The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-07-27

Innings Of coal-tar, asphalt. sulphurous
acld, oil of vitriOl, and the other famil-
lar things the men liked to breathe and
to have upon their skins and garments
and upon their wives and babies and
sweethearts The growth of the city
was visible in the smoke and the noise
and the rush. There was more smoke
IMAM there had been this day of Febru-
airy a year earlier; there was more
noise; and the crowds were thicker
yet quicL - in spite Of that. The traf-
tic policeman had a hard time. for
the people were independent-the re-
tanned some habits of the old market
town period. and would cross the
street anywhere and anyhow, which
not only got them killed more frequent
~ than If they chung to the legal or IS
ings. but kept the motormen, the chaSf-
teurs and the truck drivers in a stew
of profane nervousness. So the traf-
nc policemen led harried lives; they
themselves were killed, of course, with
certain periodicity, but their main
trouble was that they could not make
the citizens realize that it was actu-
ally and MORALLY perilous to go about
their city. 1t was strange, for there
were probably no citizens Of any
length of residence who had not per-
sonally known either someone who had
been killed or injured in an accident.
or someone who had accidentally killed
or injured others. And yet, perhaps
it was not strange, seeing the sharp
preoccupa ton OF the faces-the people
had something on their minds; they
could Rot stop to bother about dirt and
danger.
Mary Vertrees was not often down
town; she had never seen an accident
until this afternoon. She had come
upon errands for her mother connected
with timorous REIMBURSEMENT; and as
she did these, in and out Of the depart
ment stores. she had an irsistent con-
seriousness of the Sheridan building.
From the street, anywhere, it was al
most always in sight, like some mon
strous geometrical shadow, murk-col-
ored and rising limitlessly into the
swimming heights of the smoke-mist
1t was gaunt and grimy and repellenti
it had nothing but strength and size
but in that consciousness of Mary's
the great structure may have partaken
OF beauty. Sheridan had made some
of the things he said emphatic enough
to remain with her. She went over
and over them-and they began t.
seem true: Only one girl he could
feel that sorry forr Journey says
he's got you on his brain so bad
The mans clumsy talk began to sinG
in her heart. The song was begun
there when she saw the accident
She was directly opposite the Sheri
dan building then, waiting for the traf
fic to thin before she crossed, though
other people were risking the passage
darting and hating and lodging par
lousy. Two men came from the GROVE
behind her, talking earnestly, ant
started across. Both wore black; on
was tall and broad and thick, and tn
other was taller, but noticeably sler
der. And Mary caught her breath, 70
they were BibEs and his father. The
did not see her, and she caught
phrase of Bibbs' mellow voice, whic
had taken a crisper ring: "Sixty-eigh
thousand dollars? Not sixty eight thou
sand buttonsw 1t startled her queerly
and as there was a glimpse Of his Pre-
file she saw for the first time a .resen
blance to his father.
She watched them. In the middle Q
the street Bibbs had to step ahead Q
his father, and the two were separated
But the reckless passing of a trucl
beyond the second line of rails, frigh