The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1919-10-30
The TWICE AMERICAN
BY ELEANOR NJ. INGRAM

SS
evening meal was over. Replet
with food, real food, holding
cigar between his fingers, certain
ly clean, he lay combating a sens
Of dazed unreality. He had dineC
here, i'll the evening GOODNESS
shaded candles lighting his table
He had seen no n except TIL
brown boy who attended him. III
had heard the life of the establish
ment flowing smoothly around hi;
room, but he had taken no part IL
it.. Now he could hear the ligh'
hearted laughter of a young man
in some room below, and the occa
sional sound of a piano apparently
touched by the same individual il
illustration of his discourse. Bruce
closed his eyes and heard agar
the raucous voice Of "the Little
Bald One" droning outside the
barred door of his cell to his con.
fused mind the n sound seemed
as real as the other. He hastily
reopened his eyes; breathing deep.
ly the sweet mountain air, he
yielded to a physical content
which made all the rest of life a
matter of little moment.
The pianist hurled himself into
the fiery music Of a fandango.
Bruce startled out of sleep with
a ludicrous sense of surprise that
the music had ceased without his
hearing its conclusion. He was GER
tain that he had drowsed only a
few moments at most. But the
villa was very quiet, and the rays
of light from his window no long
er checkered the gardens dark
ness. Had he, then, slep q long
time? The electric lamp still
berned in his own room and shone
across his balcony. Noting this,
he first perceived that a man was
seated on the broad railing oppo-
site his chair; a man whose white
garments oneness of hue with the
white pillar against which he
leaned rendered him indistinguish-
able to a casual glance. His dark
profile was similarly sheltered by
the night darkness, as he gazed
across the garden. But Bruce rec
ognlzed him, none the less not SO
much by feature, perhaps, as by
the mans characteristic effect Of
stiffness that suggested force rath-
er than repose.
General oNel-your excellen-
Cyl" he stammered, starting to
rise.
Noel's gray glance flashed
across the dark toward his guest.
"Sit down, Mr. Bruce he in
vited, speaking in English. "And
as everyone else calls me Dom
David you might as well begin to
'accustom your American tongue.
You have been made comfortable
/ hope7"
through his surprise at Noel's
English speech. his doubts and
wonder the dominant gratitude
struggled to the surface of Bruce s
mind.
My eyeglasses he assayed.
You do not know-you cannot
imagine what they meant to me
To be half blind for months, and
then, them And you must have
sent for them to the old camp
where my traps were?"
Yes, ] sent a rider over" cor
roborated Noel.
He did not smile at the gro
%tesqueness of the gratitude which
thanked him for a pair Of spec
tacles and omitted mention Of be-
ing taken I rom a prison, clothed
and fed. He had met many sorts
and conditions Of men, and he hao
made his estimate of this one. He
understood quite well what lay ii
the mind of the gaunt young mar
who peered a~nxiously at him
through those round, black
trimmed glasses. He lifted to his
lips the cigar he held, looking al
the dark sky and waited.
Thank you, Dom David
You are welcome, Mr.. Bruce
Do you not smoke?"
Bruce turned to the smoking ia
bic that had been left at his elbow
after dinner. He neryously light
ed a eigaret, rather for somethin,
to- do than because he wanted t
smoke. Noel continued to regar,
the sky during the process.
That is better, he approved
when the other had finished. nsW
never do anything IN this countr
without smoking or drinking col
fee
You speak English Ike ! Z,
tive.
am q New Yorker.
But, but, stammered Bruc
amazed beyond Conference
Thoughts thatp