Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-10-25
CHAPTER XVIII.
A VOICE IN THE DARK.

the far western avenues, there stood
a curious old house Of wood. The
lower portion Of this d~ilapidated
dwelling was occupied by q stolid Ger
man. who used II Is a grocery stores
blinking or blind to the neighborhood
and It's character. awake only to the
possibility Of lining the pockets Of re-
spectability through the overcharging
The upper portion Of this building
was approachable only by an outside,
covered stairway. leading to an Ell
closed porch and the dark mystery
of the rooms beyond. Generations Of
Furnished Room to Let" signs. past
ed over the other; disfgured the
newell posts of this forbidding en-
rance, and dirty curtains Of irnita-
windows which leered upon the ex-
panse Of the little upper veranda.
There was a look Of almost indescrib-
able forlorness and decay about the
place, suggesting that it might con-
ceal strange and evil things. But it
was all In USE; even the Wanting attic
gave evidence Of babitation, showing
few futtering rags at its open vim
dow. n the broken bacs>of a chair.
besides some tomato cans in which
unhealthy geranidms struggled for q
tSAASSS4ASC. ar--
But dubious as the place appeared,
1t was toward it that Pearl La Fargo
set her face when she left Adam on
Riverside Drive
Now, at last. turning her back upon
the day-lit skeleton Of Broadway with
the naked bones of it's evening gaiety
all revealed and given over to the
cynical light of the late and dusty
July afternoon. she plunged westward
to this retreat. pausing to cough a
little at the foot Of the covered stair
case, and g~lancing doubtfully up it's
darkened way. Then, as though
abandoning her last hold on freedom,
n turned in, and slowly climbed the
steps. y
The door at the top opened at her
touch, upon a dim, ill-odored hall,
where the soiled wall paper bulRed
threateningly. and the ancient linole-
um spread ~snares-for the feet of the
unwary. But this ugliness was all
familiar enough to Pears~ without
rear. and Knocked in a peculiar
fashion. At first there was no re-
sponse, and she stood off. glancing up
at the transom. which was screened
with red crepe paper. Satisfied from
the light behind it that someone was
WITHIN, she tried again, louder this
m There came a groWl from be-
mind the door, a sound of stirring, and
a voice called, who's there?" in a
thick voice.
Without answering verbally, Pearl
repeated the queer little knock, and
instantly the tone Of the voice
changed. answering. wait"
Someone stumbled across the floor,
and in another seco1d the door open
ed inward revealing the tousled figure
or Red Lewis. who had been asleep
with his clothes on. For a moment
he surveyed her incredulously,, the
dullness of sleep. still heavy upon
him. Then he seized her arm and
drew her inside. shutting the door be-
hind her and fastening it.
You, kid" he said at length.
''You!"
THE same, Red" She replied,
without looking at him.
Well, well, look what blew in!' he
said, flippantly. "And likely enough
to blow right out again, too, like you
did before. What's ailing your The
mot the cops this time, Red" She
answered him. IT come back, that's
ALL"
He laughed, a bad laugh to hear:
because he loved her. in his way, and
twice she had fooled him before.
"Come back to petty, eh? ?" he flung
at her. Coin ter hustle
She looked at him %piteously, all the
pain of a wounded animal. beaten and
helpless, in her eyes,. Then she gave
Anything you say, Red" she an
swered. II Amt got nowhere else to,
turn"
For a long moment he stood sway
s~- 1A-- - -. M. eS1~r1o IN
the hot and dirty room was intense,
broken only by the loud, asthmatic
ticking of a cheap alarm clock, crowd
ed in among empty bottles. neckties,
broken collars, and such truck upon
the mantel shelf. And while he
looked at her SO steadfastly, she
could not return his gaze. but kept
shifting from the obscene pictures on
the walls to the shabby furnishing, to
the torn curtains, and thick, dark
shades at the windows. To the
spilled poker chips and cards on the
rickety wash-stand, to the yellow
the fy-specked ceiling. the couch
with the broken springs; and back
again and all over. The silence seem
ed interminable. Then at last Red
Lewis swayed a. little nearer. some
thing softening wonderfully his thin,
handsome face, and for the moment
almost celebrating the marks Of dis
sipation.
mo, Kid,"rsaid he in a queer voice.
"No, Kid, you needn't hustle. TIM go
ing to take ARE Of you from now on!"
He drew her slowly toward him by
h wrist, and Pearl. her dread. Of
breads removed, sobbed brokenly but
gratefully as shA went to him.
You're tired" he said, AZ he held
her close There! Don't fuss. Turn
off the pump-cut the worry. I'm
goin' ter look out Ter you.... You'll
sect" He laughed gaily. and patted
her shoulder.
"You're-you're the goods, Red"
him gently aside an she spoke. It was
too new, this sudden reversiox to her
old existence-too new, too raw, to
be tolerated in. its entirety all at once.
1t came too close Q the heels Of that
other experience, too closet to the bor-
derland Of that other world on which
she had SO recently turned her back.
This was her only refuge, hut with
every newly-made good instinct she
withheld. from shaking into 1t as long
as she could. The man let her go.
fumbled for cigarettes among the on
fusion on a 5little table. and. unearth-
ing two and lighting both handed her
one. She took II, though the smoke
made her choke, And she looked up at
his awkward efforts to please her with
we eyes.
"You azure are good. Red" she said
again. II
He laughed
I'm a d-n fool-when It comes
to you!!' he said. soft, that's what
I am. But you always got me goin'
kid, and I can't h61p it. Glad to see
N,o,, 90 4s Use - tEst