The San Francisco call., 1904-11-23

u Iney IAN uue 1He STOUT idAu-
lady compressed her lips as
though she had said a thing which it
hurt her to utter.
II understand, indeed" the girl re-
piled passively, pushing back her
heavy, cleaning hair with a little
gesture of weariness
"Of course, tomorrow bein'
Thanksgivin day, you needn't dis
turb yourself, but make yourself COM
Portable till Friday" She looked at
the blank door which closed quietly
behind the girl Then her eyes re-
turned to the columns Of her account
book. They were opened at a page
headed. Miss Rose Darcey"-a page
where the debts considerably over
balanced the credits.
I've too good a heart to be sue
cessful business woman" murmured
the landlady, closing the book.
Twilight was fast coming on. Up
stairs, in the fourth floor back there
was q fire in the grate-bright yellow
and scarlet flames, burning in a cease
less endeavor to destroy an asbestos
log. Rose Darcy slipped down on the
floor, and with her arms folded about
her knees, watched the fire, thinking
how typical 1t was Of the life she had
been leading for the past year. Why,
everything her hearth fire-was
artifcialI
She fell to dreaming. 1t was sell
dom she had time to dream, for she
was always busy trying to make both
ends meet. But now, since they sim
ply would not meet, she might as well
dream for a tiny space. How tired she
was of 1t aIl-of the struggles, the
petty ambitions, the give-and- take
friendships, the endless cold shoulders,
the eternal worry.
And tomorrow would be Thanks
giving day! How we'll she remem-
bered that day in other years. In her
aunt's humble little farmhouse there
had ever been the enhancing odor Of
pumpkin and mince pies, of stewed
rranberries, of browning turkey, of
plum pudding, of good things innumer-
able. Not this year. though. for she
had robbed them of all that. oh, it
was hard, hard hard!
A rap at the door and Patty Lou.
the colored girl entered.
"A gemn1an in the parlor to see you,
missy. wouldn't send his name, allow
in he wanted to sprise you, reckon" Z"
Down in the narrow, gaudy room a
man with gray mustache and a shag-
gy coat sat on the sofa alone. AS he
looked unseeingly about him the stern
lines in his mouth relaxed; in their
stead came an expression OF extreme
gentleness.
All his years Of waiting harked back
to him. He seemed to see, as in a glass,
a tiny girl in a gingham apron stand
ing under an apple tree, and then she
seemed to grow and grow, but always
she had sunshine in her hair and a
smile In her eyes. He had waited for
her to attain to womanhood, dreaming
dreams the villagers had never guessed.
And then-because she had talent for
art, forsooth, and her aunts had said
it must be cultivated, even though 1t
meant a third mortgage on their little
farm-she had passed out of his life.
Lately, however, John Lowell had
caught a rumor that things were not
going well with her in the mad, COM
petitfve life of New York, and so he
was herei
How thin and white she had grown!
AS she pushed aside the cheap Bagdad
portieres she seemed to be all cleaning
hair and great, pathetic eyes. If he
could only hold her proud little face
between both palms and kiss her dear,
tired eyes!
Instead Che knew her temperament
so WELD he talked about the home
village, about the queer, poky little
streets and the dull village gossip.
'Is the apple crop good this year?"
she asked suddenly. Have you
ground a lot of cider?"
For answer he dived into one of the
pockets of his shaggy gray coat and
fetched up a shining red apple.
Thanks; it's a beauty" exclaimed
she, feeling of its smoothness.
Game off your tree, Rose"
MY tree?"
''Yes; the immense one in the cor
ner-don't you remember? I've called
it your tree ever since-since one day
when you were very little and you
wanted some blossoms"
81 suppose you got them for me,
IL wanted them?" said the girl soft
ly. How good he had always been to
her! He was just like that shaggy
coat of his-big and rough and whole
some and worth while.
Last night she had dreamed that
her head lay on that same shaggy
coat, that his strong arms were about