The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-01-29

and things out of his room even
then"
Mrs. Crumpett shrugged an ele-
phantine shrug. Anyhow, I'd done
my best. / was in the clear"
Barbara leaned against the wall
Mrs. Crumpett pushed chair
against the cupboard and clambered
upon it, reaching for a can on the
topmost shelf
Game here three months ago.
She told me her kid had just died
and / thought it was Biggs' child.
But It seems it was the other hus-
bands. She'd known Biggs before
she was married, though, and he
came back to town just in time,
when she was bored sick with the
swell. Her husband had a good bust
ness, but she couldn't stand his airs.
'Ouchv' Mrs. Crumpett had let the
can fall on her big toe. She stood
on one foot, stork-wise, a moment,
almost dancing with the pain.
well, you might help a body
down. she snapped at Barbara, who
was Still leaning against the wall,
blank-eyed.
Barbara started and offered her q
hand. Then she fled from the WON
ans groans and imprecations.
through the dining room with its
dusty table, through the bleak hall,
up the stairs and into her own room.
Next door, the sounds of a violent
brawl rose. Barbara could hear a
mans voice, loud, bullying, flinging
out epithets which hthe walls for
tunately muddled past recognition.
The woman's voice was lifted in
sharp treble ordinations, with now
and then sob.
Barbara pressed her hands to her
ears and looked helplessly around
her. Her bags still stood by the bed
and the blankets still hung over the
bedstead where she had pulled them.
Her comb and brush lay on a piece
Of paper on top of the dresser.
Barbara seized the grips and set
them on the bed. She pulled them
open and began to throw her things
in. The sounds in the next room
sank finally to silence.
Seeing the dry water pitcher, Bar
bara grasped its handle and started
for the bathroom. She came back
with it full of cold water and was
about to pour 1t into the wash basin
when her eyes fell on grimy ring
upon the porcelain. She set the
pitcher down heavily.
The single towel on the rack at
the back Of the stand had the dis
tinct prints OF five black fingers
upon it. The soap in the little china
dish had dissolved to the stage of
jelly.
Barbara looked at her hands and
ran to the mirror 30 see her face.
1t was pale and haggard.
She returned to the bathroom, but
| the ring on the porcelain of wash
bowls and tub was hacker than that
in her own basin.
She went back to her room and
opened her travelling bag. With cold
cream and cotton, she made the
best toilet she could She applied
powder and rouge and got her hat
from the closet.
She looked at her watch. 1t was
eleven o'clock. There would be no
more buses for indianapolis until
twelve. Barbara paced the floor of
the room.
| Next door, the quarreling began
again. Violetta was crying hysteri-
cally now, so that the whole house
must hear her. The mans voice
was a growI. He was evidently try
ing to shame her into quiet. Barbara
sat by the fireplace, staring at the
tomato can and the burnt matches
in its depths. Overhead the lady in
the pink ruffles simpered at her.
And the shiny grapes and fat ba-
nanas in the print on the wall grew
SINNER and fatter. The wind coming
in at the window, whipped the blind
savagely.
The jangling voices in the next