Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-10-15

a NOVEL
rors upon tAs thunder Of the street
BY NINA WILCOX PUTNAM

rors upon The thunder Of the street,
the scarehoAd waving from their
grtmsy fists. Brock paused between
tnsm, oblivtous as a god to their
oaemorous "wuxtra!" absorbed utterly
IN the delicate task of extracting q
cigarette from a thin gold case, and
lighting a match. Pearl watched him
town. pacing through the theater
crowds. she was after him at once.
lodging In and out among the ithfong,
ever Keeping him well in sight. but
taking care that he did not, see her.
The crowd was leisurely and hot, as
summer crowds are, shutting their
homeward way through swirls Of
brown dust upon the heated pave
ments; listless, warm, with palm-leaf
fans and wilted collars.
Just q little way above Forty-second
street, Allen turned eastward into q
cross canon Of variegated palaces;
ornate, gigantic buildings, with an
occasional slatternly laundry or
rant sandwiched ANONYMOUSLY be-
tween. At the entrances of apart
ment and club, heat-demoralized belt
boys lounged and exchanged gossip,
Or chaffed the occasional nocturnal
messenger boy who passed them on
some fervid errand.
1t was into such a palely gaping
portal that Breckenridge Allen turned
at length, before the silent silver
streak Of midnight Fifth venue was
quite reached, and Pearl, watching
him slowly disappearing through q
series OF glass portals, set herself to
the grim task of waiting.
Amos directly opposite to the
n1l11nin0 yhiNh ho1 aro,,l<AS Allan
was a private stable, once the coach
house Of some %aristocrat of the
eighties, and now a dis play room for
q merchant Of oriental rugs. Into the
darkness Of its carved and sombre
portal she stepped, only to come forth
again with a murmured apology to
the W whose earnest talk she had
intruded upon. This was the only
shelter which the row Of buildings
offered, and SO there was nothing for
her to do but to walk up and down in
the open.
If I stay at it all night" she NUT
tered, grtmly. and set upon her
semi-silence Of the hours it calls
night. One by one the lights in the
tall buildings snapped to oblivion.
leaving the towering walls Of the
canons a shadowy, gray. Below, upon
the streets the white lights burned
the ceaseless, steady glare that waits
the dawn. The pale yellow spotches
OF light from some Of the doorways
dimmed. The inevitable hush of
darkness crept smotheringly1 upon the
noises ofthe streets, until only the oc-
casional passing Of an elevated train
In Sixth avenue, or a smoothly
purring taxi-cab from Fifth avenue,
.vied with the sound Of her own
patient footsteps.
And so far a matter Of two hours
she paced back and forth, back and
forth, up to the stable and down to
the tailor shop, and back again; never
SO far from the <glassenclosed en-
trance but that she saw the face of
each that entered or came forth. Aft
er what seemed Of time, the in
ner door Of the building opposite
swung to with a crash. and looking
over she saw Brock coming slowly
down the steps.
He was alone, and for the moment
his usual effect Of debonair, careful
indifference had vanished. He held a
letter in his hand which; he ripped
after giving one quick backward
glance into the building as though to
make sure he was not being observed.
One brief look at the contents was
evidently enough, for she could hear
him swear as he tore it up and threw
it into the gutter. Then he stood
thoughtfully for a minute or two, the
anger and perturbation on his face
plain to be seen even from across the
way. Pearl. from her shadow, watch
ed alertly, as a cat crouched for prey.
Whatever the trouble which he had
evinced earlier in the evening, it,had
evidently not been lessened by this
communication. After a brief hesita-
resolution, for with a sudden move
ment as though wound up on a spring,
he started off rapidly in the direction
Of Sixth avenue
Quickly Pearl scanned the street for
east. the barly form Of the policeman
moved slowly. No other pedestrians
were in sight. It was now, or Breck
might disappear before she could
reach the corner. With the swiftness
Of an alley-cat, she darted across the
way, Drawing the square. of light, and
picking up such pieces Of the torn let
ter as she could easily reach. A
glance revealed that the communica-
ton had been nothing but an attor-
ney's notice about an overdue bill;
evidently one Of considerable dimen-
sions. AS it was no evidence to her.
she threw it back into the gutter as
she sped toward the unconscious back
Of her prey.
At Sixth avenue he turned south.
Past the wide gap Of Forty-second
street he went and the dark blotch
Of Bryant Park with its huge, unoc-