Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1902-11-06
THE DESERTION or
BRADY AND HARRIS
By HUGH S. FULLERTON.

AS residuary legatee, having
~ charge of the goods and chat
tells of Brady and Harris, now con
tanned in suite 20. the Rengaard
z apartment building, I purpose re
lating the circumstances which led
to the conditions now prevailing in
suite % and the story of the deser-
ton Of Brady and Harris.
We three lived that is, slept and
kept cur belongings suite 20 for
more than two years. We dwelt to-
gether in comparatively peace and
almost absolute freedom. Twice
each year we had an accounting, and
Strengthened out our bewilderingly
involved finances by the simple
process of canceling all claims on
each other We criticised each other
after the manner of brothers-frank-
ly, and as frankly disregarded the
criticisms.
Brady was poet, and what was
more important from q utillarian
standpoint, he could cook. Harris
was an artist, and I was (and in
deed still ann newspaper man.
We three eked out an existence more
or less pleasurable by toiling on
daily papers, and gratified our high
er ambition (as far as our finances
permitted) outside of business hours.
This qualification Of higher ambi-
tions led to voluminous if not lu-
crative correspondence with maya
zine publishers.
There was fourth partner
a copy reader-but Jones was not
of kindred spirit, and departed,
leaving unpaid bills. We three, Bra
dy, the tall, angular poet Harris, the
diminutiye artist; and I, were the
charter members of the commune
which existed in suite 20.
In the beginning we three met at
a small French hotel presided over
by Verjon. Brady. whom, knew by
name because he had published an
ode to her hair or her eyes or some
thing when was reading copy down
in New York, was then editing a
cIiildren's page, and Harris was
drawing ''news pictures" on a fran
tic afternoon publication. Harris
work consisted principally of draw
ing blood spots on floors, scenes of
atrocious murders and the knives
with which the murders were COM
mitted. His spare time was spent in
outlining lingerie for the fashion
column of the supplement He had
wonderful ideas of lingerie, but he
had aspirations to paint-to "get
into legitimate art" as he said.
We three were drawn together
from the first, attracted because we
were opposite in almost everything,
and, before long, we began to aspire
to an establishment of our own.
We planned each to save portion
OF his weekly wage, to deposit the
sums in my. tobacco jar, and when
the sums aggregated $500 to pur-
chase furniture and move into an
apartment. Then commenced the
search for an apartment. Brady
wanted to live in the suburbs where
the birds. and trees and sunlight
would give him .'inspiration." He
remained firm in his desire, although
we pointed out the woes of walking
many miles after midnight, and ar
gued that he always wrote his po-
ems in the middle of the night. Har-
1is wanted ''early light and limited
at the desirability of having sky
light in the apartment, not knowing
sEylights always leak. 1 was dele
gated to find the apartment, and
shirked. assignments many after.
moons in search Of an ideal place.
desired to please both Brady and
Harris, but searched on in localities
where RESTAURANT and green gro
Ger were within easy walking dis
tance. Eventually I discovered
suite %.
The advertisement read:
ITO rent-Elegant m-heated apart
ment. Electric light, gas range, tile bath,
refrigerator, fine view of park. Jaritor on
premises"
Then new difficulty arose. The
tobacco jar was not half full, and
Brady confessed he had appropriate
ed money to buy books. Brady was
Bibliomaniac. After we read the
books and stole some of them we
pardoned him.
Then Harris needed new dress
coat to attend his sisters wedding,
and the treasury was again depleted,
and finally went on vacation and
evened up the score by appropriate
ing enough money to keep me at a
summer resort for an entire week.
We were by turns fearful lest
some one should discover the won
derful attractions of suite % and Sc
cure it. Every Sunday we read the
advertisements, and whooped with
joy when we found suite % un-
rented.
Late that fall, after many financial
disappointments, we purchased fur
niture on the installment plan and
took up our abode in suite %.
There were five rooms, a bath and
kitchen. I accepted the dark, snug,
inside room with one window open
ing on a quiet court. I made the
oh nioo not ca n,11o1, hooo,,co x,,,.