The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-02-17

him as the assembly broke up. Each
member of the society he noticed, seemed
to be provided with an escort, generally
young and very brotherly. Once the dis
integrating process was begun it went on
rapidly, until Handy found that Miss Ma
son, Herrick, and himself had one end of
the room to themselves At the other
end half dozen middle aged or elderly
men had drawn their chairs together and
were conversing earnestly.
ITS too bad, Kate, Herrick said,
with look at the group. THE commit
tee 5 in session, you see, and I've got to
join it. Can you amuse yourself until its
business is over? I'll cut it as soon as l
can.
No, you mustn't do that. | know
how important you think the committee
action will be. Besides, Mr.. Handy will
perhaps guard me home.
Handy grew rosy. 81 shall be de
lighted he managed to say, though just
then one of his fits of bashfGlness assailed
him. Herrick looked doubtful.
Thank you, Kate said, with httle
smile. 'Don't waste any more time,
Tom. Your committee needs you Good
nightp'
She and Handy moved toward the
door. Herick seemed about to follow
them, but checked himself. A moment
later he was with his committee.
As the pair stepped into the street,
Kate took Handys arm as unconseiously
as if she had not guessed that the youth
was in an agony of doubt whether to offer
it to her. They walked along slowly, but
neither spoke for a little time At last
the girl began to question him about his
investigations for the society, and Handy,
more at his ease, found how to use his
tongue again. 1t seemed to him that they
reached the Major house altogether too
quickly.
1T is too late to ask you to come in to-
night, Kate said in parting, but she put
delightful little emphasis on the last
word Il hope You will come and tell
me if you find any new cases for us. Don
wait for enc of the meetings You will
almost always find me at home in the
evening"
Handy was not vain youngsteT, hut
/ hc diln believe that her interest in the
starving poor altogether accounted for the
| invitation He walked to his boarding
house that night in more jubilant frame
of mind than he had known in months.
Yet a week passed before Miss Mason saw
him again, although, as she knew, he
could easily have found pretext to visit
her in day or two. That he did not APP
pear sooner piqued her not little. 1t
puzzled Tom Herriek, to whom Kate had
lost no time in announcement what she
had said to Handy Although Herrick
was evidently displeased he made no com
ment, rather TO the disappointment of the
young lady, to whom it did not occur at
first that he might rot feel at liberty to
express an opinion.
'.Weu, she said, little defantly, II
can see, Tom, that you're thinking some
thing about poor Mr. Handy Why
don You blame me- if you feel like il?
'.Wi!l you give me the right p Her
riok asked, quickly.
lie tried to take her hand
NONSENSE cried the GIRL hastily.
Don't be foolish, Tom. And she
clasped her hands behind her.
Herrick hesitated go, and sit
down. sir. she went on ''You' re very
tall, know; but you don look bit ma
| jestie; YOU re just jealous. Oh, that's the
wrong word
No, said Tom, dryly. "It's exact
" the right enc But he sat down,
nevertheless.
When Handy finally appeared at the
Majer house, Miss Mason's greeted him
a little frigidly, and for few woful mo-
ments he was possessed by uncertainty
whether had not blundered in coming to
see her at ALL His perplexity and embar
rassment in this unhappy state were too
evident for Kate long to withstand their
mute appeal, and the winter in her man
ner grew into summer with hardly trace
of spring 10 lesson the abruptness of the
charge. He had brought her news of the
society proteges, and of two or three new
cases of destitution; but the talk soon
drifted from Handy's discoveries about
other peoples misfortunes to his opinion
of his own 1t pleased Kate to find that,
I of his own volition, he spoke little OF his
affairs; but it pleased her still more to dis
cover that he readily followed her lead.
Ii was easy to put him at his ease, to lure
him into little narratives of his experiences,
which, to the girl, had the charm of nov
city, Of the ways of country town she
knew little, and Of the life Of the city
poor even less. In all he said there was
not much which bore directly upon his
own history, but Kate thought she could
fill in the blanks easily enough. Up to
the time of his removal to the city he must
have been fairly prosperous according to
the standards Of his old associates; his ur-
ban career evidently had begun auspleious-
ly: the sudden check which threw him
out Of employment had clearly been a Sc
we're blow to his hopes; the manner in
which he had sought and finally secured
other work, even though uncongenial and
poorly paid, showed energy and self-reli-
anee THAT young man will make a
success, was her mental comment.
Circumstances brought them together
rather frequently in the course of the next
month. Ierrick indirectly had a good
deal to do with their meetings. Under
his guidance the young ladies of St
Matthew were doing nobly in their eharit-
able work. Not only were they support
ing number of families, but they were
also undertaking task which, in Herrick' S
opinion, promised even greater benefits.
In making his rounds among the poor he
had come upon many men and women who
were wearing themselves out, bodily and
mentally, in desperate struggle to remain
self-supperting, and who stood sadly in
need not of aims, but of encouragement,
/ of little break now and then in the gnaw-
ing monotony of their existence. He had
organized club of people of this class,
which met weekly in hall he had secured
for the purpose At each Of these meet
ings there was something in the way of an
entertainment, simple, of course, and per-
haps all the more appreciated for that rea-
son. The St Matthew S Society, having
agreed to relieve him of the task of arrang-