Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-10-07
N INSTALLMENT.
Love-and a Dagger!

TENTH INsTALLMENT.
@s Love-and a Dagger!
Nancy went down and out into the street.
For a little while the street, with its tremen-
tdous warrens and It's scattering human
atoms, refused to be real. The primal cause
q this unreality was not that she had failed
m her ambitions or that they were in a
masters Judgment unattainable. 1t lay in
the fact that everybody considered her a
}coTnedienne, which. in her opinion, she es-
sentially was not. What would happen to
her, now that the props had been knocked
from under? What would become of her.
with the spur gone that carried her through
her foolery every night? A comedienne,
when her background was tragic! This
great maestro. telling her that she had made
MIN laugh! o, she was mad or the world
was!
F@ She wanted Ling Foo: she wanted the dog
to cuddle and cry over and hug to her empty
heart. A coincidence! All at once she re-
called the question she had asked herself
before the maestro's door: Was she a thor
oughbred or a wilmer? Her chin went up
and her eyes flashed.
The seller Of adventures, half a dozen
yards behind her, noticed the sudden tilt Of
her head and the clenched hands, and won.
dered what manner Of thought had assailed
her. The girl who had ordered the apple.
One or the other 'of these young women
might become necessary to his plans in the
Near future. and it behooved him to investi-
gate their habits against this possible need.
That night the goa of irony entered the.
theater with her as usual but in a new role:
Nancy was permitted to be conscious Of
everything she did; she was no longer an
~automaton.
After the first act Mannheim ca me to. her
dressing room. :
. a. JEas-Wae T all ripht ~ ga 1ar1v. (Rrea5
and butter, bread and butter9
"You were, little lady. That mechanical
doll stunt has knocked them over. YOU'RE
a>born coincidence" ~
But she knew that all the rest of her stage
career was going to be one constant siege Of
terror. g. E&.4. -
On the elevated that night-she had in.
sisted upon going home alone-she presently
became aware of an unusual interest on the
; part Of her fellow travellers! They stared at
her, some icily, some with smiles. Curious
to learn the reason, as hitherto nobody had
ever paid any attention to her, she opened
her handbag and stole a glance into her
racket mirror. She was Mortified to see that
she had forgot to take off her makeup!
A week passed, another. without any notable
event in the lives of the three inseparables,
for Bancroft was always either with Nancy
or with Jenny or with both. The three Of
them went to Sunday concerts, there was
generally tea at four In Nancy's room, and
frequently he went abroad with Jenny.
There were, times when he had tea with
Nancy alone, for Jenny could not always get
away from the model shop,
So far as Bancroft was concerned, Nancy
no longer troubled herself to observe conven.
ton. She had reached that point Of faith in
him when his presence was comforting; she
liked to be with him, for he was never dull.
They learned that they had many likes in
.-..~ -. orea~roo ~ - a v,onts
She sang for him in the twilight, old folk.
songs, old love ballads, and there was one
particularly haunting refrain:
only come again In dreams, .
And rith the morning light are fed.
When she sang that he would sit with his
chin in his palms and stare into the gather.
ing shadows. What happy hours these were
10 him who had never known companion
ship! @
They were sometimes Joined by Gratis,
Hao was arranging for a tour in January.
For he had taken seriously Bancroft's sug.
eestion about playing to the broken soldiers.
Nancy praised him generously. but she did
not know that for this need of praise Craig
. would have gone to Dahoney and played
before the savage king. But vaguely and re-
s%entfully' Bancroft comprehended this fact.
one twilight Craig sat at the piano play
ing Chopin nocturnes. Nancy had Lin Foo
is her lap. Jenny was leaning against the
niano. Bancroft sat in the Morris chair.
his head back. studying the patch of We.
aected light on the ceiling. Craig turned.
II say, Wou people. Thanksgiving in
three days. Come up to my hdme and, have
dinner with me. Turkey, cranberry sauce,
and mince pie, I'll set the hour at 1--WE,
thirty, so we can nave about two hours be
fore theater. MY aunt will comet.in, she
always does. What dosyou say?'
Jenny answered for everybody. Well,
believe me-. that's tn best music II ever
heard! Will we go? On'y a busted subway
toMd hold JUS back!!'i
70 ding in 4 real home, thought Nancy,
with rooms and rooms to nieander about IN,
,fne rugs on.the floors. paintings and tapes
trv on the walls, and cory bookshelYee!
Jenny is right she said. @HIThat is good
music to three lonesome folks, who were
dmliy planning dinner In q nearby restau
rant. OF course well go st
Rancroftd did not care particularly for thu
change in the plans Of festivalsSSHe woult
now have to share these two with Craig. ane
he shunted to one side. FIe managed. how
evet, to voice his acceptance heartily
enough. Il i,
I, , craig departed, and Jenny sang hi
braises. Nancy turned on the Lights mt
This Blue Rjbbo|