Western news and the Libby times. [volume], June 01, 1933, Page Page Three, Image 3

About Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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By lORALt HEIGHT
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Copyright by th* Bobbi-Merrlll Co.
WNU Svrvlc*
SYNOPSIS
ButilneM taking him to Denver, Geoffrey
Enaloe, young chemical engineer, takes up hie
resi denc e with hla mother's girlhood friends.
They seem a happy, carefree family, Captain
Cary* "Mise Nona" Aylesbury, the captain's
daughter; Cary, thoughtleaa though likable
youngster; little Tenny Montague, motherless,
erho lives with the Carys —and Cynthia. Geoff
finde himself very much "at home," though
Cynthia puzzles him. She ia, apparently
against the wishes of her family, running a
"gift shop," and astonishes Geoff by the sug
gestion that he pay board money, to her, un
known to her mother. He agrees, though much
mystified. Cary's specialty seems to be se
curing and losing Jobs, coupled with financial
extravagance, which Cynthia openly resents.
Geoff becomes prejudiced against tbs girl for
bar seeming penuriousness.
CHAPTER IV—Continued
But In the rear of the shop was some
thing that Interested him ; two comfort
able chairs were pulled up to a long
table on which lay various magazines.
A low bookcase overflowed with vol
umes whose titles brought a look of sur
prise to Geoff. Tl
—that was to
•was also a modes
iere was late fiction
expected; but there
Esç ollec tlon of tech
nical books, several ofwhîfch Geoff had
sought for In vain In the book shop.
Toward one of these he stretched out
îüs hand eagerly.
Fifteen minutes later some one
spoke to him. From the fact that she
wore no hat and seemed to be en
I
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G.1
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Geoff Judged That This Was the
"Dish-Faced" Elsie Dunsmore.
tlrely at home, Geoff Judged that this
was the "dish-faced" Elsie Dunsmore.
"How do you do?" she said pleasant
ly. "I think you're a stranger to the
Odds and Ends. I hope you've found
something that Interests you !"
"I have Indeed!" He held up the
book. "May I ask how you happen
to have a book like this In your stock?"
"Miss Aylesbury chose It. You see,
that's why we have these chairs, this
case of books; so that shoppers like
yourself may drop In for a few min
utes to read and rest. Miss Aylesbury
tries to eater to all tastes. You'll see
there are books on architecture, on
gardening, on mining, on child wel
fare."
Geoff nodded. His thoughts were
busy with a certain morning when he
had told at the breakfast table of his
unavailing search for this particular
book. Why had Cynthia not mentioned
she had it In the shop? Was It be
cause she resented his disapproval of
her business? Or had she—Geoff
would have liked to believe this but
somehow he couldn't—had she known
where to buy It and done so because
he had spoken of It?
Ruefully he admitted that Cynthia
was rapidly divesting him of that com
placency which was the result of his
popularity at home. The little stabs
she administered to hla self-esteem
were all the more effective because
they were not premeditated. Either
Cynthia had owned the book and dis
dained to mention it, or she had
bought It because she thought it might
Interest other men—and disdained to
mention It! Both explanations afford
ed little satisfaction to the tall young
man who stood gripping the volume
and staring vacantly at Cynthia's
clerk.
He came out of his trance presently,
restored the book to Its place and went
forward resignedly to Justify his pres
ence by a purchase. EJsIe was busy,
he was glad to see; too busy to wait
on him. That spoke well for the busi
ness of the shop,
"Are you always as busy as this?"
he asked when she was free to attend
to him. She shook her head. "It's the
final spurt of the tourist season. Peo
ple on their way home stop In to buy
souvenirs. Yes, madam," she Inter
rupted herself to say, "we have colored
photographs of the Big Thompson
Canyon but we also have water colors
that you may like bettor." When the
customer had departed she returned
to Geoff. "I'm Just a clerk here. C. C.
•wns the shop."
"C. C.?"
"Cynthia Cary Aylesbury, We used
to call her C. C. In high school."
"You're a schoolmate of hers,
then?"
"Oh, yes. I even planned to go East
to college with her but things hap
pened and I couldn't; and poor Cyn
thia had to come home herself In her
Junior year."
"Had to? I thought she came be
cause she was tired of It 1"
Elsie, looked belligerent "Cynthia
never gives things up because she's
tired ! If she did, she'd give this store
up In a hurry. The way that girl
works—'
She caught herself up
abruptly, realizing how freely she had
been discussing her employer with a
stranger.
"That's all right," Geoff reassured
her. "I'm a friend of her mother. Tell
me more about the shop, If you don't
mind. I'm deeply Interested."
"Why, you see, Cynthia wanted to
do something when she came back
from college. So she started the Odds
and Ends. She had a little money
left her by her father—she put It all
Into this shop. At first she did every
thing herself: had her lunch brought
in, went without dinner until after
she'd closed up. Then business picked
up and pretty soon she asked me If I
wouldn't like to help her. You bet I
did, too,"
simplicity,
wouldn't do for Cynthia, If It comes to
that."
"So the shop really pays for itself?"
She gave him an odd look. "It has
to," she said briefly. "If you know
Cynthia you know It's a llve-or-die
proposition with her. She doesn't go
into anything lightly."
"I should say not!" Geoff declared.
"We've got to make enough," she
chattered on, "to see us through the
dull season that comes between the
tourist trade and the Christmas sales.
November Is a total loss as far as gift
shops are concerned." Her eyes trav
eled to a banjo clock that ticked on the
wall. "Cynthla'll be back any minute
now, and she'll tell you anything you
want to know about the shop."
Geoff said guiltily that he couldn't
wait; selected a particularly hideous
and expensive "desk set" and escaped
with it before Cynthia's return. Hla
purchase gave him some little trouble
before he finally prevailed on a wait
ress at the cafe where he ate his lunch
to accept It,
His visit to the shop had cleared
up one thing that was beginning to
trouble him. A dim Idea that the fam
said Elsie with convincing
"There Isn't much I
ily might be In some manner dependent
upon the profits from the Odds and
Ends had haunted him for several
days. But several things contradicted
that theory. Every month, for exam
ple, Captain Cary slit a certain gray
envelope and extracted a check.
"Royalties from a little patent of
mine, " he always said with open pride.
Sometimes he handed it to his daugh
ter and bade her buy herself
thing pretty" with It; sometimes he
tucked It away In his wallet
Then, too, Miss Nona sometimes care
lessly referred to her husband's "es
tate." That word meant to Geoff the
large holdings which had come to his
mother and himself from his father.
There was no evidence of want In the
house where he lived. Miss Nona wore
the prettiest of clothes, the food was
abundant if somewhat plain, Cary's
light-hearted Indifference to his jobs
did not Indicate financial stress.
But still, Geoff told himself, that
might be the explanation of Cynthia's
penuriousness. He almost hoped it
was. He hated to think of a girl
so young being so grasping. But after
his talk with Elsie he was more than
ever convinced that ambition combined
with a stubborn determination to have
her own way was the motive back of
Cynthia's appropriation of Tenny's
board money and his own.
"Yoifre a throwback," hla mother
had told him more than once. "Down
In your heart you disapprove of the
modern woman, especially the woman
In business. You'd like to have all of
my sex dependent on yours for spend
ing money. Your idea of a woman's
whole duty Is making herself attrac
tive to her man."
'some
Geoff had laughed but he knew that
there was some truth In what she said.
Miss Nona came very near to being
his Ideal of womanhood. She was
so gentle so sweet, so sympathetc. She
was feminine to her fingertips, with all
the little arts and graces of a bygone
generation.
Miss Nona listened with flattering
attention to what he said of his labora
tory work, though he knew the chem
ical terms were so much Greek to her.
She was everything he had longed for
and missed in his mother, In short;
and the contract between her and
Cynthia Increased his antagonism
toward the girl.
"Darh It I Why can't she be like
Miss Nona?" he fretted.
She gives
me a pain with her checking up every
thing poor little Tenny does, her
cross-questioning of Cary, even her
Implied rebukes of her mother I Fall
In love with her—I'd as soon—sooner!
—grow sentimental over the marble
lady In the garden! She may be hard
but at least she's mighty ornamental"
• • • • * • •
Almost every Sunday Geoff spent the
day In the mountains. Miss Nona and
the Captain often went with him If the
destination was not too high or the
ride too long. Tenny would come if
43yntbla would; but Cynthia wouldn't.
She pleaded fatigue from her long
week, or accounts to be gone over. So
It was with a sense of real triumph
that Geoff prevailed upon her one Oc
tober morning to drive with them all
to Red Rock lake.
"We'll pack a basket," Cynthia said,
entering into the plan with an en
thusiasm which astounded Its pro
'There's chicken—Marguerite
moter.
can fry it and we'll pack It in the
thermos basket so It will stay hot.
,We'U build a fire and make coffee just
for the outdoorslness of It"
Tenny capered about the room with
Joy and Miss Nona beamed at her
daughter.
"Like to drive?" Geoff asked Cyn
thia as they went down the steps to
gether.
To his surprise she took the seat
behind the wheel and presently they
were bowling smoothly along.
Cynthia drove steadily, surely. Every
foot of the way seemed to be familiar
to her and she looked younger and
happier than Geoff had ever seen her.
She had discarded her hat, and the
tendrils of hair curled about her fore
head endearingly. Geoff marveled at
the change In her. She was gay, youth
ful, charming. She had dropped her
weariness, her hint of hostility toward
him, her air of worry, like a cloak.
Geoff was suddenly In wild spirits.
It seemed to him that never was there
so congenial a party as his.
What a dinner that was ! Mar
guerite's fried chicken was crisp and
hot; her buttered rolls melted in their
mouths.
"Why do we have to go down?"
Tenny asked wistfully. "Why don't
we just send Cary and Geoff back for
some blankets and things and stay
up here all the time?"
"By this time tomorrow night there
may be three feet of snow right where
you're sitting," Cynthia told her. "I
don't remember another October as
warm as this up here." . _
"Something else has thawed out for
Geoff's benefit," Cary said significant
ly. "Your manner toward him, my
dear sister!"
"Don't you like Geoff, Cynthia?"
Tenny wanted to know.
She laughed, flushed a little. "I like
everybody today! Ob, you can't think
what It's like to exchange the stale
air In the shop for the piny breezes
up here! Fm like Tenny—I want to
stay for everl"
After dinner Geoff and Cynthia, with
Tenny darting ahead of them, complet
ed the circuit of the lake. Geoff re
membered that walk for a long time.
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V
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Geoff Remembered That Walk for a
Long Time.
Cynthia walked shoulder to shoulder
with him, sometimes stopping to point
out a snowy peak that rose above the
rest of the chain, sometimes stirring
the pine-needles In the path to reveal a
mat of klnnlklnlc.
Somehow they strayed on to the
subject of Tenny, and Cynthia talked
to him freely about the child.
"She was $ delicate little thing when
she first came to us. Even now we
have to watch her carefully."
"She seems sound as a dollar now,"
he answered.
"Oh, she Is! Except that she mustn't
have any more colds. That's jyhy"—
he realized that for the first time she
was offering an explanation of one of
the things he had disliked In her—
"why I'm so strict with her about her
cod liver oil and wearing her sweater
and all. Tenny respects authority."
"Is that why she adores you?" he
asked with a touch of Irony.
She hesitated. "Do I seem to you
specially authoritative? I suppose I
do." Suddenly she turned to him.
"Geoff, perhaps I'm not quite as hard
as you think I am ! At any rate,
Tenny has to be handled very care
fully. She's lived In so many places,
she's had so many ups and downs that
she had acquired a rather terrible dis
trust of people when she came to us,"
"She needed your mother s petting,"
he said.
Cynthia smiled. "Miss Nona's strong
point Is petting. You come In for a
good share of it."
"And, like Tenny, I thrive on It," b«
replied somewhat aggressively. "As
I've told you, my parents were abroad
during most of my childhood and I
know what Tenny went through at
bouruing school."
"It must have been hard for your
mother," Cynthia commented, "being
pulled between her duty to you and
to her husband. I—I know this will
add to your belief in my hardness!—
I'm glad she was the sort of woman
who put her husband first I There's
something so magnificent about that
sort of love," she said wistfully. "Some
thing so royal In a marriage which al
lows nothing—not even children—to
disturb It!"
Geoff was silent through sheer as
tonishment. Cynthia's words gave him
too a new vision of his mother. For
the first time he was able to think of
her as a wife as well as a somewhat
casual mother.
It was nearly sunset before they
turned the car downward and began
the long descent from mountain heights
to the city below. Geoff had a feeling
of extraordinary satisfaction over the
day. Cynthia's mind to him hereto
fore had been like a long corridor In
which door after door stood, all closed.
Today she had opened several of them
and given him fascinating peeps at
the rooms within.
CHAPTER V
Tenny.
All the doors were slammed shut
again In the days which followed.
Sometimes Geoff wondered If that day
at Red Rock lake with a companion
able Cynthia, a slightly wistful Cyn
thia. had ever existed save In his
Imagination.
The girl not only resumed her old
reserve but became so Irritable and
Impatient that the little buds of friend
ship which had sprouted between them
withered and died. Definitely he did
not li ke this g i rl, he told himself. Ha
wondered sometimes If it was his
presence in her home which so an
noyed her; for that she was annoyed
beyond her usual manner was evident
to him from her family's comments.
"What does all Cynthia !" Miss Nona
sighed. "She's so unlike herself these
days."
"Sis, for the love of Mike!" It was
Cary's exasperated voice. "You
haven't spoken a pleasant word for
days—do you realize It? Come on now,
Cynthia 1 You say the shop Is doing
well—"
"Cary!" Cynthia's voice cut In so
sharply that Geoff started. "Who Is
that falr-halred girl you're driving
about these days?"
Her brother laughed. "That's where
the shoe pinches, Isn't It, Cynthia—to
change the metaphor?"
"Of course It pinches. It ought to
pinch you, too. Do you think that It's
fair—as things are?"
For once there was resentment In
Cary's pleasant young voice. "My dear
Miss Atlas, didn't you ever hear that
no one Is actually indispensable In this
world? If you wore to go to Europe
tomorrow—''
"Or die," she amended. "Never mind
me, Cary. I'm cross os two sticks
these days."
"Sis, are you sure you're well?
Seems to me you never used to be so
snappy, so— er —bitter. Don't you love
your big brother—one—bit?" The
pauses were filled by hla hand on her
hair, rumpling it out of Its usual
smoothness. She was laughing when
she escaped.
But the irritability persisted.
"Cynthia, my dear," the Captain said
gravely one evening, "I really must
protest against your overworking as
you are doing. Is It necessary for you
to remain so long at the shop every
night?" 1 1
Cynthia made no reply beyond a
weary smile at him. It was Tenny ns
usual who struck straight from the
shoulder. "She's let Elsie go. She
has to stay till closing time every
night"
"You've let Elsie gt>?" Miss Nona's
vqlce, rose protest! ngly. "Darling,
why did you?"
"Just giving her a vacation," was
the evasive answer. "She's coming
back when business picks up again.
Elsie was tired. She needed a reet."
To Geoff's amazement no one sug
gested that Cynthia herself was badly
In need of a rest, no one said, as Geoff
thought they ought to say. that It
would be a good Idea for Cynthia to
sell the shop. He began to watch her,
to notice how little she ate. what an
effort It seemed to be for her to go
upstairs; and one evening he tackled
her again on the subject of the shop.
, She was alone In the big library
across the hall. It vyns the sight of
the dark circles beneath the blue eyes
which spurred him on to speech.
"l/ook here, Cynthia ! Why don't
you sell that Infernal shop of yours
and take a vacation yourself?, You
look like the wrath of God these
days. I don't understand what your
family Is thinking of, not to realize
you're half sick ! If I—" He stopped
abruptly for she had risen and
crossed the room to him, put one hand
on his arm.
"Geoff, you're not to say -one word
to them! You've got to promise me
you won't, do you hear? I'm all
right." She slipped her hand down
his arm till she touched hla hand,
pressed it urgently. "Promise I Prom
ise you'll not speak to Miss Nona—''
"But good heavens, child! She's
your mother—she has a right to know.
Anyhow, what'* the use of being so
foolish—ruining your health by stick
ing to that dinky shop? Suppose you
do a little promising," he went on.
"Promise me you'll take a vacation
yourself."
She sighed. "Out of the question
Just now—both of them."
"Then I think," he averred, "I'd bet
ter Just see Miss Nona—"
Her blue eyes blazed. "What's my
health to you, Geoff Enaloe? After
all, you have no right to Interfere
with my private affairs,"
"Rot," he said Inelegantly. "I have
the right of a friend—"
"Friend? You're no friend of mlnet"
• "I'll say I'm not," he answered with
grimness. "Anything less friendly
than your attitude toward me I've
never encountered. But I'm a friend
of your family—you're my mother's
goddaughter—"
Swiftly her face underwent an en
tire transformation. Her smile—
Geoff admitted Cynthia had a lovely
smile "when she uses It, which Is dam'
seldom !"—flashed, her eyes softened.
"Then promise for their sakesl You
must have seen that Miss Nona Is not
strong. I don't want &er worried—"
"I suppose she won't worry If you
fall 111!"
She walked to the window and stood
looking out Into the garden.
"Geoff, listen to me," she said after
a while She spoke seriously, as
though sure of his understanding, 'Ten
not very well—I admit that. I'm go
ing to got Elsie back Just as soon as
It's possible. I can't sell the shop.
For one thing, there's no one who
would buy it Just now. If I promise
"to spare mysolf as much as possible—
If I come home and rest—will you . . .
not , . . say anything to Miss Nona?"
He moved uncomfortably, There
had been a hint of tears In her voice
Just at the end. Why was she so de
termined to keep her mother In Ignor
hang on like grim death to that d—d
shop?
"Please, Geoff?"
"It's not ray business, as you Just
pointed out," he said sharply.
She shrugged, left the darkened
window, walked out of the room.
For the next few days she made a
special effort to appear cheerful and
rested. She spent her evenings down
In the old parlor with the rest of them
Instead of shutting herself upstairs
with hey accounts. Geoff alone knew
that she paid for these hours of leisure
by other hours stolen from sleep. He
waked several times and saw a crack
of light beneath her door across the
hall.
"Why I don't put her out of my
mind and let her take the consequences
of her own foolishness, or break my
promise to her and call Miss Nona's
attention to the condition she's ln, I
don't know," he wrote his mother.
"The girl haunts me, somehow. She la
so plainly worried about something.
Sometimes I think she's got herself
Into some kind of trouble In the shop
—borrowed money she can't pay, or
something like that. When she'* off
guard there's a look of misery that
oughtn't to be on any young girl'«
face. What about writing her to come
and pay you a visit? Perhaps you
emtld advise her—Lord knows I can't 1"
To which Mrs. Enaloe replied :
"I'm writing Cynthia as you suggest
and Inviting her to come on to New
York for the winter. Yes, for the
whole winter! I know that surprises
you but all you tell me of the girl Im
presses me rather favorably,.^Being a
woman, and tho sort of woman I am,
I can easily understand why Cynthia
might not enjoy homellfe'ln the Çary
household.
"Don't as you value your own safety,
mention to her that it was you who
Inspired my Invitation. She would re
sent that beyond everything. Let my
letter speak for Itself."
He watched Cynthia with interest
the morning she opened his mother's
Would she read it aloud?
letter.
Would she express a natural girlish
delight? Would she make Immediate
plans to leave for New Yort^
She did none of these things. She
merely put the folded sheet back In Its
envelope and went on with her break
fast. Neither then nor at a later time
did she mention his mother's Invita
tion to Geoff.
Snow was falling; Geoff, home for
Saturday afternoon, looked up from
the book he was studying to see
Tenny, coated and hatted, standing
before him.
"Can I go out and coast?" she de
manded. "I've got my new sled that
Daddy sent me and It's a lovely
snow !"
"Ask Miss Nona, honey!"
(TO BB> CONTINUED.)
Our Government
— How It Operates
ßy William Druckart
INTERSTATE COMMERCE
COMMISSION
A MERICAN policy and tradition
always has been, not only to
mit, but to enforce, free and open com
p et i t l on .— Rightly or wrong ly. It has
been considered that this policy was
responsible for the very greatness of
our nation, commercially. It seems
something of a paradox, therefore,
that we should have such an auto
cratic body as the Interstate Com
merce commission, an agency to which
has been delegated, even directed to
use, the most dictatorial powers. It
stands almost alone In this respect,
yet the records reveal very few times
when serious or sound criticism has
been leveled at 1L
The common conception of the com
mission Is that It rules the railroads,
but It goes far beyond that, and the
day Is'not far distant when its scope
of power will be broadened beyond
Its present limitations. Congress has
seen fit to expand Its authority from
time to time, and changing conditions
In the transportation field now are
calling for further federal control.
As the laws now stand, the commis
sion controls all common carriers en
gaged In transportation of commodi
ties or passengers by railroad In In
terstate operation, transmission fa
cilities of telephone, telegraph and
cable companies, express companies,
sleeping car companies, terminal fa
cilities used by Interstate carriers,
car floats, car ferries, lighters, water
transportation when that Is conducted
by the same company operating a rail
road In Interstate traffic.
Over the operations of those cor
poratlqnb, the commission rules as a
monarch, backed, of course, by the
laws which congress enacted. But
congress has given powers to other
agencies of the company much less
broad and at sometime or other, bit
ter criticism has been laid on their
doorsteps and scandal has tainted
their records. The commission has
gone on since 1887, unscathed.
In the dusty pages of United States
taws, there Is a phrase which says
that the commission shall require all
railroad rates and fill other rates sub
ject to its Jurisdiction to he "Just and
reasonable." To that one legislative
e nact menu th erefore, you may attrih
ute the basis of all chargea which the
carriers make whether In transporta
tion of freight or passengers.
Not so many years ago It was a
practice among some railroads to give
rebates to shippers and to give free
passes to private citizens or public
officials where such Individuals might
be of help to the carriers. These
practices developed real evils, because
discrimination among shippers became
a common result and undue political
Influence resulted from the distribu
tion of passes. So the commission set
about putting an end to the business
and, based upon commission findings,
congress ended the condition definite
ly by law.
In those days also, certain of the
railroads resorted to other tricks to
obtain business and throttle competi
tors, The commission^ _has watched
these things through the years and has
recommended legislation to congress
to curb them. So the "Interstate com
merce laws" have grown until, In these
days it Is even Impossible for stock
holders of one railroad to elect a di
rector or an official for their corpor
ation unless the Interstate Commerce
commission consents. It must be said
that the commission has no concern
unless the proposed selection be an
individual holding office In another
railroad. Then It Is vitally concerned,
because It Is considered that Interlock
ing of directorates Is an unwise pol
icy and likely to lead to difficulties for
one or all of the roads so managed.
Minority stockholders would be vic
tims.
The commission started out with
five members. In 1006, Its member
ship was Increased to seven, and the
transportation act of 1920, the latest
Important piece of rail legislation. In
creased the membership to eleven.
And there Is work for all to do, for the
commission not only may Investigate
and hear complaints of parties claim
ing grievance against railroad rates or
services or practices, but It has au
thority to Institute proceedings Itself.
For example, under a law passed In
1914, It was made unlawful for any
interstate railroad to own, operate,
lease or have any Interest In "any com
peting carrier by water,
law, authority was given the commis
sion to determine what constituted
competition. So, It takes little Imag
ination to discover how far reaching
this power was, yet the decisions made
under It have never been challenged In
court, a recourse allowed dissatisfied
parties.
As another illustration of the broad
powers available to the commission,
let It be stated that It can, and does,
tell the carriers under Its Jurisdiction
how to keep their books. It can, and
does, prescribe the forms, the actual
designs and columns and arrange
ments, upon which the records for day
to day and week to week and month
to mouth operations are shown.
By fur the most Intricate and com
plex of any of Its functions, however.
Is the management of rates, freight
and passenger. This subject, there
fore, should be dealt with In a sep
arate discussion.
©, tttt, Wij*tem Newsp»i>«r Uala»
In the same
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