the phone. She laughed to
herself as she did so. Everything
was back where it ought to be. Her
friends, her children, the warm Sc
curity of her life. Going over to
the desk, she took up Spratt's pic
ture and kissed him through the
glass.
AS she went downstairs she heard
babble of young voices and a
sound of laughter. Dick and Cherry
had evidently come indoors with
their friends, and the four of them
were making quite as much noise as
might have been expected IL thew