Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-12-30
as though it were h kind Of practical joke ON

Eut l can't ever. smoke. Funny about that.
Ia heard it said leiore that smoking was no
good unless you could see the smoke. That
didn't sound hardly reasonable, but it's Il
fact. I've tried it three. four times: but it's
no good at ALL But l was thinking-no use
Keeping you on your feet. il you wouldn't
mind coming In. 'Fraid it's Eind Of mussed
UP in here. I've got the hang Of the room
pretty well now-can find my way around
ilrst rate. But it's funny how you can get all
mixed up even in a small room like this
with your eyes shut. There must lie II. chair
right over there"
Ic had made way for her 10 enter tho
room. There was an instant of cmbarrass,
inent about the door. But light WAS bad Cor
his eyes. Resolutely she shut it behind her.
lie was aware OF that. and moved hastily,
holding out one hand to feel the way; the
other, with the bag in il. Tending for furni.
turc. There was. an odd clunsiness in this
cropping haste. She saw, in a moment, tina,
his objective was a small writing disk in the
= corner, will, 4 hooded electric lamp on il.
lie fuinbicd for the metal chain. pulled ii.
and so turned on the light.
Guess thatT give you light enoug;, To
see by he said. land not enough to hurt
Inc il 1 turn my head" There was consider.
a;eness in that. IIc CROPPED over TO the
Morris chair. got his hand on its back. and
lowered himself into 1t. holding the bag IN
his lap. did you find a comfortable cl,uir?'
he asked.
Her heart was CONSTRUCTED and her throat
dry over the hclplcssness of that big. cropping
figure. Blind Samson! And she had stolen
the lenses that he had intrustea to her.
you sec. I was thinking" he resumed
chcerfully: but if it don't suit YOU. YOU
must say SO. This blamed trouble with
my eyes lays INC up just when Mr.. HARDWOOD
is mighty anxious to get the Job finished
the .lDliC3tiOnS For D24pnt' n Eynv- I've
got 1t pretty straight in my head, but | can't
write. l was thinking that if YOU could come
down here an hour " two Monday and an
hour or two Tuesday ;nd let me dictate to
YOU. whS>wc ro,''d just about get the tech.
nical part of those applications finished up.
OF course. | wouldn't want TO dictate il to
an outsider. But if you could come down
and Mr. linrwood was w~illing-why VIC
could got it, finished up in.two. three days.
J may BE- laid up this way Il couple of weeks
Why. yes: III be glad to do IT," she said.
well, WAS thinking that would help The
business along" he replied. lie ran a hand
through his rumplcd hair and laughed lusu.
''riously. And. YOU bot. It'd be II big boost
for mo. Just keep quiet that doctor said.
] wonder II he ever tried It," He laughcl
again. bet I've walked II hundred miles
around this room already. and knocked my
= Sl,il's on everything in ii. Just keep quiet
Why. I'D sit and dictate Mary had a little
lamb all afternoon just for something to do.
So ii would be ! regular gotsenl for me
You See he explained. you could sit at
that little desk. Therc'G be light enough
for you to write at. and I'd turn my back.
That couldn't hurt me-"
She agreed again. She would be down
Monday, say a: four o'clock. Then: I'm
going TO send down for an evening PAPER and
read it to YOU"
That seemed to surprise him. but he only
mumblel thanks while she turned TO the
telephone. called tho office: and asked that
an evening paper be sent up. For nearly an
hour she sat reading it to him.
Monday at four o'clock then" she said
quito gayly at the door.
She went away b~af'cd-g:ad that she had
gone, into his room and read ihc newspaper
TO him; glad that she was going back Mon.
day: in q generous satisfaction of pity over
that part OF il. Eut there was ano;he: Part
Of 1.-THE big, siglitlcSs, CROPPING figure;
blind Samson! She had stolen his lenses:
and even now II" had trusted her with the
combination of the safe and his black bag.
McAnwhil" l<ro:a listcncl Cor several min.
uics TO make sure :hr he'd gone. To make
duubly sure he stepped over and shot the
bolt on the door. II WAS not until several
minutes after that that hr pulled the un-
- comfortnbl" black bantngr OF His eyes, and
still later before he rolled UP ono OF the win
dow Shades Il foot. In The bathroom he
mixed himself y tall glass nf whisky and
water and drank half Of ii. with the glass
at his elbow and Il cigar lighted he eNamillrt
The black bag carefully and unlocked il. The
threads were unhrp]ten.: SO lie was quite sure
she hadn't tempered with It.
lie rather wondered. why she had stayed
ON 10 read him the ucwspa per. But women
were like that Htringing him along. lie
could fairly scc her 1.-the figure over there by
the desk. reading in low. clear tones. But
much NOR" viNidly he could see her kissing
liarwood, his arm on her waist. StringiDG
him along! Well, he was going to show he,
something.
On Sunday afternoon Elizabeth found i,
necessary to solve a little problem, Of her
own. which she did by saying, in a tone that
she tried to make sound casual, IL heard
from Krom yesterday, after you left. tic
called, up"
Then she gave Harwood an outline oil
what had happened. The problem had beer
g whether OF, not to tell him about it. He had
slid over, or through, her trustccship of the
lenses so lightly and smoothly; he had been
SO far from understanding how she felt abou:
1T that she would rather not have told him
the episode OF Saturday afternoon. But her
loyalty was really due to him. and not to
tell him wouldn't be exactly loyal Under the
circumstances.
So she told him as briefly as possible, will
only a hint at her~reactions to blind Sam
son: merely: "O course. l felt sorry for
3 him. It's painful, T suppose -
But Harwood took 1t brightly and lightly
!" Iritis, ,eh? That sounds serious. But YOU
never can tell with Krom." He smiled
: around ut her genially. He may be lying
about thai. Did he give you the name Of
his doctor?"
"Iie mentioned it'll she replied, looking
ahead-for they haI left the house for 8
walk after luncheon. She felt a repugnanc,
against his way of taking it, as though Kron
were only a dog. a strangers dog! Harwoo;
was considering.
Probably it will make little difference.
Ire announced, optimistically. "I'H get ker
stem at those lenses Tuesday and wen 500,
know what we've got" Hardly so niue,
consideration for Krom as for a dog, j
g seemed!
I'm going down to his hotel again Mon
N day she remarked, askone speaks of a mat