The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-12-09
"And why do YOU want these

wear shoes these days, Mrs.
O'Grady; and we're all creatures
of custom, you know"
"But these shoesv' said the kind
old lady, shaking her head at him,
while a tear trickled down her
long, slender nose. "These black,
treacherous shoes!'
Att another time Hector might
have burst out laughing; but now,
in his nervous state of depression,
the atmosphere of the tiny room
seemed charged with insanity. He
felt that if he took a long breath,
madness might enter with it; that
he might soon be repeating with
her: "These shoes, these shoes,
these black treacherous snoes:"
He must leave here Immediately.
Hastily putting on his shoes, he
started for the door. The old lady
followed him, nuttering in a
broken voice: "Those shoes, those
black treacherous shoes!"
Befor. leaving the bird-store,
the young man turned with out
stretched hand. The memory of
Mrs. O'Grady's kindness for a
moment overcame the fanciful ter
rors in his mind. He blushed for
his bruskness.
"Good-bye, Mrs. O'Grady," he
said. Perhaps it will be good
many days before you see me
again. I'm going to leave the city
tomorrow. Pm bound for the
country, where everything is
bright and happy, wher. the wind
plays through the mea lo"i--vo~r
friend, the wind, Mrs. O'Grady."
He leaned forward and patted
her reassuringly on the shoulder.
At that very morncnt, the fast
waning day shot one of her de-
parting arrows through the win
dow and straight into the young
mans face. His forehead was
stained a vivid crimson; and the
old lady, seeing it b,;ween her
trembling fingers, dropped her
hands t. her throat.
"Wipe it OFF, sne screamed.
Vie it off, before tire poo. G
see! It's Tweedledee who's done
this. Wipe it offv And .lrawing
fandkel chief from her pocket.
Sic Thbea feverishly al the >Llash
of crimson sunlight, muttering be-
tween pale, trembling lips: "Wipe
it off! It's Tweedledee's mark, so
wipe it Off
When Hector Mcdonald left
the ibird-store, he was still in
kind of mental stupor. The dregs
of his prolonged, unatural sleep
were with him yet, and the misty
veil still hung before his eyes.
Perhaps it was his mental state
or perhaps it was his anxiety to
leave the mad old woman, that had
made him quite forget his one
means of procuring money-the
heavy gold-headed cane.
At last he remembered it, and
stopped short. He half turned
about as though to retrace his
footsteps, but as he stood there
hesitating, all his fancifal fears re-
turned and his nerves began to
throb. He felt that IL his present
state of mind it would be impos.'i-
BILE to return. He must wait un.
til nature busted the cobwebI
from his brain. 1t would be hor.
rible for him to go back now-ta
look into those large, wandering
eyes, at that white, nervous face,
at those feverish, moving ips-to
hear that insane voice whispering
in his ear. No, that was more
than he could do at present. Be-
sides, the cane would be safe
where it was-quite safe. He
would say goodbye to Dorothy,
and afterwards he would call for
it. Then his nerves would be quiet
ed.
Mcdonald continued up the
street; and gradually, as he walk
ed along his brain grew clearer.
The May breezes blew the mist
out of his eyes, and he could think
with his usual clearness. Fixing
his eyes on the future, the buoy
ancy of his nature reasserted it
self; the young man soon began to
build air4castles.
So engrossed was Hector in his
thoughts that he saw nothing
about him. The hurrying people
might Just as well have been so
many ghosts. There was police
man standing on one corner who
seemed interested in the young
man. Perhaps if he had seen the
policeman's face-perhaps if he
had glanced at that open mouth,
at. those staring eyes, at the brist-
ling establishment depicted by that
white moustache-he would have
stopped and spoken to him, instead
of hurrying on. AS Mcdonald
walked by, this officer, stretching
out a OBTAINING hand, moistened
his lips as though about to speak
and then apparently thought bet
ter of it.
"A moment latter, a short, fat man
stepped up to the policeman and
whispered something in his ear.
sT tell you it is" he whispered
fiercely. "I know it is.
But Hector saw nothing of this.
He pursued his way oblivious to
everything about him; and it was
not until he had reached the
Arlington house, mounted the
stoop and rung the bell, that he
even glanced back. In the dis
ha