Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-10-10
ADAMS GARDEN
NOVEL @
~ NINA WILCOX PUTNAM Il
!A NOVEL
BY NINA wilcox PUTNAM

No, A---
PUTNAM
sweet and pungent, 7 close to the
grot,nd, dulling the sounds from the
world about. a. strangely uuieking
day, intimate and tender.
All morning Adam Worked at his
tasks about the garden, pleasantly
conscious Of the sort Of comfort a
woman about the place gives: a little
depressed at the responsibility offher,
and filled with that half-g lad, half
resentful feeling which comes of-utter
Tor the sake Of ever so willing a duty.
Yet, when the wind shifted northeast.
and The rain. came, down fine and
strong upon thefeager;. plants, he found
In neatness OF the house a pleasant
thing, and through the early after
noon. as he sat writing his> letter to
her father. he watched her with a
curiosity which was not unmixed with
reverance and a little fear. After
wholly strange world: a world much
lower than any he knkw, and this gave
him tina sense of the unreal. the
Frather-to-be-feared./
She was bent upon cleaning the
place. and no protesting wouldN stop
her. The living room began to shine
under her unobtrusive manipulating
OF broom and scrubbins- brush. There
was a deliciously home-like lfeelingfto
1t all. what with the shut-ip<weather,
and Gomorrah, who came in with
fore the stove. Adam watched first
the girl, and then the cat, noting. with
interest that each seemed to be thor
oughly enjoying her labor. Pearl sans
about her work, odd catches of songs,
with, occasionally, the>most amazing
words to, them:
20 my love, will you please pull down
the curtain ?'
Her voice was unconscious and in
nocent as that Of a child absorbed in
its play. Evidently a strong need in
her was being satisfied by her tasks,
and 1t was not until all. was in order
that h would consent to rest. Then
she carried the potted hyacinth to the
rainIwashed window. and drawing up
q chair beside it, set to work on the
ripping apart Of an old garment. She
would snip a. BIT, and then, sit idly
looking out at the wet garden. Adam
wondered what she was thinking of.
A new thought fof him; but what
OS1ASl pCOpAo LlOuS11t was ldLSly Dc-
coming 9 subject Of interest. She
only spoke once. about shaking the
rugs. it was, but she continued to hum
the dreadful little songs, which her
terrible cough cut short once or twice.
Adam wrote two letters. One to old
jerry La Fargo, telling Of his
daughters return, and promising to
take care of her. The second to Jarvis
Monroe, announcing himself as being
alive and we'll. and .informing his
guardian h a his whereabouts would
not be told until Adam Van Week was
a name to be proud Of. He had NOT
intended to do so at first, but this no.
ton about other peoples feelings had
come to include Monroe. and he felt
that IN fairness to his old friend, he
ought to write. He gave a district
p%ostofice as address. in case the old
man wanted to communicate with
him, and them sealing both epistles,
he prepared to sally forth and mail
them. At the door he paused to sur
vey his household, overwhelmed with
wonder and interest for the hun
dredth time. There was Pearl by the
flower-trimmed window, old Kipp
tying up>little punches of catnip from
a great%fragrant mass on the center
table, and Woolcraft with his feet
upon the stove, pretending to be alb
|sorbed in the sporting sheet Of a week
old newspaper, but in reality watchful
brought her. Adam gave a little
whisper Of a whistle, and went out into
the rain. - :
The sidewalks were magicallylblue,
purple and red, with those hidden col
ors that the rain reveals. when he
went forth; but when he had ac-
complished the mailing of the letters
and a few small errands, and turned
homeward, the wind and rain had
evening -clearyandrcalm. AS. he took a
%leisurely way 'homeward, the sidewalks
faded back to gray, and the children
came out to play upon them, and the
fruit-sellers brought out their wares,
and the grocers let down their avn
ings with great s~plashings. AS he
turned his corner, a h~and-organ began
to playa trifle hoarsely because of
the damp. but gaily and merrily,
found himself swinging along in time
to the tune. And when he turned in
at the gate, brushing by an evening
glory which stretched wet tendrils at
him, there was PeaA standing on the
piazza steps, shaking the rug out,
after all. He came up, to her with
his bundles of little things for supper,
which she took from him. She looked
very pretty, with her curly NOR OF
intrinsically q part Of her, at odds
with her quiet, garb and domestic .oc-
cupation. She raised her lace to HIM
in~stinctively, smiling that child-smile.
How beautiful it all ISL. she said
softly. THE air, the sunset, the
smell Of the flowers, and you bringing
home things! Isn't it. beautiful"
YES" said Adam. And heaven
knows il he might not have kissed her
overhead, strengthening him up in
stanter, causing the blood to flow
hotly to his face in a painful sense OF
shame. Pearl, too, looked up at the
sound, and in another moment the
aeroplane was sweeping by overhead.
"Oh, look, look!" cried Pearl. II
never saw one before! Look! Why,
tits a woman!"
Come inside% said Adam, almost
"Wait-yes, Tn coming!!" said
Pearl. But walt a mopent. All!
She's going back" ~~S
Decided it's too windy yet" said
he. Come inside!"
The plane had disappeared again,
and this time Pearl obeyed.
"a aeroplane!" she said. IT never
saw one before! And a woman! MY
God, but she was high abovetus!"
Adam swore under his breath. ioath-
ing himself. -..
What's thAt?" asked Pearl as they
went in.
"only that you are right about he.
being so high above US" replied
Adam.
CHAPTER K
An the World Loves Another.
The weather. with the whimsicalitJ
! OF late spring, %coquettlng with Saint