Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-12-14
bank as a perfectly safe depository
for his valuables. :.
IT waa a hripht Nav morning. the

bank as a perfectly safe depository
for his valuables.
1t raj a bright May morning; the
balm of Spring wa in the air, and
Broadway, washed clean by the rain
of the preceding night, wore a fresh,
sparkling air Of newness and we'll
keptness that vas a surprise to
Brooke, who had cleaned his first
shadowy and not favorable in.pres-
dows, seeing only garish lights and
dim, gloomy. .5tower-like buildings,
half-hidden and mistily indistinct.
The broad plaza in front of the
hotel, with its diverging car tracks,
its array of automobiles, all glinting
In the morning SUM-, arrested him for
the moment, and he, stood on the
stone steps, drinking in the scene, en-
livened as, it was by many people
crossing the ~recrossing, coming and
coming. Involuntarily be compared it
with Honolulu, the city he knew best,
beautiful but still half rural; with San
Francisco; with Chicago, in which he
had stopped one bleak day-he still
raw lake wind. 9.
He was almost prepared now to
like New York. It struck him as
wildly masculine. filed with the red
BLOOD n sinews of life, and fair with
the fairness, of the young and ardent
lad. Honolulu had appealed in other
wise. Its beauty was feminine; its air
were languorous.
1t seemed-had always seemed
like a charming woman, decked in
jewels and flowers, perfumed and
poetic. And. for these qualities he
owed it. But. If not at first sight.
certainly at second, New York was in
spring. Already he felt the thrilri Of
the city's vast, restless, pulsing en-
ergy. The city's voice spoke to him
in farch rhythnA 1t was as though
he heard strains of martial music,
and his feet tingled to get into step.
He had been about to hail a taxi,
but he asked his way instead and set
off to walk. carrying his precious bur-
den with a firm-locked grip, half fear
full hat it might be snatched from
him by some one of the many passeB-
by. N
The shop windows attracted him,
but he deemed it best not to loiter.
He could divert himself with them
after he had placed his treasure in
safety. The bill boards in front of
the Metropolitan Opera House wooed
him., too, but he caught only a name
OF two as he hurried past, and turned
at length into the open doors OF the
bank.
h formalities necessary to the
safeguarding Of his bag Of treasure
were neither many nor intricate, but
almost at the outset he stumbled. His
signature was required. To hesitate
in writing might justly arouse s
picion, and yet he had not decided on
what name to adopt. But he gained
q momentary truce by tidgeting with
his pen, examining the point, shaking
OFF the superfiuous ink and dipping it
a second time.
Then, as il he had written that
signature and none other since he had
learned to write, he wrote Johnn
Moore. For the surname of the re-
porter had chung to his memory. and
in his perpiexity it crowded out all
other suggestions.
He experienced d sense Of relief as
he. wrote 1t, however. He believed
he had executed the manoeuyre
In a way to- excite no question, and all
was well.
A clerk was looking over his shout
der.
And YOU address, please. Mr..
Moore" he said.
His address! He had o He
VIC uOlCksdAN udU not
yet chosen another. In all. New York
he knew only the~names OF two. He
could not say. the Astor. So only the
Waldorf-Astoria remained. Almost
before he realized 1t. he had written.
it. down.
He thought he saw the clerk glance
c%uriosuly at that awful hat Of his.
He admitted to himself that he was
not, In appearance at least, what he
imagined the typical Waldorf guest
might be- But when the clerk spoke
there was nothing to indicate sus-.
picion. He simply asked:
y d you care to put a value on the
bag and its contents q"
Brooke thought for a moment, To
say q million dollars would, he de.
cided, arouse question at once, Be.
sides. 1t was not necessary.
NO" he answered. The clerk was
looking at him very scrutinizingly. He
fancted the next request would BE- for
reference. and he had none to rive.
In lieu tof sit--before 1t was asked-he,
Volunteered an explanation.
y had the misfortune to be in 4
railroad wreck ont in Indiana he
fs4tf&FS2 ISs' sSEt.