Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-11-16

Lynn" The Classes Uttered feebly.
Except Dave Dyer, Sam Clark, and
Raymfe Wutherspoon, there were no
merchants Of whose welcome Caro-
was certain. She knew that she read
mockery into greetings but she could
not. control her suspicion. could not
rise from her psychic collapse. She
alternately ragged and flinched at the
superiority of the merchants. They
did not know that they were being
rude: but they; ~mcanot'to have it I'M
derstood that they were prosperous
n mot scared of no Doctors wife"
They often said, "One mans as good
as another-and a darn sight better"
; This motto. however, they did not
commend to farmer customers who
had had crop failures. The Yankee
merchants were grabbed; and Ole
Jensen, Ludelmeyer, and Gus Dahl,
from the "Old Country" wished to
be taken for Yankees. James Madi-
son Rowland, fbofn iii New Hamp-
shire. and Ole Jensen, born in Swe-
den, both proved that they were free
American citizens by grunting. Il
don't know whether I got any or not"
it delivered by noon."
1t was good form for the custom
ers to fight back. Juanita Haydock
cheerfully jabbered. You have it
there by twelve or I'll snatch that
fresh delivery-boy baid-headed." But
Carol had been able to play the
game of friendly rudeness; ana now
she was certain that she never would
learn it. She formed the. cowardly
habit of going to Axel Egge's.
Axel was not respectable. and rude.
He was still a foreigner, and he ex-
pected to remain one. His manner
was heavy and u~ninterrogative. His
establishment was more Fantastic than
any crossroads store. No one save
Axel himself could find anything. A
part of the assortment of children'a
stockings was under a blanket on a
shelf, a part in a tin ginger-snap box,
the rest heaped like q nest of black
cotton snakes upon, a flour-barrel
which was surrounded by brooms,
Norwegian Bibles, dried cod for lud-
fisk, boxes of apricots, and a pair and
a half of lumbermen's rubber-footed
boots. The place was crowded with
Scandinavian farmwives, standing in
shawls and ancient fawMcolored leg
O. mutton Jackets, awaiting the re-
turn of their lords. They spoke Nor
wegian or Swedish, and looked at Car
oil uncompromisingly. They were a re-
lief to her-they were not Whispering
that she was a poseur.
But what she told herself was that
Axel NEgge's was 80 picturesque AMI
romantic"
1t was in the matter of clothes that
she was most self-conscious.
When h dared tc go shopping in
her new checked suit with the black
embroidered sulphur collar. she had
AS good as invited all Of Gopher
Prairie (Which interested itself in
nothing so intimately as in new clothes
and the cos thereby to investigate
her. 1t was a smart suit with lines
unfamiliar to the dragging yellow and
mink frocks Of the town. The Widow
Bogart's stare. from her porch, indi.
Gated, We'll I never saw anything
like that before!" Mrs. McGanum
stopped Carol at the notions shop to
hint, my, that's a nice suit-wasn,,
it terribly expensive?" The gang OF
boys in front OF the drug store com.
mented. "Hevr Fudge. play you a
game of checkers on that DRESS Car.
o l'could not endure 1t. She drew he,
fur coat over the suit and hastil,
fastened the buttons while the boy,
snickered.
No group angered her quite sc
much as those staring young roues.
She had tried to convince herself
that the village. with Its fresh air, it,
lakes for fishing ana swimming, wa,
healthier than the artificialfc city. Bul
she was stckened by glimpses Of the
gang OF boys from fourteen to TWEEN.
Store. smoking cigarettes. displaying
fancy" shoes and purple ties and
coats Of iiamond-shapsd buttons
whist Ing the Hooche-Koochie and cat.
calling. oh you baby-dolr' at ever,
passing girl.