Phoenix tribune., 1920-04-10

City of Purple Dreams


little at the start"
"And you walked all the wayp she
exclaimed pityingly.
mo I ran part of the way-the
first part" He thought of his empty
pockets. 81 couldn't very well ride"
he ended dryly.
I'm sorry! should have given
you"
His smile vanished. "No, you
shouldn't" he interrupted.
"You must be ready to drop. Your
breakfast has been waiting for an
hour, for I expected you earlier, and
I know you're starving"
In her basement room = which,
though cheaply furnished, was spot
/ lessly clean-she bade him sit down
while she warmed over his breakfast
/ on the coal-oil stove. When he had
finished the meal to the last drop and
/ crumb he sat back in his straight-back
chair and felt through his coat pOck-
/ cts. His quest finished, he stared
ruefully at the moist lump of tobacco
in his palm. She sprang up, ran to
/ cupboard, and in a second was back
with a package of smoking tobacco
and a book of cigarette papers.
81 thought of it last night" she said
simply. 81 knew you would want to
smoke"
He rolled and lighted a cigarette,
took heavy inhalation and sent the
smoke swirling ceilingward. Then,
lowering his head, he looked steadily
from beneath his thick, jet-black brows
at the starry-eyed woman sitting op-
1 posite him. He felt no love for her,
/ but gratitude too deep for words
tugged at his heart. He began to be
uncomfortable.
She walked to the sink with the
stack of dishes, deposited them and
returned to where he was standing.
Il told the landlady," she fall
tered without looking at him, "that +
/ that you were my brother"
mo great harm in that, hope. Be
sides there is sort of family resem-
/ blance And I certainly have a most
commendable brotherly love for you"
She became silent Her dark
skinned hands relaxed; her shoulders
dropped. After a few dumb moments
she turned away and opened a door
leading into a dark hall. "Would you
like to 90 to your room now?" Her
voice sounded spiritless. "Pn show
you the way
He followed her down the subter-
ranean passage to a narrow stairway
at the rear, up which they climbed
/ four flights. His room was at the rear
| Of the top floor. There was but one
window, which gave upon an alley and
commanded a fine view of brick wall
He raised it and leaning out found
the cornice of the house was less than
I six feet above the sill.
II may need that some time" he
remarked, turning back to Esther.
"Pll get the lay of the roof tonight"
She had apparently forgotten her
| depression for she was all tenderness
now and. apologizing for the baroness
! of his abode. she left the room.
After locking the door Fitzhugh
| stripped to the skin, hung his damp
/ garments out Of the window in the
/ hope that a chance ray of sunshine
| might discover them and curled up on
the bed, which was never intended
for a man of his stature. In less than
/ three minutes he was slumbering
soundly.
/
1t was dusk when he awoke Feel
ing greatly refreshed, he put on his
/ clothes, which were almost dry, and
walked downstairs, where he was
greeted by Esther
ut must be pretty late" he re
marked.
"Its nearly nine"
"Nine! Why, have had ten hours
sleep!"
But you hadn't slept for two
nights"
ITS a larger dose than I've taken
In years. I almost never sleep more
than five hours ont of the twenty-four.
l feel as though rn wasting time II l
do. know that's an astonishing state
ment for a tramp to make, but there's
so much in life, even for a tramp"
"Please don't say that You are not
tramp, and 1 don't like to hear you
say you are"
Don't you want to know who I
amp" he asked, suddenly very earnest.
She shook her head. "No-at least
not until you wish to tell me. 1t
doesn't matter to me what you are, or
what you have been. Look at it the
other way about: how much do you
know of me? You know I am a radical,
you have probably surmised 1 am of
foreign parentage, and that is all. /
think I shall tell you something about
myself, for 1 can see you want to
know"
And, needless Of hss protestations,
she told him. She vas a widow. Her
husband had teen a Russian nihilist
and was Killed in Petrograd. After
his death she had fed to America.