The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-10-03
CHApTER xxxv--(contlnued.)


Her room ave on one side OF the
sitting room and her fathers on the
otner. She waited until Colonel Harris
went away, having helped him on win
his ayercoat. After he left n felt q
little twingc of remorse. The nlght
Was cold and raw and he really mao
not wanted to go out. He would have
been quite willing to sit in front OF the
Are, smoking and reading. de had
only gone because his own innate kind
illness and tact had suggested to MIN
that Louisa wished to remain alone.
He too, like Edie, felt a little in the
way. His daughters grief was OF Q
nature hat a fathers love cannot
soOthe. The greatest solace for 1t now
fog, in spite of the unpleasantness that
met Colonel Harris on every page OF
every newspaper, he sailed out of the
hotel and got into a hanson, with the
avOwed intention Of spending a couple
of tiohrs at his club. = ...'
Louisa, left alone in the sitting room,
in front of the CHEEKY fire, sat down
for q moment OF the sofa and rested
her head against the cushions. There
was memoir even In that, for when she
closed her eyes, she could imagine that
Luke was sitting at the foot OF the
sofa: she could see him almost, with
his eyes turned ever toward her, and
that quaint gesture OF his when he
passed his hand over the back or his
neatly groomed
The memory was intolerable now.
She rose-restless and feVerish-and
stood by the fire, hand on the high
mantel shelf, her forehead resting
against that hand. one foot or the fen
DER and her aching eyes gazing into
the redhot glow.
1t was n of those big red fires,
anV. ,,.n1n 80 nf .nlFn nnd nnrflU IF
coal. wherein only here and there tiny
blue flames fit waywardly, and in the
building Of which hotel servants are
usually past masters. The glowing coal
heaped up high in h old fashioned
CRATE presented a wonderful picture Of
mysterious architecture: streets and
lanes of crimson incandescence, palaces
and towers of molten heat, and the lit
tie blue flames dancing and peeping out
from the fiery depths. mocking and
hayward, twirling and twisting as with
the Joy OF life.
Louisa gazed into this city OF bril-
liant crimson n gold. the streets, the
palaces and the towers. And as she
gazed--with eyes almost seared-these
same streets of fire assumed different
shapes; they became stately and wide
with rows of trees forming an avenue
along the middle and tall houses on
either side. One or two people Were
walking along the pavement, but
quickly. as IL they had business tC
transact and Gid not care to loiter. One
figure, that Of a woman. in neat ulster
and seryiceable hat-was walking
briskly between the row of trees.
The blue flames danced, and dis
closed a few vehicles hurrying pas
swiftly in the night, huge tramway:
numbering along. and n or two flying
motor cabs. And far ahead-right II
the heart of the glow-the distan'
lights of a more busy thoroughfare
Now the wide street was more dart
and lonely than before. only the soil
tary female figure appeared in the fer!
picture, walking among the trees. Tn
last Of the numbering tramways ha
been merged In. the distant lights
only from afar came flying on the blu
flames, a taxicab at lightning speed.
1t came along, its headlights burning
more and more brightly, il ratified pas
the solitary female pedestrian. Then
stopped I'M the dark angle made by
huge piece OF coal; the blue fiaInei
gave a hiss and from every corner Q
the crate crowds Of people came rush
ing TO the spot where the taxicab hal