Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-05-13

the window, and looked for a long time
at the darkened house where Mary
Vertrees lived. Then he opened his
trunk. took therefrom small notebook
half filled with fragmentary scrib-
blings, and began to write:
Laughter after a funeral In this re-.
action people will laugh at anything and
at nothing. The band plays \ dirge on
the way to the cemetery, but when Il
turns back, and the mourning carriages
are out OF hearing, 1t strikes up. Dark
town Is Out Tonight" That is natural
but there are women whose laughter 10
like the whirring of whips. -.
Beauty is not out of place among grave.
stones. It is not out Of place anywhere.
But woman who has been betrothed to
man would not look beautiful at his
funeral. A woman might look beautiful,
though, at the funeral of man whom
she had known and liked. And in that
case, too, she would probably not want
to talk IL she drove home from the<Ceme-
terry with his brother; nor would she
want the brother to talk. Neverthe-
less, too much silence Is open to suspi-
cion. 1t may be reticence, or it may be .
vacuum. It may be dignity, or it may b
false teeth >.
Silence can be golden? Yes. But per-
haps II a woman Of the world should find
herself by accident sitting beside q man
for the length of time 1t must necessarily
take two slow old horses to jog three
miles, she might expect that man to say
something Of some sort! II he did not
even try. but sat every step Of the way
az dumb as frozen fish. she might
think him frozen fish. And she might
be right She might be right II she
thought him about az pleasant com.
panion-as Bildad the Shuttle!
j Bibbs closed his notebook, repla cling
It in his trunk. Then, after period
of melancholy contemplation, he un-
dressed, put on dressing gown and
slippers, and went softly out into the
hall-to his fathers door. Upon the
floor was tray which Bibbs had sent
George, earlier in the evening. to place
upon q table in Sheridan's room-but
the food was untouched. Bibbs stood
listening outside the door, for several
minutes. There came no sound from
within, and he went back to his own
room and to bed.
In the morning he woke to a stats
Of being hitherto unknown In bis ex.
perience. Sometimes in the process
OF waking there is a little pause
sleep has gone, but coherent thought
has not begun. 1t ID the moment, as
we say, before we remember" and
for the first time in Bibbs' life 1t came
to him bringing a vague, happiness.
However, 1t was brief visitation and
was gone before he had finished dress
Ing. 1t left little trail, the pleased
recollection Of it and the puzzle Of It,
which remained unsolved. And, in
fact. waking happily in the morning IL
not usually the result Of drive home
from funeral. No wonder the So
ouencc evaded Bibbs Sheridan!
His father had gone when he came
downstairs. went on down to 8 office.
les same" Jackson Informed him.
"Came sat brea' asa table,: all by
'mself: eat nothin'. George bring nice
breakfas', but he DIM eat thing.
Yessuh, went on downtown, jes' same
he yoosta do. Yessuh, I reckon putty
much ev'ything goin' on same as 1t
yoosta do"
It struck Bibbs that Jackson was
right. The day passed as other days
had passed. Mrs. Sheridan and Edith
were in black, and Mrs. Sheridan cried
4 little, now and then. but no other
external difference was to be seen.
Bibbs went for his drive. and his
mother went with hiln, as she some.