Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1910-06-10

strous quicksand. shifting it,; particles
constantly. with no foundation. it's up
per granules of today buried tomor-
row in ooZe and slime.
The furnished room received its lat
est guest With Il first glow of pseudo
hospitality. Il hectic, hagcar.l. perfume
tory welcome like the speciuus smile
of demirep. The s"phis,iral confort
came in reflected CLEANS from the de-
caycd furniture. the ragged brocade
upholstery of Il couch and two chairs.
a foot wide cheap pier glass between
the two windows. from one or two gilt
picture frames aud a brass bedstcad
in corner.
The guest rcclined. inert, upon a
chair, while the room. confused in
speech as though it were an apart
ment in Babel, tried to discourse to
him of it's divers tenantry.
A polychromatic rug like some bril-
liant Powered rectangular, tropical is
let lay surrounded by billowy sea
Of soiled mating. Upon the gay papercd
wall were those pictures that pursue
the homeless one from house to house
''The Huguenot Lovers" "The First
Quarrel" THE Wedding Breakfast"
Psyche at the Fountain" The mantels
chastely severe outline was inglorous-
~ yelled behind some pert drapery
drawn rakishly askew like the sashes
OF the amazonian ballet Upon 1t was
some desolate f1otsam cast aside by
the rooms marooncd when Il lucky
sail had borne them to a fresh port-a
trifiing vase or two. pictures of ac-
cards out of Il deck.
One by one, as the characters Of 81
cryptograph become explicit. the little
signs left by the furnished rooms pro-
cession of guests developed Il signiti-
canoe. The thrcadbare space in the
rug in front of the dresser told that
lovely woman had marched in the
throng. Tiny finger prints on the wall
spoke OF little prisoners trying to feel
their way TO sun and air. ~ splattered
stain. raging like the shadow of a
bursting bomb. witnessed where a
hurled glass or bottle had spintcrod
with lis contents against the wall.
Across the pier glass had been scrawlej
With a diamond in staggering letter;
the hsllle Marie. 1t seemed that t!lr
succession of dwcl!crs in the furnish
ed room had turned in fury-perhai,s
| tempted beyond forbcarance by its
gariSh co!dness-and wrcalscd upon il
f,-p,
Clipped and bruised; the couch, dis
torted by bursting springs, seemed Il
horrible monster that had been slain
during the stress of some gHotcsuuc
CONFUSION. Some more potent up
heaval had cloven great slice from
the marble mantei. Each plank in the
| floor owned its particular can't and
Shrek rs from q separate and inai-
vidual aGcns..
1t seemed incredible that all this
malice ard injury had been wrou@ht
| upon the room by these who had call
cd it for a time their home, and Yet i,
may have been the cheated home in
stn~t surviving blindty. the resent l'ul
rage Of false household Gods. lhai had
ki;',.lea their wrath. \ hu. that is oUl
own we can sweep an; "duin a,ll
chcri:h
The young te"ant IN the chair allow
cd these thoughts to file soft shed,
through his mind. while t,,ere hrfted
into he raom furnished SQUADS and
| furnished scents. lie Heard in olc
|
laughter. il, others tie munologue of a
scoll. he rafting of dice, Il lullaby and
one crying daily. Above him Il banjo
tinkled with spirit Doors banged
somewhere: the elevated trains roarrN
internationally; Il cat yowlcd misrrahly
upon a back fcuce. And he brcathel
the breath of the houSe--a d:lnk SAVIOR
rather than :, Smcll--:i cold. muSty eff
1uvum as from underground vaults.
mingled with the rocking eNllaI"tinnS
of linc!nuin ana widowed and rotten
woodwork
Then suddenly as he rested there the
room was filled with the strong. sweet
odor uf mi"nolette 1t came IS upon
a single buffet of wind with such sure
ness and fragrance and emphasis that
It almost seemed Il Twin" yisitant. And
the man cried aloud. What dnar:" as
if he had been called. and Sprany w
and faced about. The rich door chung
to him ard wrapped him around. lie
reached cut his arms for it. all his
senses for III" time confused and com
mingled! How could one he perempin-
ri!y called by an odor: Surely it must
have been !, sound. Hut was ii not the
sound that had touched. that had ca
resSeG him:
she has been in this room.' he
cried. and lln s'rraH@ to wrcSt from il
q token. for he knew he would recn9-
niZc the smallest thing that had he
lon"cu to her or that she had touched
This cnvr!oping scent Of mi"noMcttr
the oder hat she had loved aad made
her OWN whence came il?
The room had been but carc.esSiy
set in order. Scattered upon the film
| C ~ cyf hn1f al,