The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-05-04
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

oar OF sunshine winch SldnIeu
through the windows and lay across
the black trunk. The two-ten accom-
mediation pulled out of the nearby sta
fion with great changing and after a
time whistled back twice from out over
the greenlike prairie. A child thrOb-
bling with freedom ratified his lunch
bucket along the picket fence.
Mrs. Delano tidied the dressing
stand top and with handkerchief
rubbed a speck from the mirror until
il squeaked. Then she fumbled in
drawer among a litter of keys, I'M
hooked a small one from its ring and,
spreading herself beside the trunk in
the cross-limbed attitude of a shah,
flung open the lid.
The musty odors Of the theater,
of Circe's cup, rose Immediately like
steam. Her lips parted and she delved.
A red gold wig of spring tight curls
lay first and beside 1t a Pierrette's
pointed cap, crushed and solled and
with two black pOm-poms dangling by
a LII eau. It al llcl uONu NIuIupltu
rag of Pierrette's dress, pom-poms also
dangling, lay crushed beneath
jeweled crown. Next makeup box,
.daubed over with many colors, ex-
Uded the grease paint scent of
thousand memories.
Some cotton daisies gazed up at her
with innocent eyes from the bottom
of a battered pasteboard box. She lift
ed one and held 1t against her hair,
her throat throbbing. She even
strained over, still on her knees, to
gaze into the little mirror, the daisy
held at cocky angle above her left
ear. Suddenly she danced to her feet,
hoped about the tiny floor space in
the fine frenzy of unlocking her dress
up the back. Reflected in the mirror,
her face could scarcely contain one
expression for breaking into smiles,
quirks, flushes. She then pinned the
cotton daisy above her left ear and
like a flash slipped into the ballet
dress of captivating Pierrette, her
arms Outstretched in a well-remem-
.hered attitude of the dance and the
sap of spring rising in her veins.
1t was as if something cheeped with
an her and her heart took flight, soar
ing backward through resilient time
and space into yesterdays. Fatigue
vanished as rage before Abracadabra
and Oh-la-la was her song.
"Oh-h-h-h-Lo-o :"
She paused, poised on her toes, her
arms flung in a circle over her head
and the quick color draining out of her
Eace-paused in this tableau vivant as
If caught in a paralysis.
Loo"
For a frozen instant she glanced
about her, dragged at the bed covering
AS cloak for her finery, but it chung
10 its mornings and, abandoning 1t In
her frenzy, she burst through the
door into the darkened front room.
AL" She caught at his hand which
lay atop the rug. 1t was limp and
strangely cold.
At six o'clock Adalal finished its
day with a bleating of factory whistles
and a sonorous booming of the First
Presbyterian chimes. Main street
closed Its shop doors and white arc
lights sprang out before two cinemato-
graph theaters, Joe's place, Frayley's
Ice Cream parlor and the Red Trunk
Five and Ten-Cent stOre-open eye
nings.
At six-ten the Prairie Flyer thun-
dered into the station, with a row of
pOrters swaying on its coach steps,
stools In hand. Beside the station,
Frank Gill's All-Night lunch room
placed a dish of fried halibut and a
platter Of red chopped meat, sur
mounted with a circle Of onion, on its
open air counter.
The Forty Thieves" theatrical
troupe rallied round to a man.
At seven-thirty grilling arc-lights
sprang out before the Opera house
and at that same moment Mr.. Charley
Lee bounded up the front steps Of a
cottage on the hill. light burned
through a crack in the blind and
through that same crack he could see
the hand-painted swinging lamp burn
ing softly.
He knocked, then stood for a mo-
ment in the cooked attitude of listen
ing, his head inclined, and four
knuckles poised. Knocked again and
the door swung back on silent hinges
and in the wavering brown shadows
a small black figure peered outward.
"Lop
"Wh-Who-"
Her hand flew to her breast and lay
there white against black.
"Who-"
Don't you know me, klddo? It's
me; howdy, Lo. Gee, you look so
little and black. L couldn't see you
first. Don't you know me, kiddo? It's
me-"
"Leew
"That's me-"
'If it amt Leel Come in, Lee!"
Her voice was faint as tinkling bell.
He entered. exhaline Iondlv and