Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About The Ione independent. (Ione, Or.) 1916-19?? | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1927)
Alabaster Lamps CHAPTER IX 15 Not for long now could Tolly count on blind obedience. It was not In the nature of tilings, nor the nature of grown-up daughter, Polly decided the time had come for a frank confession. W hile Mnry brushed her hair, Polly announced that ahe meant to go to Venice and look about for a place to spend eererat months, cheaply and comfortably. , Mary said It sounded Interesting, but did not commit herself further. She was tired and hurt by these half confidences. Frankness was Impossible. antll her mother was frank with her. She would not degrade her mother's Intel ligence, or her own. by playing the hypocrite. Mnry said she wus sleepy and went to bed. Put not to sleep, Mrs. Johnston stayed In her own room, the door slightly open bet-een them. She disrobed and stood In her dressing gown before the long mirror, i wonderful color etudy In soft, clinging chiffon robe of blue, with her red hair flaming against white shoul ders. Polly did not take her usual nightly delight In the spectacle. She braided her hair with no eyes for the vision In the mirror. "Got to do It, Polly. Come," she said to herself and put down the comb. She went to the door and softly opened 1L Mary, want to aleepf Mary shook her head, turned on the reading light, threw a rose-colored dressing gown over her shoulders and patted the bed beside her. She rec ognized from her mother's face that the time had come. "I'd like Immensely to have yon come and talk yourself out to me. It's been quite while," she announced with sly look up at her mother. Mrs. Johnston sighed. There was co doubt she was In for It She sat down, looked at Mary, shut her eyes and took the plunge. "Mary, I'd like to talk about yonr father." Mary sat up. Of all the unlikely things. Talk about her father I Blue beard's door was about to be opened. From her earliest youth she could re member her mother saying: "Mustn't ask mother questions stxnit father, Mary. It onlr makes Mumsy un happy and miserable," What could It meanT Mrs. Johnston settled herself back ' on Mary's bed. "How much do yon know about me, Maryr "Only thst you're the nicest mother rer Invented." Mary told her. hon estly. "The best looking and the best friend girl ever had." Sirs. Johnston leaned over Im pulsively and kissed the gtrL "I only hope youll think exactly - the same when I get through." "Hurry up, Mother, and tell. Ton sound like "best seller.'" "I have known some less Interest ing plots. Well, well begin with the fact that I was born of poor people. In Limekilns, N. J. My mother and father both died when I was t lit tle thing, about twelre, snd kind woman brought me up. She took me to New Brunswick, and sent me to school. I helped snout the house after school hours. She kept a board ing house. I had only one relative In the whole world, my Uncle Michael, my mother's brother, snd he was as crabbed an old bachelor as ever drew breath. He was supposed to be Id Pennsylvania somewhere, working In the Iron mines, when my people died. But nobody could find him, so Mrs. Bradley took me In. "Mrs. Bradley died, and her sister came and took the house and ran It as students' boarding house. I was Inherited with the house, and kept right on working there. Mrs. Thomas, the slater, took no Interest whatever In me. All she cared about was keep ing the house clean and getting the work dune. She didn't keep enough servants to do that comfortably, so I had to work from morning to night. It was ghastly." She paused, looked at Mary shyly and began to describe the men at the hoarding house. Mary listened, fas cinated. To think that her mother was capable of keeping this odd past to herself all these years. It was most romantic. She waited eagerly for the first mention of her father. Her mother hadn't mentioned any Johnston yet, most of her talk was shout some man named Dalibs. Her mind wandered off, thinking about the nam and the man It suggested to her. "It must be painful to have a name like that" "Io you think sot" asked her moth er, little uncertainly. "Well, any way, this young man lived In the house, but he never looked at me " "Mother!" scoffed Mary. "A lovely red headed girl like you I I don't be lieve It" "Hut you must, darling. There's lot of difference between red headed Mrs. Johnston, with lots of money and pretty clothes to set off her locks and hair, and a big, overworked, red headed chambermaid In boarding house, "I hated nearly all men. I hnd mind and hojies ubove my station. I was paid so little that I could only save money slowly. I wanted to get enough to nerve myself to leave that house. My ambition at that time was to be a school teacher." She smiled at the girl and Mary smiled hack. "Mother, bow bwive yoo were. My Jieart Just aches to think of you, Willi By Margaret TitrnbuII Copyright, tttl, tT Mrtrrt TiiraboU. WNU Srvlc "Mother, How Brave You Ware." all your brilliant Ideas, tied down that way." "Bless yon. Baby!" her mother ex claimed. "My lost uncle turned up Just about then, and found me out. He was a terrible creature; six feet tall, very dry and brittle and had bad cough, and a vile temper. What was left of his carroty hair had turned yellow-gray. The poor thing hadn't long to live, "He had worked too hard, and lived too roughly, to know hpw to take care of himself. He had plenty of money, I discovered, and while he knew how to take enre of It he didn't know how to spend It He dldnt want to lenvs It to any one, especially to a girl. But I was all he had poor soul." For a moment Mary's mother caressed the toe of her slipper In silence. "But Mother, please," urged Mary, "how can I wnlt until you get to mel" Her mother came back from some long unlit cavern of her mind. "Of course." she admitted, "thnt would naturally Interest you most Though t'nele found me and told me of his money, he swore me to secrecy as far as Mrs. Thomas' boarding house was concerned. He was like a lot of unmarried people, tremendously keen about marrying off the rest of the world. Mrs. Thomas had had bad first and a wretched second husband, and hated men even worse than I did. She assured Cncle that I wae good girl and kept myself to myself anil was perfectly safe. Tncle went away without commit ting himself In any way, hut two dnys later letter came, saying I was to come to a certain addresa to see him. I went It was a private sanitarium, and Cncle was very 111 Indeed. "He bad his lawyer with hi in, and then and there I waa ordered to get married. Cncle wanted to know that his money was going to some proper ly married woman with a man to look after her. I think some woman hnd treated him badly when he was young and poor. He wanted me to get mar ried before any one knew I had any chance of getting money. He wanted me tied up to a hard-working lad who would expect to work for me, and would start honest, ss he said, and have a family at once, and as large a family as possible. "I was shocked and angry, furious ly angry. But oh, how I wanted that money! There It was, dangling In front of me, a chance to learn all the things I longed to know, a chance to travel, to have pretty clothes, all the things I'd sworn to have. My dearest day dreams could be realities now, hut would be lost to me unless I hnd a man to hang them on. I, who hated men, who hadn't wanted, and never bad hud a young man." "Oh Mother, what did you dor "I didn't know what to do. I came home simply beside myself. I couldn't confide In the cook or Mrs. Thomas. I knew whut would happen. They would laugh at me and despise me. It's odd, Isn't It? It's always the women who've made the worst matrimonial blunders who laugh the hardest "I found Mrs. Thomas In fins rage. I'd forgotten to do the third floor before I went out That was the floor young be Harms, Woods and Dnhhs occupied. I went up there as quickly as I could get my things off and began slopping things together. Young Hubbs room I left to the lust, because well, because hs was a de cent young follow and wasn't so fault finding as the others." "I thought you hated all men," commented Mnry, slyly. Her mother Ignored her. "I went to his room. There he was, slttlnf all huddled up by the window. I asked him If he minded my doing up the room while he was there, and hs said he didn't lie had telegram clutched In his hand. I could see thnt he was troubled. By and by I couldn't stand It any lunger. 1 forgot my own troubles. I'd never been so sorry for anyone In my life. I went up to him, and quite forgetting I was servant said : "Mr. Pnbbs Claude what's wrong?" "Claude!" Mnry exclaimed. "Clauds Dahbs? What a funny name I Why, It's the same as " Her mother stopped her with quick: "It was funnier than that. I discovered afterward It waa Claude Melnotte Pnbba." Mary's soft langh rang out, and then she checked It "Oh Mother, Fin sorry. Fin so In terested. Hurry and tell." Her daughter's mirth was not the pleasantest sound In Mrs. Johnston's ears Just then. "I discovered that this young man, with the ninny name, was In great trouble. Ills father wus dying and the boy had no money to go home with, and his mother wss quite too poor to send him any." "Oh, pof thing Of course yoq loaned him your savings." "I didn't I told him my troubles, and offered htm five hundred dollars If he would marry me." "Mother! Ton didn't!" "Sorry dear, but I can't atop to make .this romantic. Tin telling you the plain, unvarnished truth, I thought hla troubles and mine showed me a way out I said If he would marry me and show himself, to my uncle, I would give him five hundred dollars. He waa to promise to go away and never try to see me again. He was to leave me to go my way alone, while he went his." "But Mother! What coldblooded thing to do!" "Wasn't ItT agreed Sirs. Johnston, much embarrassed. "But yoq see It didn't seem like that to me, Mary. Please remember that he waa only my door of escape and It was abso lutely a business proposition." "Oh Mother!" "I can t help It, Mary. That's what t offered him, and after the first mo ment of astonishment and when he was convinced that I was not fooling h.'ft. snd would actually have the mou.-y I had two hundred and fifty dollars of my own savings to show him he agreed." "Oh dear," groaned Mary, "then hs waa Just as bad !" "I don't know." Mrs. Johnston said thoughtfully. "I've often wondered. Ton see, his father waa dying." "That'a so, Fd forgotten." Mrs. Johnston looked ss thongh she was about to aay something In her own defense, thought better of It snd went on, doggedly : "Cncle wasn't told anything about the agreement Both my uncle and hla lawyer were favorably- Impressed with Claude. "Cncle Insisted that we have the ceremony performed at once, and that suited both of us. -Claude looked sick with snxlety, and was eager to get It over and start home. We were mar ried before Justice of the peace, wh knew neither of us. Illght after the ceremony Claude went home with half of the Ova hundred In hla pocket The other half was to be his when he signed the papers agreeing to leave me alone, and not to block any peti tion I might make for divorce, on the grounds of desertion. Inter, The law yer had to have time to draw the documents Up." "Mother, I simply can't recognise you as the calculating girl who mar ried that way I" "Tou'll have to, Mary. I did It. Just In time, too, for my uncle died that night I was free and the money was mine. I left the boarding bouse snd went to quiet little hotel. I never told the people st the boarding house anything about the money, or the marriage. "The lawyer was kind. He made arrangements for me to go to France and live with some friends of his sis ter who would finish my education. I was supposed to be a young widow." (TO BB CONTINUED.) H-I'IIIII-IIIH'IIXXIIX'IXXXIXII Occasions Which 'Make Silence a Sacrament There was a whole world of wisdom In the words wise man of old. In the ages of fultb ascribed to his Creator: "Be still then and know that I au Ood!" A luter philosopher has re marked that no two men can be said to be truly friends unless they are con tent to bask In each other s company without expression of words. Titers are occasions when silence Is the sac rament of fuith and reverent Joy, the seal and sign of a living union with the Infinite and confident fellowship with our fellow man. It Is In the practice of this silence Unit we learn how to discipline life, and recognise the profanity of the glib common places of mere passing companionship, of formul religion and the useless vol ubility of controversy. We refrain from words because they are Iniide- quuts to express our experience, and the certitude of faith and confidence surpasses the powers of speech. "The truth Is best spoken not by us, but through us," says philosopher writ ing to another big Journal. "The wit ness of true dlsclpluahlp has Its own silent testimony to the truth." Suggeat New Town$ British housing experts, sensing danger In Indiscriminate building and the enlargement of towns, suggest that new towns be built snd that additions to the centers of population should cease. Good and Evil He who Irr.ltntes what Is evil always goes beyond the example that ,1s set; on the contrary, he who imitates what la good always fulls short Oulo ctardlnl OUR COMIC SECTION 0 Along the Concrete Stmif WCLL.I RECKON C iSSS4 Ht'5 LOST Hli TAIL LIGHT I 3s$ I prVVE USED TO USE SOME L V $Ss7lW "i U HORSE SENSE IN OUR DRIVING Wy If , H BUT BY-GUM THEM fEULRS MM HVlA THE FEATHERHEADS And So, "On the Third or Fourth-" i iztf weu. or u nUttv X'j ; :tjeAD rr OUT Jr V ,CuM mE.suk- II I Ou3nON3.r4NNv!-NOW ) iib rTAO-.TS If 'ON I Q OQ TOvZU I MUST PmOnsj I ml PLEA.SC UT MB QtAOtS JrSoTB or McesfS vxjs,, J.A0QA 6S - - 9 AOTiClE A'A T ,0CI. & WtlCD SKJOV Of-' - A now 00T BEAD ' ! AUSlT.PANNv'?- V WltUK. IT S TV V;1' ' ii '- " -rr - "sTrfs OO C 'oTUlTH'CDOQ ' tt U"OEQ Tm6 WiEt j ' . FOuCTU tV OF AetYOU CT UP "RtlSTr. i V "2- TZ,' H i vi-fcTQO . MfrEiNS " t7 A ""-aIi" ' SILENCE r- iWw ei V V f- rllXL-: yfTiMW 't "Jy "rooss cow; FINNEY OF THE FORCE Now Everybody Scream AH 19 It "foRUft VE2 &AM Thi9 MAN i DOWN WfTH WEZ .miv, . , . 2bw,n0. l " . Mil j -jf ' y' NT" I fw vision iSAU'wr-lllll f toil 1 I P'vss sca qIII 1 1 1 1 II I II 1 1 fl ill fnlllllllffif BUT MV VIEWWAS Hill J SAFETV FlGST 111 V oBSTpucrfD,9iii .il' llf I Ik smcKEJzsorjMty jllll1 i ;"yMrili V, f .. "V wiNb -5hiclD f I jrr-l'.: , r 1- 111 pwentern Newspnper I'nlnn ALIYQIIO!?