Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-10-25
ADAMS GARDEN
a NOVEL
BY NINA WILCOX i N

hand and rose to her feet, slowly. a
Cold horror filling her veins. She
pointed to It with a shaking hand.
Red" she cried, that's straight
,'osr are .you-my God: Are you
you leeme. alone. kidr he
affair."" -
1t means gun-work! You amt
used to It. This is something brand
new for your Then she sank upon
the couch with q little moan.
He came and, stood over her, roll
ing down his sleeve.
.Pearlte." said he, honest to God.
! amt touched a gun meself! There.
Will that satisfy you, huh?"
gang work Tor you" she said. you
mean you got the boys together the
minute you come down the river, and
you're at the same game you got sent
up for. I might have known! What
you quit?"
Me-. quit!" he exclaimed, lightly.
Don't act batty, Kiddo! I amt
touched nothin' risky since the Ros-
enthal case. It's safe money only
from now on. I can't say more
- "SSv BIG 6dlu, IVSl8 u0ulys
II won't croak any more. But I hate
to see that. BOOZE"
Then don't look" he laughed.
Say. it's about time for a few eats"
For a moment she could not an
swer, all the horror OF the new situa-
ton n which she had stepped alb
sorbing her. Then with an effort she
pulled herself together sufficiently to
say:
Where are we going?"
Red Lewis considered for a mo-
parting in his hair critically in the
little cracked mirror.
Guess we won't go OUT he said,
when he had finished this ritual.
I'm expecting a guy. I'll Just blow
downstairs to Hines and grab a few
things. There's beer in the window
box. I'll be. up directly.
"Shan't I go for you?" she asked,
surprised.
He bent over her tenderly for a
second, imprinting a kiss on her
slant at your face in the glass;"
-eaid he. "You look like a dead one.
Guess I'll ruin a little shoe leather to
save you the trip this ono You lay
down till I come back. dye see?"
You're good. Red" she murmured.
I'm soft!' he repeated from. the
door. II won't be long. Don't open
except to the double tap. Lay down,
you look too white"
He closed the door after him quiet
ly from habit, and Pearl, finding her
self alone, obeyed his suggestion, and
flung herself down upon the broken
springs of the couch, glad to lay her
weary body anywhere, and turned her
a to the staring wallpaper. The
room was insufferably hot and close
and odorous Of the cheap cigarettes
which Red affected. Yet the sordid-
ness, and the noisome discomfort of
her surroundings did not seem TO mat-
ter. Nothing seemed to matter n
more. Her body was one bruised
mass Of pain, too confused and weary
for specific suffering; only a terrible
inclusive ache seemed to envelope
her. prohibiting action, and almost
celebrating thought. Her mind was
like her body-dazed with the pain Of
what it had zone through, and only
one image burned there, fierce and
strong. though a trifle blurred for the
moment by the command Of her
worn-out nerves. And this was the
face of Adam; plying, yet stern, lit
with sympathy and pain, but i'm
movable. untouched in hat way
which only those whose hearts and
minds are filled with another can dis
play toward unwanted love. Pearl
shuddered, and wondered vaguely if
h looked that way at Red-or even
at ,Woolcraft, and was sorry. How
quder love was! All mixed up, with
such .lots of it given to people who
didn't seem able to make any use of
it? Look at herself, loving Adam,
and Woolcraft loving her-and Red
and that blonde that sang at, Joel's
who loved Red. and whom Red struck
one night when he was drunk. and
told her she "made him sick" That's
what he had said, made him sick"
She supposed perhaps that was how
Adam felt toward her. And she-no,
Red was kind. and she was too dulled
in her revulsion toward men to feel