Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-11-11

Il i 81. 4 . s, Ia,
fascinated her. This was the man who hAd
stuck daggers into Jeremiah's door1amb. and
here were Nancy and Jeremiah fussing over
him as though he were some long lost uncle
returned, =.
! Il pass! said Jenny, inwardly. HERE. in
Nancy's room, when he ought to be explain
ing to the police on an abduction charge!
Then her gaze strayed to Bancroft; thence
to Nancy; but their faces offered no key to
the riddle. On the contrary, something on
Bancrcft's face, something on Nancy's. some
thing in the way they We're smiling ut epch
other across the tea kettle, made plain TO
Jenny that there had been, q double adveass
ture; for these exchanges were patiently ado
ration. All the hope she had had-and 50
long as Nancy did not love Jeremiah there
would be. hope in Jenny's breast-yaickered:
and died. They had not even heard. her
enter. or II they had, considered the incident
SO ordinary that.it wasn't worthyIth the turn,of
the head. Jenny Malloy wasn.t wanted here
Jenny had never-heard Of the Iron Virgin
of Nuremberg; but for all that, she knew that
dull iron spikes were being slowly pressed
into her heart. E,ss
Catch" she called, and gayly., Bancroft
turned, and Jenny tossed the lemon. "|see
y later. Nancy. I'll leave tn door unlocked.
But don't wake me up IL you en- help it."
Jenny went out, closing the door softly; not
to mention another door, forever. Love! The
poor kids; why. they fairly shouted it. Well.
it was Nancy and Jeremiah. the two human
beings she cared for. They would never know
what a fool Jenny Mallcy was. The rescue;
hero stuff, and Nancy had fallen into Jere-
miah's arms, and they were going to be
happy ever after. Maybe. Tomorrow she
would be all right; but tonight she wasn't
properly keyed to listen. When Nancy; came
in she would pretend to be asleep; no conf
dences as to how it happened. Jenny was
wild to hear all about the mar Kennedy; but
she didn't care to hear all about jeremiah at
the same time. @
She paused before her mirror and offered
her reflection a caustic smile, for Jenny had
the virtue Of sometimes seeing herself las
others saw her.
= "Y' poor mutt" she said. ".You an that
nAN Al NAAA SAo \ LA III ooAAa0 pOoS'
Our golden text is: Them wot's got gifts; an
them wot amt got gifts left"
Jenny undressed and went to bed, which is
the one true compensation for all our petty
ills, The only real magic il life is, the pillow.
s%"K Remedy tbogan to. talk, but to no. one in
particular, ramblingly.
He called you jeremiah. after me The
81 to-, - = ,,,< t,t,<.~ osnI Trho%.ats4 - f-.-.
- why It s. a beautiful name! y said Nancy.
Then the incident is closed. This used to
be the nursery" went on Kennedy, Ieamily.
Il: Little dolls. and cradles; Mary was just be-
ginning to walk. The window with the stars,
her mother used to call that one.''5 Z
"The window with the, stars repeated
Nancy. What a poor thing I am, for 4
never saw anything out Of that window but,
dingy yards and sodden 'clotheslines! :
Bancroft nudked her. and she understood
that she was not to interpolate again. The
casual tone in which Kennedy recalled the
room was al good sign. They must let him
run on as he pleased, anywhither. q
Z" The old roof; 1 was born under it. In
those days it was quite fashionable down
here. Mary, my wife, lived over in washing.
ton place, and I used to, go to her parties. I
wore a white sailor collar, stiff1y starched.
and a blue polka dot tie. I met your father
; there, and we had a fight over Mary in the
conservatory. I won. Your father had a
bloody nose and I a black eye; but 1 was atop
q him when they pulled us apart. Later, at
college, he saved my life while we were in
swimming: There's a queer phase in saving
peoples lives. You're bound to watch over
them forever after; as your father watched
over me. Banky, old Banky; and he used to-
call me Chuck; but when he wanted to get q
rise out q. me he'd call me jeremiah He
paused. Ling Foo yawnef.
The window with the stars! thought
Nancy, 'throwing a glance over her shoulder.
Had Sic ever noticed the stars particularly.
She Wondered. She could visualize the
mother with the little child in her arms,
grooming a lullaby and watching the stars
! grow crisper and brighter. as the night deep.
.eneds What a handsome young man he
must have BEEN Her heart was wrung
again by the thought Of what the man had
gone through. The torturing memories Of
this moment; this house in! which lie had
been born and known-happiness! The mother
and the child here in, this room, The tender
ghosts that he must be seeing! ttst
" SO he 3bought the house. to holdAt for
me? And he did not have timesto tellanne.
Your clerk was wrong. There were no high,
4 words He PVT out his handf-to fend mo!
ls,of as ! thought-and gayeFa great cry, and,
fell upon his desk. God should have struck
me down also: But your father was at to
die, and ! wasn't"
Kennedy, let Ling Foo slide toSthe floor
and began 70 move about, inspecting this
~ object and that, to dixie the crowdings flood,
Of memories. He was finally drawn to. the
1Jaipur box az he would have: beensdrawn
toward any. thing OF, beauty. His interest
was only caaual. The box was not valuable
asE q ycurio;;sthere were thousands Of them in
existence. He opened II and saw the gold
chaiR and broken locket end. There were
millions Of such things. Suddenly his voice