THERE'S1^
ALWAYS f
ANOTHER.
YEAR
MARTHA ftfe1
OSTENSO
[w.N.U.SCB-VICE
COPYRIGHT MARTHA OSTENSO |
SYNOPSIS
Aroa (“Silver") Grenoble, daugh
ter of “Gentleman Jim,” formerly of
the community, but known as a
gambler, news of whose recent mur
der in Chicago has reached the town,
comes to Heron River to live with
Sophronla Willard, Jim Grenoble's
•ister, who is at the depot to meet
her. Sophronia's household consists
of her husband, and stepsons, Roder
ick and Jason. The Willards own
only half of the farm on which they
live, the other half being Anna
Grenoble’s. On Silver's arrival Duke
Melbank, shiftless youth, makes
himself obnoxious. Roderick is on
the eve of marriage to Corinne
Meader, daughter of a failed banker.
Silver says she wants to live on the
farm, and has no intention of sell
ing her half, which the Willards had
feared. She meets Roddy that night.
Silver tells Sophronla ("Phronle," by
request) something—but by no
means all—of her relations with
•Gerald Lucas, gambler friend of her
father. Roddy marries Corinne, and
brings his bride home.
CHAPTER V—Continued
—6—
The man was Gerald Lucas.
For an Instant, as Gerald climbed
<Jowu from his car and stepped to
ward her, Silver contemplated flight.
Instead, when the impulse had
passed, she thrust her hands into
her pockets and looked coolly up at
him.
Gerald seized her hands. "Sil
ver—what’s the matter with you?”
he demanded. "Get in and we’ll
take a drive and talk things over."
“No,” Silver said firmly, "I don’t
want to go driving—and I have
nothing to talk over, Gerald.”
He put his hand lightly on her
arm and drew her toward the car.
“Listen to me. Silver,” he urged.
^What’s got into you? I didn’t
come out here to kidnap you,
though I'd like to. You’ve grown
■even more luscious—if that’s possi
ble. Sit in the car and let’s talk.”
For a moment she hesitated, then
with a shrug she got into the car.
She surveyed him with detachment,
and wondered what had happened
to her since she had last seen him.
He was as rakishly good-looking as
ever, his eyes as full of confidence
and meaningful laughter as ever.
But it was as though she looked at
him now through an obscuring film.
Gerald looked critically down at
her. “You should have known bet
ter than to try running away from
me, sweetheart. You didn’t even
give me a chance to tell you how
sorry I was—about your father.”
“I’m trying to forget that,” Silver
said briefly. “How did you find out
where I had gone?”
He pinched her chin lightly and
smiled. “Little Gerald finds out
just about everything he wants to
know. Old Ben Hubbard Is a friend
of mine. So I came out here and
snooped before I looked you up. And
lo and behold! I’ve got the very
thing I’ve wanted for some time. A
resort on Emerald bay, my love!
You see, I had a few grand salted
away—”
“You had to get out of Chicago,
didn’t you, Gerald?" Silver asked,
and looked at him levelly.
“Well, now, my dear,” he pro
tested, “do we have to go into that?
I’ll admit—things were getting
•warmish. But this—or these—are
the wide open spaces. And here I
am with a peach of a lay-out up on
that lake. It’s right on the highway
so I can keep it open for the win
ter trade. All I need now is a kiss
from you, Silver.”
She drew hack deliberately. “No.”
He looked at her narrowly, then
leaned toward her with a darkened
face. “1 don’t quite follow you, Sil
ver. I thought it was all fixed be
tween us. I’ve been on the level with
you, haven’t I? We’ve been every
thing to eacfi other, haven’t we?
Now, what’s it all about? I thought
you ran away because of your fa
ther’s death. I couldn’t believe it
was because of me, Silver. Honest
ly, I thought you expected me to
follow you. Well—I think you ought
to do some of the talking."
She had been staring vacantly
past him at the darkening west.
Some of the old fire was stirring
within her at the sound of his voice
and the nearness of him. But it
was, she told herself with the deep
er part of her consciousness, only
the quick and vanishing fire of a
will-o-the-wisp. In some way she
had changed. She was no longer
swayed completely by Gerald Lucas.
“Yes, I ought to talk, Gerald. I
know that,” she snid. “But I don’t
know how to tell you.” She brought
her eyes even with his own. “It’s
Just that—I’ve got over all the—”
She hesitated.
“Are you trying to tell me that
you don’t love me any more?” he
prompted.
“Oh, Gerald!’’ she cried in desper
ation. “Do you believe I ever
loved you? Could you call that love
—In that feverish atmosphere? You
—you appealed to me In a certain
way, that’s all. I know that now.
Gerald. And 1 don’t want to go
back to what I left behind me. 1
don’t want that kind of life—yours
and—and Pad's.”
He looked at her hard, and she
saw an almost wistful disappoint
ment enter his eyes.
“Well—of course—that lets me
out," he said slowly. “But you hap
pen to be the only girl I’ve ever
wanted to marry, Silver. And I’m
thirty-two now.” He was thought
ful for a moment. “Are you sure
you won’t want to go hack after
you have had a taste of this life?
I can’t see Silver Grenoble living
in a place like this. It’s all right
for you to like ft—but the place
has to like you, remember, or it’s
going to raise h—1 with you. Did
you ever see a prize pup trying to
make up to a pack of mongrels?
It’s a lot of fun—If you don’t hap
pen to care for the prize pup.”
“I’m taking that chance," she re
torted. “Anyhow—I don’t consider
myself a prize pup. I have a good
deal to live down, Gerald.”
He patted her interlocked fingers.
“I’m sorry you feel that way about
it, darling,” he said softly. “Guess
I’m to blame."
Silver’s free laugh rang out. “I
should say you were not! If I
do anything, It’s because I want
to, whether It’s right or wrong!”
Gerald gave a low whistle.
“There speaks Jim Grenoble!” he
said soberly. “But I’ll believe you.
Silver. And I wish you luck. If It
doesn't work out, I won’t be far
away. At least not for awhile. Do
you want me to drive you up to the
house? I’ll promise not to set foot
on one little bit of your sacred—”
“Gerald” Silver interrupted sharp
ly. She thought quickly for a mo
ment. “All right—drive me up.”
Quite abruptly and mysteriously,
her relationship with Gerald Lucas
had changed—had changed so that
it seemed it had never existed. Less
than a month ago, his very pres
ence would have thrown her Into a
panic of wild emotion. Was It
her father’s death that had made
her a different person, or was it
this uncompromising landscape, in
which Gerald and his kind seemed
a little absurd? Both, perhaps. But
there was something else, too—
something which she could not pull
up to the light and analyze.
Gerald was turning the car in at
the Willard gate. And there, be
tween poplar trees that were defined
vaguely against a moon that wns
like a rising red world, stood
Corinne in her white dress.
Silver got out of the car. Gerald
swung it about to leave Immediate
ly, but Corinne came toward it and
The Man Was Gerald Lucas.
stood for a moment In the glare of
the lights. Sliver looked at Corinne
and then at Gerald. Suddenly, as
she saw Gerald's eyes dwelling upon
that white figure standing In the
light, there came an instant's con
viction, lucid and electrifying, that
nothing would ever be the same
again.
"This Is Gerald Lucas," Silver
said quickly, and hesituted.
Gerald smiled and put forth a
hand. "And what's the other half
of It?" he asked.
“I’m Corinne Willard,” Corinne re
plied as she took Gerald’s hand.
He gave her a little half-amused,
searching look that Silver under
stood only too well.
“Corinne Willard?” Gerald re
►
peated. “And where have you been
all my life?"
"Where nice girls always are,”
Corlnne replied archly. "Living at
home with mother."
"Just a nice, old-fashioned girl,"
Gerald bantered amiably. "Well,
come along out to Emerald bay
some night when mother Isn’t
around. Bring her out with you,
Silver."
Silver stepped to the side of
the car.
"Gerald," she said, "you’re golrife
to be late for your appointment.
And besides—”
"Rlght-o, Silver!” Gerald put In
immediately. “I was forgetting. See
you both later."
The car shot into the road and
vanished beyond the thicket where
the highway turned to the south.
"Well—I must say—you have a
way of dismissing people—" Corlnne
observed.
"I just happen to know Gerald,"
Silver said quietly.
"So I have heard," Corlnne re
marked. "He’s not at all what 1
imagined him. And lie is awfully
good looking .isn’t he?"
Silver was thoughtful for a mo
ment.
"Corlnne," she said at last, "1
don’t want Gerald around here at
all."
"Well, It’s no affair of mine, my
dear," Corlnne said lazily, and be
gan calling to her dog, who was
exploring the underbrush on the
hill.
Something deep within Silver
trembled. She saw Corlnne turn
away and go toward the house.
From among the shadows under the
great oak came the sound of Jason
playing a quaint old lullaby. The
music, mingling with the unbroken
churrlng of the frogs, seemed to
come from far away, from a past
of half-remembered, half-forgotten
tilings.
CHAPTER VI
JUST before sundown. Silver rode
out to bring the cattle in from
the pasture. On the way home she
paused beside a stripped field of
barley where the men were at work
A couple of them waved to her.
Roddy waved to her nnd Silver, wav
ing back, remembered irrelevantly
that Corlnne had not been present
at the midday meal. She had gone
to luncheon at the Richters’, In their
cottage on Twin Deer lake.
Silver shook her bridle rein and
was about to turn away when she
heard a scream from the field. She
swung around quickly and saw Rod
dy Jump toward a tow-headed
youth who was standing near him.
The engine stopped Instantly and
the men hurried to where Roddy
wus leaning over the boy. Silver
slipped down from her horse nnd in
a moment had crept under the fence
and was beside Roddy. The boy
had stumbled and caught two fingers
of one hand in a cog-wheel of the
thresher. The fingers were two
bloody tatters hanging from the
hand. The boy was lying on the
ground now, his face a deathlike
pallor under the sunburn, his lips
writhing back from his clenched
teeth.
Roddy looked up. “Has anyone
a clean handkerchief?”
Nobody responded. Sliver had
knelt beside Roddy, who was keep
ing a vise-like grip on the bleeding
hand.
“Use this, Roddy,” she said quick
ly, and whipped off her clean white
linen blouse. With her shoulders
bared to the rosy light of the low
sun, she tore the material Into strips
nnd gave them to Roddy while he
made a bandage nnd a tourniquet
for the boy’s mangled hand.
“All right, Jimmie I” Roddy said
at last, and lifted the boy gently to
his feet. “Start the truck, Jason.
You’d better go down to Maynard
nnd let Doc Woodward attend to It.”
In a minute the truck had rattled
away. It had all happened so
quickly, it seemed to Silver that she
had scarcely drawn a breath. Roddy
was coming back to her from the
wagon that stood off a short dis
tance from the threshing machine.
He was carrying his own grimy
jacket. She permitted him to but
ton it up to her breast, while she
thrust her hands down Into the
pockets in an effort to control their
trembling.
“That wasn’t very pleasant, was
it?” he said with a grim smile. “But
those things happen now and then.’’
When she did not reply, he laid his
hand on her shoulder. “You were a
brick, Silver—to do what you did.
But you're pretty unstrung. Per
haps you’d better ride home In the
wagon with me. Rusty will find
his way back alone.”
In another moment, she knew, she
would burst into nervous tears.
Without looking at him she said hur
riedly, “No, thanks, Roddy. I’m—
all right.”
She turned away abruptly and
rushed back to the fence, crawded
under it and called to the horse, who
had wandered off a short distance.
All the way home, beneath Sil
ver’s shuddering memory of the
ragged clots of the boy’s fingers,
dwelt the thought of Roddy's dark
face and his kindling changed eyes.
While Roddy was washing in the
tin basin on the bench outside the
house—placed ihere for the use of
the crew—l’hronie came out of the
kitchen.
“What’s this I hear about the
Healy boy?” she asked. “What hap
pened?”
Roddy told her.
“Well, I declare It Just seems
something has to happen every
year,” Fhronle said. “And he's such
a nice boy, too. Well, hurry up and
get washed. Supper is ready.”
“Is Corinne home yet?” Roddy
asked.
“She’s upstairs changin' her
clothes. Have you seen Silver any
where? She went to fetch the
cows, but 1 haven’t seen her since."
Roddy told her then of the part
Silver had played In getting the boy
ready to go to Maynard with Jason.
“Well—that girl beats me 1” Phro
nle declared. "Rut then—she’s just
like her mother. I remember—"
“You’d better go In and look
after things, ma," Roddy interrupt
ed.
Roddy hastened upstairs to put on
clean clothing before he sat down
“I Don’t Know at All," She Object
ed. “I Should Think—"
to supper. On the landing he met
Corinne. She was dressed In a
clinging green chiffon gown that
came almost to her beautifully shod
feet.
“Hello, lovely!” he greeted her in
a low voice.
She laughed and rumpled his
hair. “There’s a corn roast and a
dance over at the lake tonight, dar
ling,” she told him. “I thought I
njight ns well dress now. Aren’t
you going to kiss me?”
ltoddy grinned, then drew her to
him and kissed her throat
“You’ve washed already?” she
asked, surprised. “Don’t tell me
you washed In that tin basin out
side."
“Certainly. Why not? I’ve done
It for years."
“You have a bathroom upstairs,
hnven’t you?"
"Listen, kid," he protested. “You
don't know It, but the men are fun
ny about such things. I don’t want
them to feel—well, you know what
I mean."
“I don’t know at all," she objected.
“I should think—"
He swung her to him and held
her close for a moment. "You’re
much too pretty to talk to me in that
tone,” he remonstrated. “Go on
down—I’ll be with you In a Jiffy.”
But as soon ns he had left her, his
mood grew sober again. He could
not forget young Jim Healy and
his poor crushed hand. Then, cu
riously, with no obscure lightening
of his spirit, there came to him
the vision of Sliver Grenoble, In
her riding breeches, kneeling there
on the field in the sunset, her shoul
ders bare above the plain silk bod
ice. Perhaps he had been all wrong
about her. Perhaps she belonged
here as essentially as he did him
self.
Roddy entered the dining room.
Before he took his place at the ta
ble, he glanced over at Corlnne,
daintily presiding at Its head and
smiling graciously upon her over
ailed and plaid-shirted guests. I’hro
nie and Paula stood, one on either
side of the table, serving tbe men
when necessary, or replenishing
some dish or other from the kitch
en. Silver had remnlned at the stone
house, to make supper for old
Roderick, who had not been feeling
well for the past week.
It was Corinne's first appearance
at table with the threshing crew.
Roddy winced. In spite of himself,
as he saw her draw back quickly
when a brawny arm reached across
her bosom In a lunge toward the
butter dish. Finally someone made
a too graphic comment on the day’s
accident, and Corlnne coven# her
eyes. It was the last time she sat
at the table with the men.
An evening or two later, Roddy
returned from visiting the Ilealy
boy to find Corlnne imputlentlv
awaiting him.
Whats wrong/ he asked.
“The Richters called up this aft
ernoon and I promised we'd he over
tonight. It’s their last party before
they go back to town.”
“Corrle," Roddy said In a voice
that was slow with weariness, “I’ve
been out to parties till I’m ready to
drop I’m fed up with It. How
do you expect a man to do his work
and go out to some d—n fool party
four or live times a week?"
For a moment there was silence.
Then Corinne said, "Rut I promised
them we'd be there."
“I can’t help it,” Roddy protested.
“If you want to go, take the car
and run over for an hour or so. I'm
so doggone tired I could—”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Hamburg Steak
Is Good Choice
Easiest Way to Cook It Is to
Season Meat and Form
Into Flat Cake.
Hamburg steak is a good choice
for the meat at a quick meal. The
easiest aud quickest way to cook it
is to season the meat and form it
into one flat cake. I’lace this under
the broiler or in a hot oven. When
It has browned take U out end
sprinkle with finely minced raw
onion. If it is baked In the oven the
onion may be put on top before cook
ing and browned.
Another way of seasoning Ham
burg steak is to make it "white with
salt, black with pepper, yellow with
mustard" before cooking. I am sug
gestlng rice instead of potatoes to
serve with the meat.
Rice can be cooked In about twen
ty minutes. After It Is drained it
may be stirred Into a frying pan
containing about two tablespoonfuls
of melted bp con fat and n quarter
of a cup of minced green pepper. It
should be stirred with a fork over
the fire until heated through.
Mew cabbage, shredded, will cook
In boiling water In about ten min
utes. He sure not to cover it while
cooking. It Is good dressed with a
little cream or top milk after it hns
been drained.
Grape conserve Is a favorite win
ter Jam, and If you get an opportu
nity to buy a basket of grapes at a
reasonable price you will get full
vnlue for your money, for grape con
serve nnd buttered tonBt are an un
beatable combination.
The ever popular dill pickle is one
which Is usually made in large quan
tities. but there is really no reason
why they cnnnot be made in smaller
lots, if desired.
Dill Pickle*.
Grape leaves
Bunch of dill
Cabbage leaves
ltt gallons water
1 lb. coarse salt
1 peck 6-lnch cucumbers
Add salt to water, bring to boiling
point, skim. Scrub cucumbers, dry,
put layer In bottom of crock, add
layer of grape leaves, then bunch of
dills. Repeat until all cucumbers are
used, and cover top with cabbage
leaves. Put ten-pound weight on and
fill with brine. Cover and let stand
until cucumbers are transparent and
light In color—two to three weeks.
© Ball Syndicate.—WNU Service.
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