The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-08-08

Tie corner. u Y 9u0 nalI OF
sirloin, with the bone cut out-Jack
must be starved. Mushrooms and to-
matoes. and some big Bermuda
onions. A bunch Of celery. Wiz: q
package Of cream cheese. . BIT g
roquefort and taste Of camembert to
stuff it. Endtves for q salad. oh.
yes-and q jar Of cream.
There was q man standing on tho
corner, when Molly left the store.
She had noticed him before, when
she am out Of the apartment. A
short, dark, dirty-looking person. with
pock marks on his face.
change, where they sold little warm
rolls, and delicious sweets. Molly
seldom went there, since fresh bread
and pastries, as everybody knows, are
awfully ~fattening.
'Ill tell Jack I made them myself."
she thought. Hell never know the
difference"
Smiling, she hurried up the street.
The dirty-looking person spit geuer.
ously, and trotted along.
"Now I'll get some flowers for the
table," she decided. 1T will be nice
to have everything very companyish."
The mar with the peck marks was
surely following her! Out Of the COR
ner Of her eye, she saw him shift his
position. lounging Awkwardly. his
hands in his pockets.
She darted into q drug store and
slipped into q telephone booth near
the door. From there she could
watch through the window. She
opened her bag, and pretended to be
fumbling for change.
The man had stopped stupidity. and
was looking about. Yes. surely he
was following her. For the moment
he seemed to have lost her.
I'LL telephone the apartment" she
thought. and ask Jack to come and
meet me-"
She found . nickel and dropped It
In the slot. But when the operator
said, Number please" she hung up
the receiver. She had remembered
an old serial movie called "Perils Of
Pauline" that pictured the lurid and
impossible exploits Of 4 girl reporter.
I'm acting like q girl in q movie"
she told herself sternly. Its broad
daylight. and there's nothing to be
afraid OF. That mans Just feeble.
minded"
He had turned away, and was
walking back toward the apartment,
peering from left to right, like q
silly person.
Molly left the drug store, and hur-
ried toward the florists, deciding to
return on the farther side Of the
street. II the man had not passed
the apartment by that time, she
would run as fast as she could. Then
surely she would have gained the 4.
trance before he could approach her.
But Of course I'm being idiotic,"
she reasoned. HE won't try to speak
to me, I know. And, even II he
should. it wouldn't hurt me any,
Probably he's q hophead." (fiophead
was q word Molly had recently added
to her vocabulary. It was one Of the
words that made her think she was
learning q great deal about life.)
She chose her flowers. thinking Of
her color scheme. She would use her
green linen cover, that showed off
the buttercup yellow china so effec-
lively. Calendulas with m~igounette
would be lovely in her low black
bowl. Besides, she could scarcely
stand the odor Of roses OF carnations
today. They were 20 fearfully funer-
cal. She wondered II the smellof them :
would always remind her Of Ruth,
and that ghastly brown-earth rave.
Never mind doing them up" she
told the florist. II can carry them
that way"
She shifted the boxes, ana took
the nosegay In her hand.
Down the street fingered the abort,
sinister figure. Now Molly was thor
oughly frightened. She returned to
the flower shop. determined to call
Jack. But the telephone was out Of
order. She thought Of. asking the
salesman Il he would walk down the
street with her. But In . second she
had discarded the idea. He would
think she was awfully silly. Besides,
he wouldn't want to leave the store
alone. :
There's . public telephone across :.
In the drug store" the man was say
ing.
"Oh, yes. I know. Thank you. It
wasn't important. though. I guess I
won't bother"
Molly gathered her parcels again.
Later the florists clerk was to re-
member that q young lady in green
had bought some flowers. and re-
turned to ask II she might use the
phone. When he told her It was out
Of order. she seemed upset. he said.
He directed her to the drug store, and
thought no more about It.
Ito Re Continued)