Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-08-15
OUT THE WINDOW By Rupert #ughs:
Copyright: 1871 By News Syndicate Co. Inc
IN TWO PARTS-PART TWO


IN TWO PARTS-PART TWO
At the night club business was bad;
the food was worse; the orchestra
worst. A few old friends came to the
table and, to save them from betray-
ing her and Arthur, Nina whisked
Sheldon out on the dance floor. To
keep from having to dance with Nina
and let vi wiring it out OF him, Arthur
alleged sore foot. This saved him
also from Bertha.
Finally Sheldon also denounced the
night club as a CHASTITY bore; but,
instead OF going home. he insisted on
trying another. This one proved as
cheerful as an undertaker,s parlors
with the mourners dancing They
were all too sad to drink much, and
what they drank neither inebriated
nor cheered.
Even the closing of the night club,
deserted by all but the yawning wait
ers, did not satisfy Sheldon. He said
there was black-and- tan Joint that
kept open all night and the goings-on
there was said to be really some
thing"
He hailed his miserable prisoners to
shabby restaurant up a flight Of
rickety stairs.
By now Sheldon and Nina were so
tired OF each other and their quarrel
that Nina told Sheldon never to speak
to her again. She refused even to let
him drive her home.
"All right" Sheldon's melancholia
spoke for him. "Since you hate me so.
I'll relieve you of my odious presence.
Jim, will you see that Nina gets
homer"
Sure" said Jim.
Sheldon turned to Arthur. mfr.
Todd, I'm sorry that We had to I'M
load this little domestic difficulty on
you. But they say that when a woman
grows historical she should be let
alone, so I'll run along. I'll call for
you at your hotel and we'll take the
noon train together"
He withdrew in great dignity. Nina,
vild-eyed with grief, promptly went
into such Mysteries that the dusky
dancers regarded her with envy for
her energy. The Pollards got her
downstairs to the curb where their
car was waiting There was also q
nighthawk taxicabby. Seeing him, Jim
took Arthur aside and said:
Il hate to do it to you, old boy;
but Nina's home is right on the way
to your hotel and it's a million miles
out Of our way, and my widow is all
m and-do you suppose
of course said Arthur. In his in
creasing pessimism he had foreseen
something like this.
In the taxicab Nina did not speak
20 hit t,,1I g.
her with words and persuade her to
forgive her lover, but she just sobbed
and laughed like a crazy loon. Reach
ing her apartment house she swept
past him and ran into the foyer, try
ing to smuggle her grief past the
night clerk.
When Arthur paid off his taxicab
at the hotel entrance, the dawn was
already fighting the night. 1t was
bitterly cold and big wind was COM
ing up.
The lobby was full of kneeling old
women scrubbing the floors, and Ar
thur had to skip over lines of hose
and dodge vacuum cleaners with a
somewhat tipsy effect. The night clerk
gave him a nasty look with his key.
The elevator boy regarded him with
disdain as solemn drunk. He was
solemn enough, but SO nearly dead
with exhaustion that he could hardly
climb out Of his clothes without fall
ing asleep In various attitudes of in
stability. When he had peeled off all
his petals, he came at last to his
money belt. What to do with it now?
He was so tired that hotel sneak
thieves could break in and unbuckle
it and he'd never know 1t. He could
hear stealthy steps in the hall.
Somebody fumbled the doorlSnob. 1t
was really the rising icy wind off Lake
Erie, but it sounded convincing.
He wandered about like a sleep
walker till his haggard eyes discovered
a place in the clothes closet where
he could lift the shelf at the back
just enough to stuff into the space
all those bills. He kept out a few for
appearances sake in case a robber
got in. Nobody on earth would ever
think of looking where his money was
now. He tossed his empty money belt
on a chair, and fell into his bed as
if bludgeoned by footpad. He was
asleep before he could get the covers
up over his back, cold as it was.
He woke shivering in a gale The
window was open and banging back
and forth. He rolled out of bed and
ran toward it to close it. He stubbed
his toe on that unseen footstool in
front Of the steam radiator.
His impetus launched him on a per-
feet swan dive straight into space. In
mad terror he put up his hands to