The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-03-22
TUESDAY MARCH ~, 1927

we cau Uuv UUs sNs"e -
here she said. Maybe you'd bet
ter come to my room.
II told her guessed that would
be all right. for I'd said was her
husband when I came In. ~,
"'Oh,' she says, did you? Then
It's all right. Come along
ave went up and she opened
the door and went into her rOom."
Claude'a pipe went out. There
was silence In the room as ne filled
II. but Claude did not feel It. He
had forgotten that he was telling
the story to Ned. He had forgotten
everything that belonged 10 him
self In the present. He was hack
in the past, seeing the shy. awk-
ward Claude Dabbs on the thresh-
old Of that girls room. He re
membered that. already 1t looked
different from the rest OF the
house. She had flowers In vase
on the rough, cheap, pine dressing
table. She had spread clean tow.
els on that, on the bureau and Of,
her trunk. discardinE the dirty
looking scarfs that had adorned
them. They had been too shy to
look at each other. He had stared
out Of the window.
Every time Dabbe Brought his
eyes around to her. he caught her
looking at him, and finally she
laughed.
II was wonderful, that laugh. It
made him feel young again. He
had been feeling like an old man.
with a weight Of sorrow and care
on his shoulders. but that girls
laugh had made him feel his own
age. Her laugh was young and
spiced with deviltry. Back Of It
all was the new strange feeling the
girl gave him.
He saw himself solemnly giving
her the papers. He watched her
| while she put them carefully away
In q bag, and counted out the rest
OF the money. There hxd been .
mcsHsnt's awkwardness over that.
he remembered. He had made %
involuntary movement Of his hand,
to give 1t back to her. but she 40
involuntariiy. thrust It back at him.
Then he laughed, folded 1t up and
! put It away.
But he did not 90. He had
known that he should. but he could
not. He sat down beside her, and
they began talking. awkwardiy
enough ut first. Then suddenly
they were no longer the Claude
and Polly Of the boarding house
days. but two young things who
had lots to say to each other. and
enjoyed saying II.
She told Claude Of her plans.
She meant to travel and study and
see everything. She was fond OF
reading. Indeed, she had read and
planned in a way that seemed re-
markable to him for a girl, a serv-
ant girl. too, but he noted that she
did not ask about his plans. Every
time their conversation touched his
life, present or future. she changed
the subject. Then he knew that
she meant him to understand she
would have nothing to do with him
after tonight. After tonight Clautie
would not see her; after tonight
she would be away enjoying things,
out in the freedom OF the world.
with money. and she would have
no use for him. no use ut all. 1t
had eaten into the young Claude's
consciousness that she was going
to use him az shield until she
met some one she really cared for.
Then she would drop him. and his
name. "After tonight echoed and
re-echoed in his mind. and he for
got that he had no right 10 expect
anything else, for he had taken her
money. Jealousy gradually took
possession of him. He watched her
talk and smile. 1t struck nine. is
,, train had gone. 81
He did not 60; merely sat watch.
Ing her. He had known, even then,
. that she saw what she had done
to him, and 1t had gone to her
head. He had been one vt the
|. "boarders" in the old days. one for
! whom she must fetch and carry
. Now he was at her mercy.
! He began to think Of lots OF
: things that proved she had not beer
= as Indifferent TO him in those ole
: boarding house days as she had
pretended. Even before the money
: came, Polly Johnston. the man
!, hater, had q soft spot for one mar
Claude Dabbs. All unconsciously
: she had let him see that. Claude
= had wondered afterward II 1t wal
: not q conscious use Of her new
: found power. He began to believe
that 1t was not entirely by acciden
4 that she had made him come Il
!. her for the money. instead Of hav
ing the lawyer pay him. He hat
. never. until, then, guessed that thu
girl liked him-that way. But nov
she told him more than she meant
or knew, and when she realised
this, she pulled herself up ant