The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-04-03

She crossed the doorsill ana
found herself abruptly alone. Nan
wavered ct the door. The elder
woman's face was glacial 50 was
her voice:
'T'll send the housskeersr. Her
name 10 Hannah. You will And her
competent = exceedingly comDs-
tent"
Barbara fought . feeling Of d.
taste ~ the maid moved smoothly
toward her. soundless inside . DIN
colored gown which called 70 . re-
mote corner OF Barbara's mind .
vision OF the stripped dark walls OF
some nunnery consecra.ed to gray
penitents.
II think. miss" the figures vosse
mourned. you had better undrooD
and get into bed. ! think can
break the cold"
She pronounced the verb vicious.
", % II q cold were something to
smash with q bludgeon as oo9
breaks Z neck.
."You-s began Barbara.
my name 10 Hannah" The suS-
picion Of an r" In the pronuncia-
ton OF the name confessed the
speakers New England origin.
"Well. Hannah" resumed Bar.
bara, ave always had q mustard
footbath when I've had . cold"
The woman fairly gloa&ed:
GOOD. Ill make Il 20 hot e
burns"
She lot her sleepy eyes rove ovsc
the details Of the rooms furnish.
ings-perfect from the cosy rose
OF the walls to the darling carvoG
gardenia on the footboard Of the
bed-and exhaled z Quivering con-
tented sigh.
Tomorrow, back to Ma Henig's
boarding house. Back 10 the boul.
der stuffed mattress. Fai1tly from
downstairs came shr.ekS Of laugh.
ter.
Luxuriously Barbara lifted q dou.
bled flst and drove It into the
bleached paunch Of the pillew. It
went in q mile.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow. I. I. I.
You couldn't cali It . snore. It
was more like . purr. Barbara
slept.
Hannah abandoned. at the foot
Of the bed, an attitude Of vigil and
left the darkened room.
She found Hardiman and Mrs.
Adams alone below. She reported
In toneless voice to Z point exact
~ half way between the pair:
1.-THE young woman 70 asleep"
She waited. q nun.like figure with
hands clasped before her. Hardi-
man cleared his throat. but It was
Nan who spoke:
Hannah"
Eyes. madam" Hannah shifted
her eyes from space to the hem Of
her mistress gown.
"Mr. Hardiman wishes you to un-
derstahd that. during my, absence.
Miss Brown win occupy tho house.
You will take your orders from
her"
"When?" asked the unperturbsd
Hannah.
II am leaving. Unexpectedly. to.
night"
An automobile which had stood
dark and silent through the hours
at the porch suddenly burst into 4
glare OF lights and q blast Of rum.
bling noise az two silent cloaked
figures. the slender and the mas
sive. emerged and blended into the
ink Of night.
hardlman's cenil
Hardiman, in his once, spont the
morning touching buttons. There.
was q row OF them on his deaf
magic buttons. Each conjured ct
his elbow . genie.
To the first J. b. spoke q few
succinct words. Within the hear
messengers were on their way b
the house lately ocev ped by Mrs.
Nan Adams. One boro q box q
flowers almost a. large as himoa9e
Another carried q much smaSlov
package worth . hundred times tn.
value Of the AovNf>. A third snAs
. box fllled with bon bons molAs...'
to make q princeSs ns9xth vasA :
And remember that. In &~sU%, '.
B. dealt with but . cub O. her gAA-
der.
The second gsaie noted on a 81
. cablegram for Toxic. rvR--,
hours later . Mr.. Horace A3Dr-.
there slapped Z geisha souS1-.
swilled . drink and. swoaskxx
frightfully. ordered No. I boy T.
pack his trunks.
The third. who had let tie twor
ty-third door Of J. BIS Colonies
building by the same elevator
which had borne Hartman aao1s.
reappeared with Mama Henig on
his arm. She was an 0vosotnxod,
hennaed creature with Quivos1nE
5owls and one OF The largest eo1A
teeth, ever manufactured.
In his once J. b. enoounfArsd the
boarding house keepers masto1onr
ic uneasihess with mild courtesy.
But Mama Henig. 1till Gross Asum
hasty corseting, WAS QusRu;oEs:
II don't know what you got On
me" she began, "but I Ant don> =
thing. You got no right to son1
anybody over to drag me hare ~
force, neither. Let ne wise you.
mister. / got friends too"
II. have summoned you here
soothed ]. B., ITO ask you !sw
harmless questions. 1t will Ls -
your interest to answer them--.c
your interest"
well. haven't refused, hare
i! The Henig baritone growled
less.
"'You conduct . boarding houss
on the West Side, do you not -
what II do? It's perfectly ~,
spectable-mos'ly people IN shs
p'fession.'
bara BroNn?"
She hesit2ted.
You may be quite frank ~teA'
me. An. in : var. L>ssr-
| Il s fs = x A.sa