The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-01-11


FOR in anything much" as she
thought.
Other pictures were two water-col-
ours in baroque frames; one being the
Amalf monk on a pergola wall, while
the second was a yard-wide display of
iris blossoms. painted by Alice herself
at IA, as a birthday gift to her
mother. Aices glance paused upon it
now with no great pride, but showed
more approval of an enormous photo
graph of the Colosseum This she
thought Of as the only good thing in
| the room;" it possessed and bestowed
distinction, she felt; and she did not
regret having won her struggle to get
it hung in its conspicuous place Of
| honor over the mantelpiece Former
| ly that place had been held for years
| by a steel-engraving, an accurate rep
resentation OF the Suspension Bridge
at Niagara Falls. It was almost as
large as It's successor, the "Colos-
scum" and it had been presented to
Mr.. Adams by colleagues in his de-
/ partment at Lamb and Company's.
/ Adams had shown some feeling when
Alice began to urge its removal to
obscurity in the upstairs hail." he
even resisted for several days after
| she had the Colosseum" charged to
| him, framed in oak, and sent TO the
house. She cheered him up, of
| course, when he gave way; and her
heart never misgave her that there
might be a doubt which of the two
pictures was the more dIsmaying.
]
old brown plush rocking-chairs and
the stool, over the three gilt chairs,
over the new chintz-covered easy
chair and the gray velour sofa-over
/ everything everywhere, was the Ia
miliar coating Of smoke CRIME. It
had worked into every fiber OF the
lace curtains, dingying them to an
unpleasant gray; 1t lay on the win
dow sills and It dimmed the glass
| panes; it covered the walls, covered
the ceiling, and was sneared darker
and thicker in all corners. Yet here
was no fault Of housewifery; the
curse could not be lifted. as the in
! grained smUdges permanent on the
/ once white woodwork proved. The
/ CRIME was perpetually renewed
/ sCrubbing only ground 1t in.
This particular ugliness was small
| part Of Alice's discomfort, for though
/ the coating grew a little deeper each
/ year she was used to It. Moreover,
/ she knew that she was not likely to
/ find anything better in a thousand
miles, so long as she kept to cities.
and that none of her friends. however
/ opulent, had any advantage Of her
/ here. Indeed, throughout all the great
/ sOft-coal country, people who con
[ slider themselves comparatively poor
may find this consolation: cleanliness
[ has been added to the virtues and be
attitudes that money cannot buy.
Mice frightened a little as she went
forward to the front door, and she
/ frightened more when the spring
/ breeze met her there. Then all de
/ preston left her as she walked down
/ the short brick path to the sidewalk,
/ looked up and down the street. and
/ saw how bravely the maple shade
/ trees. in spite of the black powder
/ they breathed. were fingins out their
/ thousands Of young green particles
/ overhead.
She turned north, treading the new
little shadows on the pavement brisk
/ ". and having finished buttoning her
/ gloves. swung down her Malacca stick
/ from under her arm to let it tap a
/ more leisurely accompaniment to her
/ quick. short step. She had to step
/ quickly II she was to get anywhere;
! for the cIoseness Of her skirt, in spite
/ Of its little length. permitted no nat
ural stride; but she was pleased to
/ be impeded, these brevities forming
/ part of her show Of fashion.
! Other pedestrians found them not
without charm, though approval may
/ have been lacking here and there;
/ and at the first crossing Alice suffered
/ what she might have accounted an
| actual injury, had she allowed herself
| to be so sensitive. An elderly woman
/ in fussy black silk stood there, wait.
/ ing for "A street-car; she was all of
/ . glObular modelling, with a face pat
/ termed like a frost bitten peach, and
| that the approaching gracefulness
/ was uncOngenial she naively made too
/ evident. Her round, wan eyes seemed
/ reused to bitter life as they rose from
/ the curved high heels Of the buckled
/ slippers to the tight little skirt. and
! thence with startled ferocity to the
AfaIacca cane, which plainly appeared
/ 10 her as a decoration not more as
[ founding than 1t was insulting.
/ Perceiving that the girl was bowling
| to her, the glObular lady hurrIedly
made shift TO alter her injurious ex-
! preston. Good morning, Mrs. Dow
| ling" Alice said, gravely. Mrs. Dow
/ ling returned the salutation with a
smile as convtncingly benevolent as
/ the CHASTITY smile upon a Santa Claus
/ face; and then, while Alice passed
/ on, exploded toward her a single com
/ pacted breath through frightened lips
/ The sound was eloquently audible,
/ though Mrs. Bowling remained I'M
aware that in this or any manner
whatever she had shed light upon
/ her thoughts; for it was her lifelong
innocent conviction that other. people
| saw her only as she wished to be
/ seen, and heard from her only what
/ she intended to be heard. At home it
was always her husband who pulled
| down the shades Of their bedroom
window.
Alice looked serious for a few mo-
| ments after the little encounter, then
/ found some consolation in the be.
! haviour of a gentleman of forty or
/ SO who was coming toward her Like
! Mrs. Bowling, he had begun to show
consciousness of Alice's approach
while she was yet afar off; but his