Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1911-11-30
Ghe
AlabaSter
Hand
1t Was the Cause Of a Very
Ludicrous Mistake
By Clarissa Mackie
Copyright by American Press Asso
ctafiop 1Q1I

Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

1t was a quiet residential street, and
1t stretched away from the glittering
thoroughfare like a dimly lighted tun-
mel. The long blocks were composed
Of rather old fashioned red brick
dwellings, the more pretentious faced
with brownstone.
Lucien Braddock had chosen Blank
street as the shortest cut to his apart
ments in the Circle hotel, which held
itself exclusively apart from the v
nues, where trains roared above and
below the ground and electric cars
whizzed on the surface between the
two.
On this particular night Lucien
traversed the street with unaccustom-
ed haste. The rain fell with slanting,
singing steadiness. The drops drum
med on his umbrella and battered
against the smooth surface of his mack
intosh. Once or twice he poked his
head out from under the umbrella to
take a survey of his surroundings.
On the second occasion he saw 1t and
stopped short in his tracks to stare up
at a lighted parlor window.
Lucien Braddock had heard Of beau
tiful hands. he had read In novels OF
marble brows'' and ''alabaster hands
and arms but In the course Of his
prosaic existence he had never come
across these marks Of feminine lowell
ness. He had seen pretty hands.
Some were white, and others We're
tanned with summer sunshine, but
never had he seen a woman's hand
that might be likened to the alabaster
ones of his novel reading days.
Now he saw it.
1t was white as snow or marble or
| the alabaster Of his novels; perfect in
shape. with small fingers, tapering to
a point. For an instant he saw the
whole hand; then the woman's other
hand was lifted, and the shade was
drawn to the sill Of the window.
For the first time since he had paus-
ed before the window Braddock be-
came aware hat he was violating all
the rules Of politeness. Never before
had he stared into a window in this
manner, and now he turned hastily
and resumed his way through the pelt-
Ing rain with mingled shame and Gu
riosity.
The recollection OF the white hand
he had seen impressed him strangely.
1t had looked so dead white, so l~ifeless,
so rigid, as compared to the careless
grace of the woman's other arm as she
reached up to pull down the shade.
His mind pictured a dozen situations
that might account for the peculiar
Wilderness of the hand. The one which
found most favor with him was that
the beautiful hand was paralyzed and
quite bloodless.
When he arrived at his hotel he dis
missed the subject from his mind and
went about his evening engagements
with his customary vigorous interest.
very night as he passed through
Blank street his eyes Involuntary
turned toward the block where stood
the house that interested him. 1t was
particular house, because 1t was mere
ly by the mellow lighting Of the room
or the figure Of the woman who had
stood there that he might hope to rec
ognize the place once more.
Then anne another evening, when he
was sauntering homeward with a pleas
ant anticipation Of the excellent dinner
that would await his arrival home.
there flashed on his view the same pic
ture that ne had seen once before IN
that rainy night. The same soman
stood there holding back the rose col
ored curtains with that dead white
hand.
Once more Lncien Braddock paused
and stared up at the picture. This
time he gazed at the woman's head
framed In it's mist Of dark hair. Her
face was in shadow. but he fancied
that she must be beautiful. and as she
did not stir from her position nor
make any attempt to pull down the
shade, he was suddenly smitten with
a sense Of his own rudeness, and, with
an involuntary removal Of his hat. he
passed on.
Then 1t was that a low, amused
laugh broke the silence OF the street.
1uIiCh StOppcu duo iOOACu uAouha. ~
could have sworn that the laugh came
from the vestibule Of the house. The
front door was slightly ajar. and
through the glass panel a red light
shot down upon the sidewalk With
q shrug Of the shoulders and an un-
comfortable feeling he went on. He
resolved that he would not let curiosi.
ty again tempt him down the length of
Blank street He would walk n
more block and traverse another street.
Weeks passed, and Braddock had
quite forgotten the incident Of the wo
man with the alabaster hand. Bust.
ness affairs of unusual importance oc-
cupied his attention &C. the exclusion
OF amusements, and he found life filled
to the brim with action
When the strain was removed. ON the
evening OF the very day on which he
had won the cas- which vas to make
him famous among lawyers, he rode
home on the electric car and from
force Of habit dropped or at the cor
ner OF Blank street
He had gone half Is .Sa.,l asa is