The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1916-08-03

SITS pretty beautiful for me-" said
Bibbs, with a deep breath. You'll
never know what It was to hear your
laugh in the darkness-and then to-
to see you standing there! Oh, II was
like-it was like How can ] tell you
what It was liker They has passed
beyond the crowd now. and q crossing
lamp shonc upon them, which revealed
the fact that she was without her furs.
Here was a puzzle. However, allow
ing 1t to stand, his solicitude for her
took another turn. 81 think you ought
to have a car" he said, especially
when you want to be out after dark.
You need one in winter, anyhow. Have
you ever asked your father for oner'
"No," said Mary. II don't think I'd
care for one particularly"
"But my mother tried to insist ON
sending one over here every after
noon for me. wouldn't let her, be-
cause l like to walk, but a girl.
"A girl likes to walk, too" said
Mary. "Let me tell you where I've
been this afternoon and how | hap
pened to be near enough to make you
take me home. I've been to see a little
old man who makes pictures Of the
smoke. He has a sort Of warehouse
for q studio, and he lives there with
his mother and his wits and their
seven children, and he's gloriously
happy. I'd seen one Of his pictures az
an exhibition, and ! wanted to SEQ
more Of them, 80 he showed them to
me. He has almost everything he ever
painted; l don't suppose he's sold
more than four or five pictures In his
life. He gives drawing lessons to keep
alive" ..-
How do you mean he paints the
smoker" Bibbs asked.
Literally. He paints from his STU
do window and from the street-any-
where. He just paints what's around
him-and it's beautiful"
THE smoker"
"Wonderful! He sees the sky througl.
II, somehow. He does the ugly roofs
Of cheap houses through a haze Of
smoke, and he does smoky sunsets and
smoky sunrlses, and he has other
things with the heavy, solid. slow col
umns Of smoke going far out end grow
ing more ethereal and mixing with the
hazy light In the distance; and be has
others with the broken skyline of
downtown, all misted with the smoke
and with puffs and jets Of vapor that
have colors like an orchard in mid
April. I'm going to take you there
some Sunday afternoon, Rlbbs."
You're showing me tho town." he
said. 81 didn't know whit waS Ia 1t
at ALL"
There are workers in beauty here"
| she told him, gently. There ere other
painters more prosperous titan my
friend. There are all sorts of thlhgn."
II didn't know"
"No. Since the town tAegan grow ing
so great that it called Itself greater
n could live here all ones life ard
know only the side Of II th0t shows"
"The beauty workers sem BURIED
very Deep" said Bibbs. "Aad I imsa-
inc that your friend wac makes t53
smoke beautiful must he buried deep.
SoI VI uiis Va III w : CO lC SlicNCs
but can't imagine his buying n of
your friends pictures. Had buy the
Bay of Naples but he tsouldn't get
N of those. He'd think smoke In o
picture was horrible-ms3ss he could
use it for an advertisement" 3
Yes" she said, thor gb?fully. ard
really he's the town. Thsy are buried
pretty deep, 1t seeiuA sometimes
Bibbs."
And yet it's all won1arful," he said
"It's wonderful to me-"
you mean the iowa is wonderful
to youT"
"Yes, because every thing is, sincs
you called me your friend. The city
Is only q rumble on the horizon for me.
1t can't come any closer than the hori-
zon. SO long as you let me see yos
standing by my old zinc eater all day
long, helping me. Mary" He stopped
with a gasp. That's the first timf
I've called you .Maryr"
"Yes." She laughed. a little trem.
ulously. Though | wanted you tor
II said it without thiaking. 1t must
be because you came there to walk
home with me. That must be it."
women like to have things said"
Mary informed him. her tremuloua
laughter continuing. "Were you GLAD
I came for your"
"No-not glad I ftit as II I were
being carried straight vp and up and
up-over the clouds. 4 feel. like that
still. / think I'm that way most OF
the time. I wonder what l. was like
before / knew you. he person l wac
then seems to have teen somebody
else, not Bibbs Sheri6sn at all. II
seems long. long ago. I was gloomy
and sickly-acU ebody rlse-somebody
don't undentand COW, a coward
afraid Of shadows-afsaid of things
that didn't ~exist-afrpI of my old
zinc eater! And now I'm only afraid
Of what might change Hnything."
She was silent a morent, and thef
you're happy, BibbsT she asked.
"Ah, don't you seef' lie cried. II
want 1t to last for a thousand, thou
sand years, just as 1t ht You've mole
me so rich, I'm q missR. I wouldn't
have one thing di1erent-uothing
nothingw
"Dear Bibbs!' che satd. and.iausSss