The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-04-01

picked up the letter, read through it's
pleasant, empty phrases again.
"a fine lot of tripe that isl" he said,
and tore it across. And, back at the win
dow, drawn, as if by a magnet, by a new
burst of music from the dance, he let the
torn pieces of paper lutter down to the
or flowers in Mrs. Browns back yard; its
only crop was the weeks wash each Mon
day.
lie sat still, then, thinking. WHY 90 on &?
Why stay here? He needn't. He could go
home. Home, where people asked him to
their parties, where he might take his choice
of jobs, be some one. Art? That for art!
lie wasn't an artist. He'd been a chump
to think he was or might be. What had he
done, since he'd come back from Paris ?
Played about the same part in the design
OF loft buildings and garages and tene-
mentS, as a worker in a factory who stands
over an endless, travelling belt, repeating
his single task a hundred times an hour.
Just once he'd broken loose, when he had
heard of this competition for the StOkely
war memorial. That had fired him. when
he'd first read the terms. They'd wanted
something different, something out of what
had come to be the pattern for such things,
and into his design he had managed, some
how, to put all he had seen of torn and
ravaged France, all he had felt of the
1umbled, blasphemOus, sentimental, ribald,
bOyiSh American crusade across the seas.
They'd laughed at him in the office. They
Sneered at competitions there, rather. And
Mr.. Graham had frOwned; spoken, with
pursed lips, of energy that should go into
regular work diverted to outside aims
given, in the end, an ungraciOus assent to
his entrance. Well, they'd been right. the
men in the office and Graham. He'd vast
ed his time. This defeat was more than a
check. 1t bit deep into his belief in him
self. If he had gone wrong here, what was
there for him to do nOw? All he believed.
all he thought he knew had gone into the
plans the pOstman had brought back this
very day, with a blithe blast upon his
whistle for the requiem Of RandOlph's
hopes.
Foolish? Yes, of course. But young mel
feel so about such things. They have these
FITS of being sorry for themselves, and turn
to selling real estate, and being tellers in q
bank, and making washing machines, anG
other things like that. They like to go t.
parties, and to make love to pretty girls
It wasn't fair, it really wasn't, for the
TOwnsends to have that party on thai
night. But how should they have know
that?
So the party went on, and Hugh Ran
dOlph sat in his window, and looked on
with the light he had never thought o.
> turning of shining full upon his wOebe
gone race. ana made his plans. He wal
going to give Graham notice tomorrow, an
to go home as soon as he could, and hl
wondered which OF the jobs he could ge
would be the least distasteful.
And then, just then, he saw something
Fqueer down below. Something moved
above the fence between the yard and gar
n den, at the corner. A girl was there, hea'
n anu SuOuluGIb SHOWING above the AcuSS
U white in the darkness, white and blurre
= as he saw her. He smiled. She mus
, have climbed up on something on the othe
2 side Of the fence, and the idea of how dis
1 appointed she must be amused him. Jus
the stone flags and the clothes poles weT
there.
But she didn't even see those, for u
upon him, gradually, that it was at hill
she looked. Even as he stared dow
amused and. puzzled, she waved a whit
T arm in an imperative, reckoning gestur
Laughing, he waved his own hand, tents
lively, in answer. And she waved agail
and pointed down, and then, deliberatel
tossed something down. He heard its ia
on the stones; he, saw it lying there. Som
thing white, in the moonlight. Again 81
pointed, waved her arm, c~Ommandingl
4 urgently; then she was gone.
= For a m he sat still, staring, wOl
y door; went down the stairs, through Il
silent, sleeping house. He went o.
through the basement, into the yard. 7
saw the torn fragments Of the letter
packet. He picked it up; its weight So
prised him. He lOOsened the silver lstril
= that tied It; saw, as he opened It, writiI
on the inside OF the white paper; starte
l., then, as he saw the CLEAN Of somethil
ut white and clear, cried out as he realiz
,e. that In his hand he held a bracelet
= square diamonds. with one square emera
for a catch.
g, Hastily, then, he went upstairs. And
"a his room, in the light, he saw what else
. was that she had tossed town for him
- md. There was q black mask; there "
q 9 Lolaea card. And he read, now WI
"a I've seen you, sitting In your window
ne read. Il know you, Hugh RandOlI
B though you don't know me, and perha
n. you never VIII. But / am trusting u
= with far more than what this brings p.
am In trouble need help. II You WI
rst to help me put on this mask, and anythi