Grand Forks herald., 1921-12-17

recalled it ironicaliy) that she was
to point out his every fault: had in
sisted once, as they sat in the secret
place beneath the wells Of Fort Shell
| ing
She shut the door on her thoughts.
That was sacred ground But itwas
She nervously pushed away Rsf' cake
and stewed apricots. Z, =
After supper. when they had been
driven in from the porch by mos
quitoes, when, Kennicott had for the
two-hundredth time in five years COM
mented, 1--WE must nave q new screen
on the porch-lets all the bugs in,"
they sat reading. and she noted, and
again his habitual awkwardness. He
slumped down in ono chair. his legs
up on another, and he explored the
recesses of his left ear with the end
OF his little nnger-she could hear
tthe faint smack-he ksptftt np---lhe
He blurted, '.oh. ForsoE tell you.
Some Of the fellows coming in to play
lpoler this evening. Suppose we
could have some crackers and cheese
and beer?" ss75 Z.
She nodded .g
He might have mentioned it be-
fore. Oh well. It's his house,.
The poker-party struggled IA Sam
Clark. Jack Elder. Dave Dyer: Jim
Rowland. To her they mechanically.
said, 'Devenini'' but to Kennicott.
shall we start playing? Got q hunch
I'm going to Hex somebody real bad. !"
No one suggested that she join them
She told herself that it was her own
fault, because. she was not more
friendly; but she remembered that
they never asked Mrs. Sam Clark to
play.
Bresnahan would have asked her. ]
i She sat in the living-room, ghnctng
bumped over. the dining table. a
They were In shirt sleeves: smoking,
chewing, splitting necessarily: lowering
their voices for q moment 80 that she
did not hear what they said and aft
4 erward Giggling honrsely: using over
and over the canonioal phFases:
Three to DOLE" Il raise you finif,''
think this is. \ pink tea q The cigar
smoke was acrid and pervasive.,s The
firmneas with which the mon mouth
ed their cigars made the lower part
of their faces expresstonleas, heavy.
unappeanns. They were like poll:
ttcians cyntcally dividing appoint-
How could they understand her
i Did that faint and delicate world
Eexist Was she fool? She doubt
I ed her world, doubted herself and
was sick in the acid. smoke=stained
4 air. ~. sst
She slipped back into byoodinr up-
on the habitualitys Of the house. S7
Kennicott was as fixed In routine
es an isolated old man. At first he
had amorously deceived himseN into
liking her experiments with food-tife
one medium in, which she conla> ex-
press notwithstanding now he want
ed only his round OF favorite dishes:
steak, roast beef. boiled pig-feet. oat-
meal, baked apples. Because at some
more flexible period he had advanced
from oranges to grape fruit he consid-
cred himself an epicure. I'll
4 During their first autumn she had
smiled over his affection for his hunt
1 ing-coat, but now that the leather
had come unstitched In dribbles of
4 pale yellow thread, and tatters OF can
4 vas. smeared with dirt OF the. fields
and grease from gun-cleaning. hung
An a border Of rags. she hated 5the
1 thing. A : M ,,E sf;S3
want her whole life like that
Ihunting-coat? 81 7sS.
# She knew every nick and brow,
Il SPSSy- OAs <>esSsA beSSS VAtSAAC oSl "a CuSIbA
/ purchased by Kennicott'sI mother, ia
II 1896 discreet china. with pattern
4 Of washed-put forget me nots. rim
med with blurred gold:s the gravy-
boat. In q saucer which did not
4 match. the solemn and evangelical
covered YeEetabls-difhsas the two
Twenty times had Kennicott atshed
4 over the fact that Bea had broken
the other platter--the medium -sfg3ed
The kitchen. .. h # !s..F,
/ Damp black iron sink, Damp
whitey-ycllow drain-board With
shreds Of discolored wood which
from long scri bbing wore as soft ID
! cotton thread, warped table. alarm
clock, stove brayely blackened ~ OF.
learinA hut an abomination In III loooe
doors and broken drafts and oven
that never would keep IN even heat
4 Carol had done her best byssthe
1 Kitchen: pAanted 1t white, put mp curx
4 tatua. replaced = stx-yearrcld caIeiis
4 Aar by 4 color print She had a,opHii
f6r Hltng,, and a. kerosene range Tor
summer cc0klnG. but KenntuQtt IL
tNnys postponed tllese expsnsss.s
Hhe WAs better acqustnted with the
fNteGlels IN the )Eite1,8nf fthaS1 stkhYNiAG
51hefwin or Guy, Pollock. The can.