Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-10-07

e,i!l;y SET t!,e guests Immediately 1T theit
2tasc; or at such ease as their general per-
vers!ty would permit.
First, Craig took then, about the house.
filed with rare and beautiful objects.
liverywhers was transformations luxury. WITH
,,ns1romate skill he exhibited the treasures
of his mind. toy Then he sat down at the
r.anc and played until dinner was an.
,ounced.
Deeper and deeper Bancroft descended
into the abyss; farther and farther Nancy
Lriftea out to sea. And Jenny, netting the
ey.Es OF the two men whenever they looked
at Nancy, which was almost constantly
Jenny threw her oars overheard and drifted,
ttoc. IT,. ..a "
The aunt alone found the turkey sweet.
It was bitter to Bancroft and tasteless to
N'.ncy. and Craig. Jenny never thought
about the turkey, one way or the other.
The dinner was not prolonged, as boil.
girls had to be at the theater before seven.
thirty. In the end Craig outgene roled Ban
croft; not because Of any superior ability, bu.
because he had an ally in Jenny; Jenny, who
had temporarily ceased to be a good sport"
ard was prey to love-rnalice. She did not
care how much she hurt herself. SO long as
She could hurt jeremiah. She was no longer
blind. The boy was in love with Nancy.
Nancy, who had all the luck III the world,
who would soon have her name in the lights,
q, fat salary, offers from the movies. the
world at her feet; while all Jenny Malloy
could get out of life was a kiss that hadn't
meant anything!
SO she pushed him over to the phonograrh.
and found that there were no comic songs
or jazz records; but her malice rose above
the shock Of this discovery. So she plucked
out OF the case the Aida record, and pre-
tended that she knew all about 1t, watching
him the while from, the corner Of her eye.
1t was not a difficult task Jenny had taken
upon her shoulders. Bancroft understood
the maneuver, but there was no way to
cope with it except by opel. rudeness to both
Jenny and Craig's auyt, and he was incapa-
bile Of that. He knew he was trapped. In
any event, he could not go storlning through
the rooms in search OF Nancy. But his hear.
was torn with the greatest fnlsery he had
ever known when he looked around suddenly
and discovered that Craig and Nancy had
left the room.
Craig and Nancy stood in the upper hall,
before the tall loaded window through which
they could see the fosgy aura which hangs
over New York on winter nights. The faint
wall Of the phonogrs-ph came up to them.
Craig knew that he had but little time. so
he put it to the touch Win her or lose her,
it must be now.
Nancy Bowman. you ought to know by
this time that you are more to me than any.
thing else in the world. Will you marry
me? Wait--dont speak,"
n He did not touch her; some instinct, too
deep to analyze, warned him not .tc seize
her hands, the perfectly normal action Of \
lover, to which no woman. friendly in atti-
tude, could reasonably object. AS she made
no movement subject to interpretation-the
slight contraction OF her shoulders might
have meant anything or n%othing44-he went
on.TssS Hs
Had he talked of love, a glimmer of light
might have penetrated the tragic, darkness
in which she wakes this hour But he
spoke of material com forts. Of her voice, OF
France and sItalls, urged by the devil to, do
, so, no doubt. " yet It was only logical
that he should ofsr his treasures first; for
she was at thestop OF youth and he was on
the = ydown to middle age.
It seemed to Nancy that she had heard
every word OF tAs before, asin rehearsal
she had ~visualized him twenty times thu,
day. II. this verysSact; and twenty times her
z answer. For the devil in her Was this: e
marry him. II he offered. That She would bs
computing q colossal cruelty to a man who