The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-07-17
A GIRL
Chapter I.

mere is nOthlng exciting or allurlng I
about Bridge Street, Norris City 1t
looked like any Bridge Street or Main
ST, or Market St, in any small town
that has long since given up hope of
being anything but a small town. In
the summer, its ugliness glared at one
IN the hot sun, in the spring it was
muddy, and in the fall cold and dis
couraged. Perhaps il looked its best
In mid-winter, when white snow hid
IT and hung fantastic icicles from ROOF
beams, and covered with delicate fros-
~ lace work the windows where Joe
Kelly displayed boots and James Dyer
cans of beans and packages of spa
ghetti.
1t was mid-winer now, and the snow
was doing its best to cover the street
car tracks and the ugly pavements.
Pandora Nicholson, as she hurried
along with a basket, her shoulders
huddled against the cold, thought only
that it was blowing up hard and that
this would probably settled down TO a
blizzard. She turned into Dyer's groc-
cry, after barely hesitating upon the
threshold. Through the doors she
4 could see crowd of people, buying
provisions. She dreaded going in
simply because most of the men and
women would turn around and look at
her.
Most of them she knew-but that
only made it worse For she would
have to speak to them then. She
would have TO raise her eyes, which
was always an enormous effort, to look
at them, and she would have to answer
them. And old Mr.. Dyer would sing
out, Good evening, little one!" Which
would make all the rest of them turn
lnnLx al
OF being bluff and hearty and courte-
Gus. Everyone under Is was little
one" and everyone over IS was
maa N" He had the reputation in the
village of being a sociable man and
was very popular.
However, things had to be bought.
so the girl went in. The bell over the
door, shaken by a strip attached to
the door itself, set up harsh iangle.
This was to warn Dyer that a Gus
toner was about, when during the
slack part of the day he retired to the
cellar TO knock boxes apart or decant
cheap vinegar from a barrel into bot
ties labelled Overs Special Extra
Fine Brand
People turned idly to look at the
newcomer Pandora felt as though
every pair of eyes burned holes
straight through her. There were
half dozen people buying. True to
form, Dyer sang out, Good evening,
little one, and, of course, everyone
turned to her
She advanced to the counter with
one nervous, cold hand over her
mouth. Whenever she was particular
ly shy, or frightened, or upset, she
covered her mouth with her hand
Young Dyer, the half-grown son who
was TO be taken into partnership some
day, greeted her quietly.
Hello, Dora I'll wait on you in a
minute. Better order a lot of stuff
looks like a regular blizzard-we won't
get the sleigh out for three days,
don't believe"
But when he came for her order
she asked only for a few supplies. In
answer to his repeated warning, she
said, Aunt Maude didn't say to get
more than this"
She knew, if there happened to be a
delay in delivering, they ought to have
more things, sugar particularly-but
; Aunt Maude had not told her to gel
them, and she had long since learned
u that the best way was to obey Aunt
Maude literally.
So with a light basket, she went ou
again, followed by old Dyer's Coco
night, little one" She wondered VIII!
he kept on calling her little one Sh'
was 21-though she didn't look it.
She turned up the street which
gradually climbed a slight hill. Bridg'
Street began at the river, and the rec
painted iron bridge that spanned it ant
led to little settlement on the furthe
shore. The lights from the store win
dows made yellow patches on tn
snow, and gave Il fantastic effect t.
the falling flakes. A snow plow cam
pushing along-though everyone knew
the storm would bury the tracks il
spite of its best efforts.
The shoe shop. a haberdashers, Ger
( eral Nations, The Esplanade Pictur