Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-09-29
L.
A DISGUISE.

The darlng. wavering Light turned
the foggy dimness of the room into
golden indecision.
Some bysone tenant, possibly the
FIRST French landlord Of the old house
"a residence before the wh4Eves had
shut out it's viewtofsthe North river
had hung the walls in yellow, an iln-
ported paper embossed With huge
palm leaves and roses. In some fol-
heavy Victorian furniture had d1sap-
peared and been replaced by timsy
golden oak of Grand. Rapids make
which had been battered by hard
usage into early decrepitude: the
worn flooring was covered with dull
yellow oilcloth; the. Venetian blinds
had been removed and the windows
%curtained with shades on patent
rollers, yellow shades long since dark
ened by fog and smoke to the prevail
ing dull gold tint.
girl who sat beside a small huddle Of
belongings unwrspped from an old
yellow and black Mexican blanket
which she had. drawn to- the spot
where the light from the gas-jet fell
strongest. The mass of crisply
tangled hair which was piled on her
head showed threads Of gold. black
hair shot with gold. Her black brows
and lashes also more than limited Of
bronze. The pallor Of her thin face
and arms, thin almost to emactation,
had the same jaundiced tint.
With unskinfu fingers she was
laboriousty hemming a frayed skirt, a
hem awkwardly turned, which short
ened the skirt by SIX inches, the
meagerness Of the huddled heap at
her side and the blanket that wrapped
her against the April chill e%loquently
suggesting that she vas tampering
with the only street garment she
possessed.
She worked steadily and painfully.
coughing now and then, sounds she
tried to smother, for it was the stlllest
hour Of the night. . The midnight traf-
fc was ver and the early trucking to
the wharves' nc yet begun, so every
sound was harshly defined. The river
noises were distinct, an occasional
whining siren. some small river craft
nosing Its way along through the fog.
AT long intervals the whir OF a TWEEN
ty-third street a two blocks away,
dominated the W. entirely deadend
growl of New York.
When her task was over, the girl
rose quickly and with q swift stealthy
energy quite at variance with the
awkwardnees with which she had
handled scissors and needle, she.
jerked the blanket from her shoulders
and fngtng it upon the tousled fold
Ing bed. closed the bed. The only
mirror the room contained was
framed In the bed; In It ,shefcouid sur
.vey. the thing she had done.
She put the skirt on over her rough
cotton chemise and short p~etticoat,
then with frowntng brows studied in-
tently the abbreviated skirt. It scarce-
ly reached to her shoetops, clumsy
shoes with heavy soles. certainly sizes
too large for her feet, IL they were
az slimly proportionedS as her hands.
She scowled at the shoes, and at her
skirt, and up at the blink
Ing gas-jet, a look Of scorn and dis
gust to which her amber glance rave
gold that in hair and brows and skin
q comrninglinE. showed unalloyed
N her eyes; her eyes were frankly
yellow.
she sazed at her reflection, and her
full lip curled. aRsfuEee,S" she said
SOFTLY, IN italian, and played with the
word. repeating It In Spanish.
.RefugiadA" Then CHANGING down It
her short skirt her lip quivered aud
in !. smile ..Ranyre p.uts.. she
French. and bean 10 iaush softiy.
shaking Of hsr thin Shoulders that
brought on m agontSed dat OF cough
ing which she smothered by dropping
to the door and burning her facet
fhe folds Of the sskirtsthat had aroused:
l1or laughter. HI
Tbs ipsioxysm 1hook ana twtstsd hsr-
St3Sht body, bent ana tortured IN. III
tAok her q Aat1uG SHSne1koH geE her
hreeth after The attack q strAnslins: