Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-11-08
uei sam had said Madison avenue;

nuei Sam had said Madison avepueii
and a girl! What II 1t were STAIRS
jewels they were planning tO5gFtakes
He knew very little about such mat:
ters save what he had read.Ys Il did,
yet "out"% in society; that sheFwould:
be too young to wear costly jewels
and have her costume put In thesrA-
per. He only knew that his heart was!
throbbing AGAIN. painfully; and that
the fellow before him seemed toofvile
to live longer on the samesearth With
Starr, little, beautiful, exquisite Starr.
He was quite still when Sam had
finished; his face was white with
emotion n his eyes were blazing,
blue flames when he raised them to
that his answer vas awaited. aS
Sam, do you mean burglaryi??',S4He
fhtrted to keep his voice low and steady
SSas he spoke but he felt as if tIheg had
shouted the last word. The restaur-!
ant was almost empty now,sEand$ the
walters had retired behind the scenes
pamtd a clatter of dishes. #
That's about as pretty q word as
you can call it, I guess" said Sam,
drawing back with a snarl as he saw,
the light in Michael's eyes. vi
Michael looked him through for an
instant, and if a glance can burn
iscorching into itself, but IT. Was SO
brief that the brain which was Only
keen to things of the earth had D
analysed it. Michael dropped shfa
glance to the table again, and#beBaa
playing with his spoon and trying TO
get calm with deep breath as he used
Ito when he knew q hard spot In q ball
game was coming.
We'll, why don't you speak? You
'fraid?" It was said with a sheer
that a devil from the pit might have
given.
Then Michael sat up calmly. His
heart vas beating steadily now and
he was facing his adversary.
mo! I'm not afraid, Sam, if there
were. any good reason for going, HIT
you know never. could feel comf9ftss
able in gettfngrmy living off soHias
body else.I 1t doesn't seem fair to thlt
other fellow. You see they've got
right to the things they own and I
haven't; and because I might be
smart enough tt catch them mapping
and-sneak away with what they prize
doesn't make it right either. Now
diamonds, you see, and it doesn't seem
quite the nlanly thing for a. big
strong fellow like me to get them
away from her, does it? OF course
you may think differently, but I be-
lieve I'd rather do good hard
work that would keep my muscles in
trim; !than1tos live off some one disc:
There's a1kind of, pretty gray Moss
that grows where Il went to college.
It floats along a little seed blown in
the air first and lodges on the Nmb of
- .$,poo o~IH lo~;,,~ 10 - &1,, s%CN1f Sr%o
the bark, and grow and grow and
such life, from, the big tree. IT
doesn't seem much at first, and it
seems as if the big tree might spare
enough juice to the little moss. But
wait a few years n see what haR:-
pens. The moss grows ,and Grapes it
self in great long %festoons all over
hat tree and by and by the first
thing you know that tree hSs .lostsall
its green leaves and stands up here
stark and dead with nothing on,asits
brae branches but that old gray moss
i which has to die too because it has
never learned to gather any juice for
itself. They call the moss a parasite.
I couldn't be a human parasite,
Sam. You may feel differently about
it, but I couldn't. 1 really couldn't"
Michael's eyes had grown dreamy
and lost their fire as he remembered
the dear South land, and dead sen
tinel pines with their waving gray
f~estoons against the ever blue sky.
As he talked he saw the whole great
out-of-doors again where he had wan
dered now SO many years free and
happy; free from burdens of humani-
,ty which were pressing him now SO
sorely. A great longing To ny back
TO 1T all, to getaway front the SORROW
and the degradation and the shame
which seemed pressing so hard upon
him, filled his heart, leaped into his
eyes, caught and fascinated the. at
tention of the listening Sam, who un-
derstood very little OF the peroration.
He had W heard Of a parasite. He
did snot know he had always been a
hun1an parasite. He wax merely
astonished and a trifle fascinated by
the passion and appeal in Michael's
faces he spoke.
"Gosh!" he said in a tone almost of
admiration. Gosh! Is hat wot edi-
doashun done fer your" j
Y MReEhaps," said Michael pleasant
lily, Though I rather think, Sam, that
7 always felt a bit that way, I just
didn't know how to say It."
Wal, you allus was queer!" NUT
/ tered San half alphabetically. 81
couldn't see it that way myself, as you
ray, but o. cours it's your fun'ral!
Eff you kin scratch up enough grub
bein' a tree. why that's your own
H-|aFal EE."f H.E.