.1
The World Outside
M1
Rltoi.in
By Harold Ma cG rath
THE SUNDAY DEC: OMAHA. AUGUST 20, 1922.
tun fcTUKY Tilt FAK,
As lvniur fr Hi, - ihtt la
Hi fctiarf rrr mad la t'otkiiiaa
ood fit?uali Stanrrofi, h ha
Juat ttihaclld hia rather a !...
M, to ft ifiii"f ba aaa ha
9prnt (itMl Advtittir
tampan, and ha la Um4 lata
Jmng m rantaharkla dwltltt tor a
larttfi atwrm. Jirf, attiltia; among
tot cufM and th Ilia fc-tMiWa ha
la rMillnff, at fUt fri and than
ponder, r alllnc lila fathar'a Biya.
tarloua da'h, jrat t to aolvad, and
tit ! taHr4. nvftfful II
yaara. II fail t hotira lha
llotnt loo a that lha alranaar
tfarta at Mitt. Tha ma a tiitlaina
thai ha haa Bold many auccraaful
advafiiura antl lhal Jmrrft ta la
baa; in al anna, proWdad ha aii.a a
ton (r act lo Irtta Ilia rft world
outaid and int IL Jvrrf ta pan
dertu ovr a iiiaiiinrandum tn ha
faihar a rrca hm lha ball ring
and a ut of lha inrm roma a
irtrl, raUi-drni'h(l and In diatra.
It aiMar aetfraa; hr
rar haa hruan down; aha haa
alkd fiva mil. Jmrtf rcmta
ttr on a drlv to lha naaraat rail
road aLailm for New Tar.
THIRD INSTALLMENT.
The Beginning of Adventure.
l to tee lliat you get there
1 properly. Thi William
ii a surly doff, and not above de
manding more than ten after he
had you half way,"
"O, no!" she protested. "It't not
ti lie thought of. I refuse to put
you to all this trouble. It isn't
fair."
"Better get urd to the notion,
I'm going with you."
"I know you must he mystified
by my coming out of the night in
this queer fashion, but it can be
be explained in a few words. A
telegram came this morning an
nouncing the death of a man who
had been like a father to me before
he became a paralytic. He died
penniless; and in arranging for the
funeral expenses I missed my train.
Some, one said I could make a
train here; so I hired a car. That
broke down absolutely, five miles
hack. After waiting for an hour
I got otrt and walked."
"Walked? Through the mud and
. rain for five miles?"
"There was nothing else to do.
I was pretty tired when I reached
your kindly door. I left nearly all
the money I had with the under,
taker. My work makes it impos
sible for me to return for the
funeral."
"And all for a dog!"
"I suppose I am a fool I"
"No, no. I think that's fine. I
wonder if I'd do the same?"
"Of course, you would!" She
nulcd again, drawing another
from hmi.
"I wonder if that pup will ever
realize what a lucky pup he is?"
And immediately Bancroft thought
that that was fairly well turned
for a bumpkin.
To the young woman, however,
the phrase or the flattery in the
bracket of if was as old as the
hills. Hut men would go on using
it until the crack of doom. Alt
pretty women had to submit their
ears to this kind of trouble, in this
instance it was not particularly dis
tasteful to her, because the young
man's' gray eyes had only honest
admiration in them.
"Anything that depends upon
you absolutely is a sacred obliga
tion, even if it's only a dog; and
if you ignore it you aren't worth
much."
"That's a fact."
When they reached the car he
was for taking the seat with the
driver; but she would not hear of
. it.
"Please sit with me."
"All right. Step on 'er. Wil
liams.' he said, breezily; and the
car began to move.
Bancroft sensed a wine in his
reins that was not born of the pur
ple grape. The Great Adventure
company forsooth! As if adven
tures w ere snch events as miht be
prescribed and taken like medicine,
whether one liked it or not! All
hi life he had wanted something
cm this order ta befall his In to
succor a young and pretty woman
in distress, What pleased him im
measurably was the absence of
that shyness he had often an
ticipati'd. iiois 1,1 an episode such a
this happen, The tumult in his
Venn, then, was one of pleasure
and tl. llitr there a nn emh.v-ras-meuf
whatever.
Out i! ! : night he lad co'-ie
and l ii k i-t- the l:sht she m on! I
t Shi had ti.M li'irn lief n.vnc
-i. I l.o h i I nt .Icred his li she
i tiled to know i who-u fche ,-is
' I'.ed. '- Imi't Smif-
Ufio he N l rvjk.l t!ut enU
i til u!i a ji'-i-iiH-iil i!v 1 (n t
if ! i t"., until id,? iiii'.ii.iu ii
Iv .(!,, I Out she wa..t.'tl t-
!"... il r . .f it v . ''
' I .nurrow t U f.
) ) f ii ; j.!. , i ' ! i
t t t.n if he ln4
I h d . im iA hi nit i
vr I ?' it ..;- ,s a imt f .
'.. l it .''licit hj i.t i mine
i t.-s K ruS 1 .iii'Hj miH
,1 h
I
booU and . had forced her
reluctant I v to tiibslitule for tier
first iiiiprrssinn another, that he
'might not be the guileless country
boy he termed. Sc, during the
rather wild tide, the became
watchful and reserved. She re
gretted that the had not let him
take the front teat. But then, it
was only here in the stuffy ton
neau that the discovered the taint
in bit breath. Ptrjiapt there was
an edge of tadnrst to her thoimht,
that the must always be watchful
and reserved among men, that truV
comradesbip did not enter (at leant,
hadnot in her case) the artificial
hfe of the ttage.
The wind had rinen again, and
the automobile top and tides rum
bled and snapped to continuously
that tustainrd conversation was
most diflicult, and after a few
desultory phrases about the
weather, they became verbally si
lent. They were frequently
jounced, the road being dirt, rutty
and puddled and greasy. Time
after time they were thrown heav
ily together: but Bancroft took no
hurt from this or discomfort. His
one regret was that the journey
would be comparatively short.
Once the sharp corner of the
Jaipur box stung hit elbow.
The journey exceeded an hour
and a quarter. Arriving at the
wayside station, they found the 11
o'clock train had come and gone;
but the 12 was on scln-dule. Ban
croft warned to remain until train
time, hut Williams objected boor
ishly As Williams had the car going,
Bancroft had to jump aboard.
"You're a surly codger, Wil
liams." "I be, huh? Well, I ain't goiu
t' haivg around th' depot bo's you
can talk with th' girl. She paid
me; nothin for me t' wait for, is
there? It's late, an' I want f get
back home."
"If you were 10 years younger
I'd punch your head.''
"Well, I ain't 10 years younger."
Bancroft looked back, but the
strange young woman had entered
the wating room.
"Where "d she come from?"
asked Williams, after a few min
utes. "I don't know" rather absently,
for his veins were still echoing
their recent delight.
"O, you don't know, huh?
What's a young woman doin' at
your house this time o' night?"
"None of your infernal business,
you old crook!"
"Who you callin' crook?"
"You!"
"Young man, that's libel, defam
ation of char'kter. I can git you
hauled up for that. Anyhow, I
can, make you walk. You ain't
payin' me no fare t' lug you back
t' town. Git out!"
"Try putting me out I" replied
Bancroft, belligerently. "Two dol
lars is generally your top price for
this job, and you imposed upon
the unfortunate when you charged
this young woman ten."
"Unfortunate, it she? Huh! So
that's th' kind. . . ."
All Bancroft's pent-up wrath of
years against the village and its
inhabitants broke through the
weakened barriers; and he let the
deluge fall upon Williams' head.
"All my life my father and I have
been ostracised because some one
called him a miser and the rest of
you took it up.' Now you're going
to hear my opinion of you and the
rest of the villagers. You're mean.
Your minds are obscene; for you
see evil in all things you do not
understand, and hope for the worst.
You never otTcr the boot unless
the object is down. " You go to
church Sundays, not to worship
God, but to give your wives a
chance to pick up any gossip they
missed during the week. You are
ready to stone the beggar and lick
the rich man's hoots as presently
you'll try to lick mine. Here's
some Roip for you. My father
left me nearly seven millions. Do
you get that? Seven million!, I And
you won't get one single horse
trough out of me, njt a sitmie
trough. That's that!"
reihapt it vui the invisible im
pact of s.i uuwh mrir.ey that caused
Wil'i.utis" I nuts to f.ilter, or it
illicit hue been a siuip'.e ln!e in
the ri'.i.l. Whatever the cur-e wu-i,
th car v.ui w j unexpectedly and
phuwed in'o the ha!!u thuh. The
cune s ve a I ud wlio-ot in i -
test acd -'piled.
' N'w IhV ssli' vim weiii t'
d nc!" K.M.r Wii' idiv '.mt
l!t'-v. s
i .sis I im!, H f ir P tn
er lt' wi lU. w !'H tt-jpelt- r-.
.i.. ri'i 'if t."i!i UttjjMrf I"!
' I II l-llf. I'lAl I
t 'i'ii" hid tun iv ts.th !i ii'
f?t tad. ietriile.t t'.st S it"i.
iVm! I lie ui f h
linih hn Jjl'icf hil I, fl Ni tSt
whole ih i 4 a 'i oin "nt r
l.!!.l- l I I"''-" l'.-'i ":"
It took a quarter of an hour t
coai the rtigiue out of i:i sulks.
I'or five minutes the car slithered
hail; and forth in the effort to re
gain the load. This accomplished,
the vehicle rarernrd toward hniiir.
"Seven millions, huh?" said Wil
liams, alter they had covered three
aides. "Mebbe. 1 wouldn't touch
. dollar of it."
"You never will,"
Williamt had hit revenge 'in a
minor degree. Bancroft was forced
to walk home from the garage. At
he swung back the gat he fell into
laughter again. He had entered
upon this adventure with $10, (Ml in
his pocket I So much for a pretty
fare. Still, she might have asked
where to tend old Mil Home's
shoet and stockings.
He entered the house, tossed his
hat and slicker upon the hall chair,
put out the lightt and went up to
his room. He sat on the tide of
the bed for awhile and tried to
marshal the events but either the
IT ir t got in the adventtirer't way ,
or he got in hcr't; Bancroft could
not concentrate upon cither with
any succcsj. He smiled. Who
could say? The advent of the girl
might be an earnest of what the
Great Adventure company was
capable of offerijig its clients. If
so, he was rather inclined toward
a contract. Mankind' only. Well,
you never could tell. One thou
sand down, wasn't it, and nine upon
the happy completion of the cycle?
This time his smile was less hu
morous than ironical.
And yet, how oddly the man had
fondled that antique chair, and
v hat a singularly beautitul thing
his smile had beeut
He yawned, undressed and- got
into bed, and in a little while.
Somnus brought forth his blackest
nightmare -and Bancroft was con
demned to ride it through the
night. lTp and down the world,
into far countries, and always the
unknown young woman beckoned
him on, but with the adventurer's
smile. Ships foundered under him
and men tried to take his life,
Battle, murder and sudden death!
(The concrete phrases that we hear
during the daytime and how loose
ly they wander through our dreams
at night!) Over seas of rocking
water; over mountains of slithering
gold,- still passionately he pursued
her.
Now, then, before the teller of ad
ventures departed the village he
drew up before the hostelry and
blew his horn three times, sharply,
and waited. Almost at once a
young man hurried out and ap
proached the car,
".Remain and watch him, Shad
ow. Follow wherever he goes,
and never let him see you. Ke
port by wire anything unusual."
"All right, professor."
" "Plenty of money?"
"Yes, sir."
Thep rofessor nodded, and the
car went on, into the storm and
the night.
The young man called Shadow
returned to the hotel veranda and
and watched the red tail light until
a bend in the road shut iu behind
it. Queer old bird; something
loony about him, for all his intel
lect. What was his game, any
how? And what part in the cast
had this poor country boob and
his money? Well, the old boy
knew what he was about, and it
didn't pay to question or cross
him. He had a way of boiling up
furiously, and in those moments
he was bad medicine "to brook.
Yes, sir.; a queer old bird. Every
matinee day you'd find him in the
parade, up Broadway or down,
peering oddly into the .faces of the
women the young ones. Nothing
raw about the way he did it; more
like a painter seeking a special,
model. Once he had taken the
Ijherty to quiz the old boy.
"What are ou hunting Kr, pro
fessor?" "A smile."
"Whv, vuu're setting 'em r!,,'ht
and let't!""
"But not the One I seek, Shad
ow" There was the emerald company,
too. All on the level, not a nail
out of plumb; really dug up emer
iUIs and siM tl.i-m. But ever
U litist this, the Great Adventure
e.impiiiy. whieh wis iihnut as
toqic.ll as old George V. Per
pctu.il M itioii; an I there wisn't
nut ch.itiee in a tvillion of this
ShhiIi I. ero falling f ir it. And
wh.it was KoiUIJ tv happen if he
did ell the (oiilij, t ? Siime f ml
iii'iik' siii'i' Well, we!!; Ids j.!
vi is 1 1 v a', h I r is-lid I 'n "lijli,
ml w.itih hmi I w villi, i'lini
I incites l i piav. i ,
Me im; e, ili -re i I he r
I im lt r.'itv il e i a cirliin v t
I sii4'iv ili.it l. 'N f" ' was
! a1! tv ie!i i, ii -miiiij a pop.
' if h t I1 f i .i l rn , ted
ii ..'.!
'!! p ! 'ss ,r - i i t itilj- lii twn
i. 'i. b t h't lit In', miles - ii
. 4 i.i V. Y.i'W it 1.' II
- I
ii I t
I
took the elevated downtown 10
Fourteenth utrert. Kvcntually he
turind into Tweltth street and en
tered an apartment house. T lie
apailniriit consisted oi three
rooms with hath. The fjiuiture
was rotiifiii table and substantial,
but the lat k of style and uni
formity intimated that these ob
ject! had hern purchased indil-.
fncntly. The living room was
lined with bookshelves, but the
books were batteied a-nd soiled
from passage alter passage through
second hand bookshops. There
were no picture on the walls, n
photographs.
The occupant, having no serv
ant proceed'-d to make himself a
cup of I' a, which he thank thought
fully. He got out of his clothe,,
but abstractedly, which resulted in
a disorder of their placement.
All this while there had been no
expression on hit lean handsome
face to imply that he considered
hit business in the country a suc
cess or a failure hut he swung
himself into bed heavily, after the
fashion of a man weary in mind
and body.
He turned on the reading light
and reached for the book on the
bed stand. It was Burton's "The
Anatomy of Melancholy." He
opened the volume at the marker
and began to read and soon be
came absorbed in this remarkable
analysis of mental depression.
Sometimes we seek hooks, not in
idle amusement, but in hope that
we may find some example which
will either excuse our conduct or
cure it.
At I o'clock the young woman
with the Jaipur box came to the
door of a brick dwelling with mar
ble steps and window ledges in
Ninth street. With no, sound be
yond the opening and closing
click of the latch, she tiptoed, into
the hall and up the first flight of
stairs, and let herself into a room
which faced the yards. She closed
the door and turned on the light
simultaneously.
A Pekingese puppy, gray brindle
black of face, with a coat so fine
and thick and soft that it rivaled
spun silk, flashed toward her with
such expressions of joy and wel
come and love madness, that the
girl fell upon her knees, swept the
puppy to her throat and rocked
with him.
"Hush, hush," she,whi.spered, to
still the puppy's whimpering. "Sh!
O, Ling Foo, Ling Foo! What
shall I do? I can't give you up,
and I can't leave this place . . .
I'm so unhappy! I'm nobody; I
don't belong!"
She set the puppy down, picked
up the Jaipur box and rose. She
ganed about, questioning mutely
her trunk, the bureau and the wall
stand. After all, it did not matter
where she put the box there was
nothing within it of monetary
value, while the box itself was like
dozens she had seen in the Fourth
avenue shops. It might be worth
$3, no mote. She derided upon the
wall stand, and laced the box
there.
Next, she began to prepare for
the puppy a dish of condensed
milk and diluted with warm wa
ter, which she heated over an al
cohol burner; and while the puppy
satisfied its thirst and hunger the
girl let down the folding bed and
freshened the piljw?.
The room wa-; large, with a
clothcsprrss of satisfying dimen
sions. There was no .suggestion of
luxury, but all the furnishings in
timated ejinfort and excellent
feminine fjslc. There was a grand
piano by one of the windows, and
the top of this was littered with
s ings and opera scores.
Ling Foci, now drow.sv with
comfort, sat up and begged to he
put to bed. The ttirl smiled. He
was so funny. He was worth a
1 00 miles of mud and rain. He
defied melancholy; he was irresisti
bly an optimist, and his optimism"
was contaffious. So she nestled
him between the pillows, from
whence he eyed her eontentedlv.
"with aii occasional waj of the tail.
Of al! things thnt live, there is
nothing more loving or lovable
than ,i dntr --any kind of a doe. He
is a human need. Jdut oj i:
tuiist have -ometh'iig upon wbUi
t.i lavish ".ir titleitioii. Ii we
may not. ur d.ire not. i if ii.noiis
of shyness or reasons id lonven
lion, lavish this a'lee'ooii upon hu
mans, wp n. .ie sttVly t.im to the
1 .'. wlii wilt answer cur appeal
with a;l he is, wish d-a!l.le. .ic
altv. whether we ie wvj,!ii
hot. He hat m il .versions; he las
only fi!, lluwajit, n, that i id
sou lie y , w i when )fn leave
l oii, wv!e"ue soil j mousIv
lini ) -hi return, ii ) "i punish
him, It fi!s M ycsiif teet ! be
ftrnivc'l, II his il.) ii t !i.
rAis'tr of li s hive; Im U nn't !
W lii-"S till " , lll II . uKvs
s it i A t at is I is-'i v. Ion t
I If IS II -, f V i.l I .
Al the look !f the boiroiscl
shoes and Mm kinut, she made a
little ge,ture which iii.Kated el(.
reproach. Hie wont. I never hf
able to return Hie artu'et Sli
niinht, of course, addrcst them
blindly to "the house of mans"
books and vases;" but on second
thought she dismissed the purpose
as ridiculous as well as impractical.
She was conscious now of having
acted too much upstage without
any justification other than thai
the young man's breath had brrn
tainted with drink. He had played
the part of the Good Samaritan
perfectly; and she would -.till be in
that dismal village but for his
ready courtesy. All the other
houses had been almost articulate
in their expressions of (orhidding
nes. Ilecausr of other in en unknown
to him, this chance benefactor was
made to suffer apparent ingrati
tude., It was the way of the world
One man committed an evil; and
like water responding to the stone
cast, the ripples, reached far and
wide, bringing misery and disrup
tion to the innocent. (Of whit h
is the woof and warp of this tale )
At length she sat upon the bed
Turk-wise, in her kimono, and re
viewed the salients of the letter sin
had found in the metal box. A
letter, written months gone, in an
ticipation of his death, while h
had yet the use of his voice if not
his hands. A dictated letter.
Daddy Bowman, dear old Daddy
Bowman! , , , W ho had found her
outside his studio one morning,
year ago! He had never told her
about the box and the chain be
cause "it would only have tantal
ized you and directed you no
where." She was not an ordinary
foundling. Daddy Bowman had
always maintained the opinion that
she had been stolen for ransom,
and some slip in the plans of tin
rogues had forced them to abandon '
her at the nearest door, which for
tunately had been his. While h
lived she had been Daddy Bow
man's; now the was nobody's; and
it was beyond all possibility that
the box and chain would ever lead
to her identity. But why had thev
taken the locket and left the chain-'
How one rogue robbed the other?
Darling Daddy Bowman, who
had taught her afl he-knew about
music, so that today she was capa
ble of providing for herself 1 How
glad she was, in the midst of bee
grief, that she had in turn been
able to take care of him, to visit
him Sundays and to take him flow
ers! Now he was gone; and to
morrow the muddy earth would
coverhim forever.
Suddenly she turned and buried
her fare in a pillow; and then Ling
Foo discovered that for once his
endearments were unreciprocated.
When he awoke in the early
morning, as was his habit, Ban
croft sat tip in bed, plowed hi
fingers through hit hair and licked
his lips. Pah! what a night!
Never any more of that &tu(T in
his goblet. A nightmare was a
novelty, but of a character not tn -fent
upon encores. He must have
gone to the bottom of the sea l'
times, and he could still taste tin
brine of it ... or the wine of it!
He grinned, jumped out of bed
and threw up the curtains. It was
a glorious day. In the yard the
ground cobwebs flashed like dia
mond sunbursts. The upland fields
were ruddy and golden brown with
stubble and emerald green with
winter wheat; and above the fields
the wooded heights, with scattered
torches of flaming maple. I he
changing beauty ot this" vista ivas
eternal; each of the four seasons
was a sublime artist. And hi"
might be gazing; thitherward for
the hist time.
What had chained him he-e
Why hadn't -he run away from it
all and poiie a-veuturing as so i,."
of the village hoys already had?
Cowardice? Had he feared h s
sf.ite too much? Did he love tl,,
hills and valleys, while he h.iii.l
the inhabitants? Had the fid
held him? He could not an -wee.
Certainly his lather had not !"!l
him by any soju or word. I i i I
his motive b'"eii (eedv; an uu---pl
ess.-di hope t'l.il s, .ui.- d iv
m''.r ii.he'It the h ni-e u-.d a I i'V
niiiui-e? He could not !! .n '
su. h lii-ml:! s-iming ii.to ' -
o; n He r. en n-'.ered depa' -.
lor the inii-tiiv ft I'll iu' c.i'i .' 'i-
lhtcd and rebot d ,it tl-t- i h I
lli:il in bit pi oliatuhi e he v -i-.ld
never the t-nvn .ut.ii. V;,
II his u hirii a ih IH.iliii'r I s .(.
liter, lb s of the (aiiiih.il IV't
hid f i'e l hi heart w !l!i 4 ..
that loch hl'"l It. There was ui
l.i,;S.vaV for th's iri'ruro-, ; 1'
f.d'.vued atoioj an unbrolen v a"
ll'S !li,lhH, irlf.l hv h.s "
v i. t.V iitinasse. I ...l another d-
reel. .in, ll ! Vit . t!v Ii'..
V! ihai t- .tiV- (.r 1 'ie U !
ili-t lie was cm s ! 1 i"U
il o-m4 .s fss viis 1
