Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-08-19

a@.f-s .E&sHEGs@5 .@ES
passage! through secondhand book4hops.
There were no pictures OF the wAllA. o
photographs.
The occupant, having no servant hro.
ceeded to make himself a cup Of tea which
he drank thoughtfully. He got out Of his
clothes. but abstractedly which resulted In
"a disorder Of their placement.
All this. while there had been no expression
on his lean. handsome face to imply that ne
considered his business in the country a sdc-
. cess or a failure; but he swung himself sintb
bed heavily, after the fashion OF q man weary
in mind and body.
He turned on the reading light and reached
for the book on the bed-stand. It was Bur.
toms THE Anatomy Of Melancholy He
; opened the volume at the marker, and began
to read; and soon became absorbed in this re.
markable analysis Of mental depression.
Sometimes we seek books, not in idle
amusement, but in hope that we may fnd
some example which will either excuse our
conduct or cure it.
At one o'clock the young woman with the
: Jaipur box came to the door Of a brick dwell
ing with marble steps and window ledges in
Ninth street. With no sound beyond the
opening and closing click Of the latch, she
tiptoed into the hail and up the first fight Of
stairs, and let herself into a room which
faced the yards. She closed the door and
turned on the light simultaneously.
A Pekingese puppy, gray .brindle. black Of
face. with a coat so fine and thick and soft
that it rivaled spun silk, dashed toward her
with such expressions of joy and welcome
and love.madness that the girl fell upon her
knees. swept the puppy to her throat, and
rocked with him. u
Hush. hush!" she whispered, to still the
,puppy's whimpering. Ssh, o. Ling Foo,
Ling Foo! What shall I do? I can't give
you up, and I can't leave this place
I'M so unhappy! I'm nobody: 1 don't BE-
long,"
She set the puppy down. picked UP the
Jaipur box and rose. She gazed about, que4:
tioning mutely her trunk, the bureau and
the withstand. After all, it did not matter
where she put the box; there was nothing
within it of monetary value, while the box
itself was like dozens she had seen in the
Fourth avenue shops. 1t might be worth
five dollars, no more. She decided upon the
withstand, and placed the box there.
Next. she began to prepare for the puppy
a dish of condensed milk diluted with warm
water, which she heated over an alcohol
burner; and while the puppy satisfied it's
thirst and hunger, the girl let down the fold.
ing hsd and freshened the pillows.
The room was large, with ~ clothesprees
Of satisfying dimensions. There Was no
suggestion Of luxury, but all the:furnishinss
intimated comfort and excellent ftmiRlne
taste. There was a grand piano by one Of
the windows. and the op~off this was lit.
tered with songs and opera scores.
Ling Foo now drowsy with comfort, sat
up and begged to be put to bed. The girl
smiled. He was So funny He was,werth a
hundred miles Of mud and rain. He defied
melancholy: he WAS irresistibly an optimist,-
and his Optimism was contagious. So she
nestled him between the pillows, from
whence he eyed her contentedly, with an oc-
casioual wag of the tail as she moved about.
OF all things that live, there is nothing
more loving or lovable than a dog =
kind of a dog. He is a human need. Most
of u; mast have something upon which to
lavish our affection. If We may not, or dare
not, for reasons of shyness or reasons Of
convention, lavish this affection upon hui
mans, we may safely turn to the dog, who
viii! answer our appeal with all he is. with
deathless loyalty. whether we are worthy or
not. He has no diversions; he has only one
thought, and that is of you. He grieves
when YOU leave him, he welcomes you JOY
ousIy when you return. If you punish ham,
he crawls to your feet to be forgiven. He
has, dtspleased the object of his love; he
doesn't always know how, but he is always
sorry. a cat is a luxury, but a dog is q
necessity.
As she took off the borrowed shoes and
stockings, she made IL little gesture which
indicated self-reproacl. She would never
be able to return the articles. She might,
of course, address them blindly 10 this
house Of many books and vases but on
second thought she dismissed the purpose
as ridiculous as we'll us impractical. She was
conscious now of having acted too much up
Sfaro uitl,cnt any Justification other than
that the young mans breath had been faint
ed with drink. He had played the part OF
the Good Samaritan perfectly; and she would
still be in that dismal village but for his
ready courtesy. All the other houses had
been almost articulate in their expressions
OF forbiddingness.
:, Because of other men unknown to htn
this chance benefactor was made"~to suffer
apparent ingratitudc. 1t was the way of
the world. One man committed an evil;
and like water responding to the stone cast.
the ripples reached far and wide, bringing
misery and disruption to the innocent. tOi
which is the wool and warp OF this taleD
At length she sat upon the bed Turk wise,
in her kimono, and reviewed the salients Of
the letter she had found in the metal box. 4
letter, written months gone, i'm anticipation
of his death, while. he had yet the use OF
his. voice if not his hands. A dictated letter.
Daddy Bowman, dear old Daddy Bow
mani Who had found her outside
his studio one morning, years age! He had
never told her about. the box and the chain
because 1t would only have tantalized you
and directed you newhere.' She was not an
ordinary founding. Daddy Bowman had
always maintained the opinion that she had
been stolen for ransom, and some slip in the
plans. OF the rogues had forced them to aban.
don her at the nearest door which fortu'
nately had been his. While he lived she had
been Daddy BowInan's; now she was no
body's; and ut was beyond all possibility
that the box and chdin would ever lead tc
her identity. But why had they taken the
,ocket and left the chaina Had the rogue
robbed the other?
Darling Daddy Bowman, who had taught
her all ne knew about music. 90 that todal
she waa capable nj providing for hsrself
How glad abe was, IN the mtdst ~ her urte
4[N.r-A@.ALG go ~ x...-I - ~ ~ 80