Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-11-18

aware that the young mar waited also. re.
garding Peter very soberly. For the mo.
meat she and the young man had Joined
moral forces and for an instant the Issue
In the balance; but for that instant
Peter held his tongue. and they felt that
they had won.
The young man took off his hat. He was
sweating, from the heat Of the day and the
bone where the uncle struck him was
abraded and a trickle Of blood ran from it.
Elizabeth thought he was only two or three
years older than herself. He was not a
handsome young man. His hair was kinkly
and yellow. There was al funny little hort.
zontal crease in his forehead. His nose was
anything but Grecian. Instead Of a ane.
tanned bronze, his face was sunburned. He
was so big that a casual observer might
have called him beefy. Hat of. he smiled
and spoke to her very politely:
I'm sure we're very much obliged to you.
We made a mistake. I'm sorry"
He made her a funny, bobbins little bow
and turned away. The audience was near
then. The young man tucked a hand under
the old ones arm and they walked away
passing the curious audience without speak.
ing. n
Actually, Peter Green was defeated; but
he could 60 down with flags flying. He
bawled after the retteating figures: Rub.
pernecks! Skates! Don't come back here
II you know what's good for you!" That
restored his self.xespect. y
Elizabeth was aware Of An object At her
feet--the pistol which the outraged old man
had dropped and which, evidently, every
body had forgotten in the turmoil. Peter
Green. with a fine swagger. moved toward
tho office door and waited for the audience.
Elizabeth stopped, picked up the weapon, and
hid 1t behind her handbag. When she reacheh
the Office door the audience was already as.
sembling, and she knew that Peter was
about to enjoy a very pleasant quarter Of an
hour explaining the episode to them. In the
empty Office she looked more particularly at
the weapon which she had recovered from
the weeds. It was an old fashioned revolver.
Short fat. nickel plated, Will a white horn
handle; the nickel plated barrel was fluted.
For a moment she wondered what to do with
it; then stepped over to one Of the two Office
desks and dropped 1t into an empty drawer
Already Peter was launched on his explAna.
ton to the audience:
The perfassor> give q squeak and I come
runnin' up to see what the matter was"
She waited q moment for her nerves to
quiet down and then went on into the shop.
There wat an unfurnished basement contain.
ing a furnace. a coal bin, and much litter. A
plain pine partition Enclosed the stairway.
The stair door was open half way. Little
Steinman stood inside it. his hand on the
latch, listening. furtive, like a mouse, ready
to dodge down into its hole. ~
IAN right! They've gone!" Elizabeth
sang out the moment she saw him. She
wanted to laugh, yet there was a careasine
Tilt in her voice; this queer. unaccountable
little man was SO much like a child. He at
once came out OF The stairway.
My goodness, I think maybe I'm a goner
this time. sure pop he informed her with
that whimsical gravity which he often as.
sr sumed. Curtin gone up here to kill me.
That iss the way it goes. You hire a watch.
man and he watches all time cxcepd when
Tie ISIS needed. Then he's down cellar getting
a drink" a..
lie told her that Krorn kept some whisky
down cellar; Peter Green knew that, and
periodically treated himself to a sample Of
it: Peter had been down cellar, the office door
probably wide open.
II hear somebody. and there's Curtin and
the young man Whideside. I calf Peter. The
youI,ss man Whideside come over to me at
the bench. I ain'd afraid Of him." he in
, formed her, put Curtin kill me-. sure pop.
Peter he comes up and chucks Curtin oud
and the young man runs after them. l hear
some shooting, yess?" ~
1.-THE pistol went off accidentally" she
q told him, for reinsurance. Nobody was
hurt. They've gone away. They'll not come
back"
He plucked his beard and replied: "Gurlin
come back. l guess. He iss obstinate. He
nefer be satisfied till he knock my head~off
now" In spite Of his timidity he seemed to
contemplate that with q sort of fatalistic
resignation.
but who is this man? Why should he
wish to hurt you?" she asked.
He gave her a sidelong look and replied:
II worg for this man Curtin some years.
He ISIS mad at me because I tage my inven.
rtion to Mr.. HARDWOOD. He kill me some day"
She laughed that aside, and told him she
was going to Chicago in the morning to be
MIR. Harwood's secretary. They chatted a
few minutes and he promised to come and
see her in Chicago" unless old Curtin
knocks my head Off. Some day he DO that,
guess" She laughed it away again and
went out.
But, turning hon1eward, she found that
something was sticking in her mind-namely:
a big, unhandsome young man in a cap and
loose flannel jacket. She had formed a pro.
fessional opinion that this young man was
strong and fast; that, for example, he could
; handily knock Peter into kingdom come
. that he'd never had any doubt on that sub
, jcct himself. She liked spirited people
young men, especially with chin up! This
young. man could hardly be said to have
shown spirit. He had patiently swallowed
from Peter Green an epithet which some
Young men OF spirit consider a hornfcidal
matter. All through he'd been mild, concil,
tatory, pacific. But cool. "
It stuck around in her mind. Although
she was all alone, some bubbles Of laughter
escaped her lips as she recalled how per
picked he'd looked when-after having quiet
ed down that outrageous old mans-,he found
idiotic Peter Green dancing at him, begging
him to fight. It had been like trying te
drive two stubborn pigs into a pen-one nc
sooner in that the other was out, And he'd
looked so perplexed about it, She dubbed
with ;ndiferently bottled tighter az she