The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-04-10
- TIEI NY WEIUZ

SN0 CATSSO0O lu0 IOSU SuNolOpO
In her coat pocket. It was the
scrap on which. Just before she
had entered for the 1rst time this
house OF disillusi0n and disappoint.
ment, she had added together her
honest calculations OF her value.
And my cost sheet to discouE.
| age me-when | need that"
Almost Immediately the lucky
dime failed her. She went out OF
the bathroom window feet first
From the public road q bulky 20.
liceman bellow we'd:
stop where you Are or you're
a dead mani"
His bullet whistled past Bar.
bara's ear. She dropped ten feet
and landed in q heap. The voice
OF the 0ficer roared again:
| you're q dead mani" he insist
ed dogmatically.
But Barbara, q live woman, led.
She raced over lawn. garden,
rough land. rock and hummock.
At an intersection between criss-
cross roads. she covered behind .
hedge. A uDoment later the po-
liceman. gun in hand. Numbered
by. hesitated, and ran up one road.
She waited. then sprtnted up the
other.
Her monstrous shoes threatened
to ny on at every step. She mis-.
took their clatter once for the
sound OF further pursuit. and ned
the faster.
I'm free!" gasped Barbara.
There was here an uncovered
length OF tough tree root across
her path and it was. toogiye Bar
bara her first lesson in individual.
ism. Her shoe caught and she fell
headlong. Face down she lay still
and ached. She sobbed into the
cold mother earth:
And oh. how freedom hurts!"
| Mount Casco
Barbara was running when she
entered Mt. Casco at four Of the
late Winter morning. Running de-
spite the agony in her left shoe.
Running from an army corps Of
monster terrors behind her.
At the edge OF the town the
demons abandoned pursuit. But
for complete security. Barbara
sought shelter. She found 1t on =
low porch running the length Of
the front Of the first house In the
town. and gained by three steps
from q short cement walk.
She sat on the TOP step. her feet
tucked under har. safe from the
nameless crawling horrors which
seemed to her glazed eyes to coil
about In the patch lawn. moving
The grasses with their slow. sinister
progress. The !iorrors were herd
ing toward her. and. with sup
pressed cry. Barbara slid back over
The flooring until she felt the house
door against her hack.
She must have dozed there, for
xhf awnke will, wild start. A
bomb had exploded ut her elbow.
She made sure she still had all her
limbs. Then she smiled weakly.
Prodding her In the ribs q news.
paper twisted into club lay be-
side her.
A newsboy. busy before the sun.
had hurled the missive at Barbara's
doorway. She idly unfolded the
sheets. specializing on the uses to
which she might put the strangers
property. ~ n'a
Its stealing" she warned her.
self.
hut she put into immediate exc
cution a conception which. out Of
fundamental instinct and need. had
lowered in her mind.
She slipped her skinned feet out
OF her boots and caressed them
gingerly with her fingers. She
wrapped her feet in folds Of the
newspaper. Comfort is a relative
thing. A warmth which the editor
had never been able to put in his
most impassioned editorial invec.
tive spread from her toes to her
ankles. OF the rest OF the beacon
OF Mt. Casco culture she made
thick and resilient inner solss.
which she lifted iStO the boots.
| When she stood again she was
sh0d for O tramp across continents.
AZ she slid OF the porch into
shadow. a milk wagon disturbed
the fore-dawn quiet OF the village
street. The criminal-n hardened
to the ways OF alarceny-spied ON
the dairyman as he placed the fam.
lily quart before the door. She
boldly embraced the rlan OF . fur.
Their felony. ia
The milk was good. It washed
the taste OF fear from her tongue.
You won't have milk. good
people," she nodded at the friendly
door. But then, won't have oat.
meal"
She went on her way, unrepsnt.
ant. Give her more laws to break.
She staggered toward the First
National Bank on Main Street,
pausing to look over It's steel.bar.
red windows with b:ow-puckering
interest. Oh. well. another time.
She stepped out with q new blus-
ter. No, not that way. A boy
doesn't walk that way, with .
motion proceeding from the waist.
She must get the 70 us Ct her
equilibrium higher. Boys walk
from the hips. Their legs seem to
dangle from the hip-socket, ~ IL
they were braced under their arms.
She drew a. deep breath to try It
and clutched at her pants. They
were slipping, from their moorinxs.
so that's why boys wear belts!~
She put her hands in her pockets.
retrieving the lower part of her Coz.
tune just In time.
The sun was rising.
The slim lad who walked, NAP
ping In pas cast0ffs. out OF Mt.
Casco at dawn. puckered up his
lips and tried vAliantly to whistle,
The effort ended In An abortiva.
hiss.
something else to practice. =
noted Barbara.
She opened her lips to carol q
brilliant soprano note. start Of A.