Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-09-20

NAA~ AAA
get ruined, maybe, just to please you"
AS he spoke he walked to an umbrella
stand in the hall and deliberately took
therefrom a bamboo walking stick
Of his fathers. James eyes became
strange and unbearable. She uttered
a shrek:
"Willie's goin' to carry q cane"
He went down the street trying to
swing the scane in an accustomed and
unembarrassed manner.
Jane made this difficult.
"Willie's got a cane!' she screamed.
"He's got papa's camel" Then, resum-
ing her little chant, she began to sing:
Its goin' to rain-Willie's got papa's
cane-it's goin' to rain-Willie's got
papa's camel" She put all of her voice
into a final effort. "Miss PrattU get Wet
If uou don't take an um,bereller-r-r"
The attention Of several chance Pc
destrians had been attracted, and the
burning William, breaking into an ag-
onized half trot, disappeared round the
corner. Then Jane retired within the
house, feeling that she had done her
duty. 1t would be his own fault if he
got wet.
Rain was coming. Rain was in the
feel of the ar and in James hope.
She was not disappointed. Mr.. Gen
esis; so secure of fair weather in the
morning, was proved by the afternoon
to be a bad prophet. The fat cloud
was succeeded by others, fatter. A
corpulent army assaulted the vault of
heaven, heavy outriders before a giant
of evil complexion and devastating
temper. The rain came With a swish,
then with q rattle and then with a
roar, while people listened at their gar
ret doorways and marveled, Window
panes turned to running water-it
poured.
Then it %relented, and out came the
children. Shouting, they ran to the
flooded cutters. Here were rivers,
lakes and oceans for navigation
James timely boat was one of the
first to reach the water.
Her mother had been kind, and Jane.
with shoes and stockings left behind
her on the porch, was a happy sailor
as she waded knee deep along the
trimming curbstcnes At the corner
below the @house of the BaXters the
street was flooded clear across, and
James boat. following the current. pro.
cecded CALAMITY onward here, sailed
down the next block and was thought
lessly entering a sewer when she
snatched it out of the water. Looking
about her, she perceived a gutter which
seemed even l~ovelier than the one she
had followed. 1t was deeper and broad
err and perhaps a little browner, where
fore she launched her ship upon its
dimpled bosom and explored it as far
as the next sewer hole or portage.
Thus the voyage continued for several
blocks with only one accident which
might have happened to anybody. 1t
was an accident in the nature Of a fall,
caused by the sliding of James left
foot N snme slippery mud. This
~treacherous substance, covered with
water, could not have been anticipat-
ed. Consequently James emotions were
lL1OSC " liulSudllOu IulilcI lIdu VI cul.
pability
Jane resumed her navigating. Thus
absorbed she failed at first to notice
the approach CT two young people
along the sidewalk. They were the
entranced William and Miss Pratt, and
their appearance offered a suggestive
contrast in relative humidity. In
charming and tender colored fabrics,
fluffy n cool and summary, she was
specklessly dry. Not a drop had touch
ed even the little pink parasol over
shoulder, not one had fallen upon the
tiny white doglet browsing upon her
arm.
But William was wet. He was still
more than merely damp, though they
had evidently walked some distance
since the rain had ceased to fall. His
new hat was a mucilaginous ruin. his
dank coat sagged, his shapeless trou-
sers Topped heavily, and his shoes gave
forth marshy sounds as he walked.
But he carried a walking stick proudly.
If Jane had not recognized the mod
cling Of his features she might not
~
have known them to be Williams, for
they had altered their grouping to pro-
duce an expression with which she was
totally unfamiliar. To be explicit, she
was unfamiliar with this expression in
that place-that is to say, upon VIII
liam-though she had seen something
like it upon other people once or twice
in church.
Williams thoughts might have seem.
ed to her as queer as his expression
could she have known them. They
were not very definite, however. TAX.
ing the form of sweet, vague pictures
Of the future. These pictures were Of
married life-that Is, married life as
William conceived 1t for himself and
Miss Pratt-something strikingly. DIFF.
ferept from that he had observed as
led by his mother and father or their
friends and relatives. In his rapt
mind he beheld Miss Pratt walking be-
side him Through life," with her para.
sol and her little dog. her exquisite
+- H~~r s- -T6s d