Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-06-16

was a dancer: He was ne'>Nei
puritan nor an infant. +ha
They made their way u .ne
target of many glances. The uance
music for the next contest was a..
ready Commencing noisy fox-tro.
marked by the crash Of brasses anu
The hast Of a drum. There was no
i%ansuorous enchantment there, or
anywhere. now. .oo,
Midnight was bringing little cool
ness to the painting city, o ne
streets were less sitting than the m
terror of the restaurant had Deen'
Carrying her doll, the girl walked Sill
! emily beside the silent man, her aerial
lightness and swiftness of step easily ,
keeping pace with his longer strioe.
Evidently she had perceived at last
that something was wrong. Noel felt
the puzzled scrutiny Of her gaze upon
! him as they passed beneath each
street lamp.
He was not pleased with his own
dumb mood. why could he not con
clude gracefully a daintily fantastic
adventure? What was it to him II
this girl who fitted across his pain
for an evening chose to speak falsely
or truly of herself? Surely 1t Should
be no hard task TO talk with a pref
ty woman while they walked a few
streets in company!
The streets we're passed, yet he con-
tinued mute. The girl had ceased TO
look toward him. She carried her
little head high, and there was no
weakness in her silent dignity; but he
fancied that she moved less b%uoyant-
ly.
David told himself that a. gentle
man would have finished the episode
calamity. He was finishing it like a
gamin of the slums!
They we're in that still, ghostly
street where she lived. And now,
4 when their separation doomed as a
gate in the act of closing between this
night and all future nights, Noel was
F., gripped and shaken anew by that
curious and terrible sense of oppor-
tunity lost.
! A huge white hand, seemingly
thrust arrestingly out Of the darkness
before him. made his nerves leap in
almost snperstitious recoil before he
realized that it was only the sign of a
glove-cleaner's shop. He wondered if
the heat was affecting him. Then he
could have laughed at the absurdity
Of that idea as applied to a veteran Of
the tropics.
They were climbing the steps to her
door, and he had not yet spoken. If
only she had been honest with him!
On the threshold, the girl faced
him and put out her hand.
Il shall never forget your very
formal, yet tricked by the son
cadences and delicious irregularities
Of her voice into unsteady usefulness
II hope you may always be as happS
as you are kind"
That was all. For an instant he
saw her face against the shadows
like a water-lily floating on a Carl
lake. Her eyes, SO .hauntingly like
the eyes of long ago, braved his stern.
~ hostile regard. Then she was gone
through the dim opening, and the
thick. door had closed its barrier.
Too late, Noel would have spoken;
but she was gone. and he had not
found one word to give hcr-not even
q bald good by"
Slowly he turned away to the head
Of the steps, and confronted a mar a
their foot. David stopped. The 9TH
q nan ascended-without pause OF
haste. Opposite Noel, he halted witt
stately d~eliberation, bowed to the
younger man, and passed into the
house. It vas the fine, old-world fig.
ure of the Jew, the dancing girls
guardian.
Gradually there returned to Noel's
recollection, as he stood astonished
the knowledge that another football
than their " had echoed in the dull
street when he and girl came here,
The old ma had followed them, no
doubt, both in their going and COM
ing.
More-Noel remembered a dark
figure which he had glimpsed from
the window beside their supper table
man who leaned in the shadow OF
the building opposite. If she was no,
q princess, she was guarded like one!
Since he was never t o see her again
there was no reason for the satisfac.
ton Noel felt in that fact; yet he did
feel 1t.
Why had her small palm against
his moved him to depths unstirred TO,
years? Why did he walk back to his
hotel with a heavy sense of WEAKNESS
and self-reproach?
He had cen a hooking ghost OF
the princess-nothing more than a
mockery. To him 1t was abominable
that the girl who looked like Con-
stance Bruce should speak a lie!
Continued in tomorrow's
Evening Herald.
20.