Medford mail tribune., September 07, 1958, Image 44

Party Line
(Continued)
coated Pepper, grinning and proud
as he turned at the gate to wave.
One morning Dave had left early
for the county seat on farm business.
The sky was overcast but windless, so
Phyll let Skip take the horse, glad
she didn't have to get out the car. For
she was making two shirts as a sur
prise for Dave's birthday, and she
needed every moment.
Busily stitching by the bright light
on the machine, she didn't notice the
ominously darkening sky. At lunch
time she munched on a cold muffin as
she worked. Then the cat yowled at
the door and as he streaked in, she
felt the lash of the rising wind and
saw the snow.
She must go after Skip! Surely the
school wouldn't let him start out
Stunned, she saw the clock. Skip
should have been home by now.
-ft
tut " w ".
Anxiously she rang the school num
ber, over and over. At last a timid
voice answered very faintly, "Hello?"
"Hello! This is Mrs. Reeder. Skip
hasn't arrived home. Is he" The
voice said again, "Hello?" She recog
nized it as a child's. Then the receiver
clicked. Further rings were useless.
Five minutes later the horse came
limping in, saddle twisted, Skip's
lunch box dangling from a saddle
strap. As she hurried the animal into
the barn and struggled back to the
house through the stinging whiteness,
Phyllis knew sick fear.
Then, hearing rattling chains on a
laboring car, she rushed into the
driveway to meet her husband, jerk
ing open the car door. In the house
they faced each other as she gasped
out her story. "I didn't know a storm
was coming."
The look on Dave's face frightened
her. "You let him take the horse, after
I told you"
"Told me?"
"I put a note by the clock because I
left so early." They stared at it, un
seen, unread. He said desperately,
"Didn't anybody call you?" Then he
stopped short, knowing.
Even as he talked he was hurriedly
getting into a heavy jacket. "Dave
What'll we do?"
"I'll ride Darby and go by the cut
that Skip uses. Get me the flashlight."
She held it out, too numb to speak.
It was a wordless leave-taking into
the now-screaming storm. Her at
tempted prayer was an anguished
whisper, "Oh, God, please "
Then the phone rang their ring.
12
Family Weekly, September 7, 1951
She snatched it. "Hello?"
"Miz Reeder?" It was Julia Jacob's
slow heavy voice.
"Yes, yes."
"Guess my Susie's got bad manners,
listenin' in, but she says it's about
your boy " The phone crackled.
"Pepper came home without him,"
Phyll cried. "Dave's gone out on the
sorrel by the cut. He " The crackling
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and went dead. There was only the
wind outside.
Phyll rang the bell despairingly.
Her only chance to get help was gone!
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11
It - '
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It was already dark at mid-afternoon;
a fearful night lay ahead of her.
Both Skip and Dave were in danger.
The fault was hers. Had she made
friends instead of enemies all morn-
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once had she heard her ring.
The hours dragged through the
longest night she had ever known. At
first she paced helplessly. At last she
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She dozed at last, and awakened to
an utter stillness. The cat jumped
down as she moved and rose- un
steadily to her feet. Beyond the win
dow was the pale wash of daylight
It was the creak of leather she heard
first, then the strong breathing of a
horse. Was it bad news? Such weak
ness overcame her that she clung to
the chair and couldn't take a step.
Qon was that Dave and Skip found
7 her, eyes anguished, fearing
to hope. Then, with their re
assuring arms around her, the tears
came, the half words, the clinging as
if she would never let them go.
Later, with Dave across the table,
and Skip by her chair, they told her.
"Pepper dumped me, Mom; he went
in some sort of a hole, and I couldn't
catch him. I made it back to the
Martins. I tried to phone you, but
nobody answered."
"I must have been at the barn."
Dave took it up, then. "When you
called the school,' little Susie Jacobs
listened in. It wasn't until later she
told her mother that Skip wasn't
home. Mrs. Jacobs called you, but the
line went out"
He put down his cup slowly. "But
you told her I'd gone out, Phyll. Ev
erybody was listening in. They all
heard you."
"Tell her the rest, Daddy." Skip's
eyes shone.
"Well, they knew I hadn't a chance,
Phyll, taking that cut. The snow closes
in; you can't see a light or anything.
But they figured I might hear a noise.
They blew car horns, shot off guns.
I I wasn't sure at first I heard any
thing, and then Darby's ears went up.
I turned and the sound grew louder "
"It was( Gramma Bevins," Skip
burst out, "beating on. her washtub
with a poker."
- Then, beautiful its sound, the phone
rang. Dave jumped up. "Saw the
phone crew out working when I came
by. It was a tree down."
He lifted the receiver. "You bet," he
said, tired face smiling. "All okay."
Phyll rose. "Give it to me, Dave."
He met her eyes and handed over the
receiver without a word.
She said hesitantly, "I I hope
you're all listening." Her voice grew
stronger. "Last night when I was so
afraid, I clung to just one phrase: He
shall give His angels charge over thee.
That's what you were, angels angels
on the party line. I hope you'll forgive
me and let me make it up somehow;
let me be the kind of friend you have
all been."
Voices were in her ears, reassuring
voices, all talking at once. "I'll listen
in, too, after this," she promised
shakily, between laughter and tears.
"I'll be just like the rest of you."
"Land's sake, Phyllis," Gramma
Bevins' voice came crackling through,
"that's all we've been waiting for for
you to join us snoopin' sinners."
They let her hang up at last. "I
think," she told Dave unsteadily, but
smiling, "that if I work at it I'm going
to be a party-liner in good standing."
Family Weekly, September 7, 1958