Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-08-25

mean a Mr. Meredith" he asked, keeping
back some emotion.
There's one right at the top" she said,
eyeing him doubtfully. yes, / think he's
in. Pll-Fll show you"
They went up. She pointed, and then
retreated to the next landing. Not for
her life could she help listening. She
heard a husky Frank" and then a dull
bound, as if the man in there Lad leaped
convulsiyey from his writing table. And
then
what? I asked you not to try to
find me. told you"
My boy I've searched all London for
you. You-here in this deni Frank.
you know [ never meant half of what 1
said"
But you said it. / was a good-f for
nothing could go. | simply took you
at your word. Perhaps when | can show
you that I'm not so worthless I'll think
OF coming back. Not before. You
mustn't come here. You need not worry.
can exc out a living by writing and
I'm in hopes"
But, my boy it's impossible-it' star
walton! Look at you now. People are
saying | let you go to your ruin"
To Just the reverse, it may be. Dad,
if | have your obstinate, hasty spirit,
that is hardly my fault I've had to
swallow the lump. Pm quite comfortable
here, whatever the place is. No, YOU had
better not come inside-you'n 90 back
and say I'm mad. I'm not I'll tell you
this much: P'-his voice trembled here
"Pve been writing a book-a novel. I'm
in hopes it may be the beginning of an
end. | sent it off last week. I've worked
at it night and day If it comes back
if it fails-then I'll realize I've made the
mistake of my life, and | may make an
other. But it won't / can't talk about
it-youd never understand; you'll know
soon.''
MY boy, you know it will come back
you know what things are. You're an
unknown. Publishers play upon names
nowadays; they're bound to. You know
very well why I'd have paid for it
to be printed and let you have your fair
chance, you'd be certain then of getting
a hearing. | don't wish to thwart your
ideas, but-let me pay for it,"
\ pause, as if he were struggling
against the sharpest temptation that
ever came to a man clutching the lowest
rmg of that slippery ladder Then came
an amazing answer:
NO! no, sir. A month ago [ might
have thought twice of that. but now
now l feel that l want my book to stand
upon its merits You don't know what
book becomes to it's author. Heaven
knows, | had to realize it was all or
nothing with me! There, you'd better
go
Then, my boy if you won't consider
me, think of that poor girl with her
breaking heart. You left her without a
word, after you won her affection. Think
of her"
u do" he said brokenly. 81 think of
her every moment | live. | would never
let it be said that | married her for her
money. | wrote to her-I gave up all
thought of it. She knows-she knows
that if ever ! make name for myself
don't-don't dare to tell her where / am.
Ii you do"
His door banged on a sob. The old
gentleman stood for a minute as if stupe-
tleu, and then CROPPED back down the eter.
nal stairs. He did not seem to see the
shabby girl who shivered back on the
second landing, and Gyp's own staring
eyes merely focused a strange mist.
Gyp knew all now; knew in her crude
way that that book had come to seem a
matter of life and death to the man. The
words he had dropped-the way he came
out and listened when the postman
knocked-the gray fear on his face, that
vanished as she came up with only
long envelope. And here-here she was
carrying the parcel up the endless stairs
with a number of sensations. 1t had
come back to him. She had taken it
from the carriers hand. The publishers
printed address was on it, She had only
to lay it down beside his door, tap once
and creep down again as fast as possible.
How right down silly of her
she was nearly up to his landing She
had paused. Tiff parcel comes" he
had said it dozen times. YOU might let
me have it at once" She mad paused.
she knew not why The very silence of
his room awed her. Into her head came
that queer recollection of the man down
the street.-the man who, out of work and
desperate. Lad swallowed twopenny worth
of carbolic acid. And she heard rustic
a soft, silKen, SLOW rustic, on the stairs
behind, as if some great lady were feeling
her way up. Gyp looked-and looked
A sweet oval face. framed in a fur. came
above the landing dark. velvet ewes
in it were looking beseechingly, fearfully.
mp into hers And Gyp knew what had
happened. 1t was the woman-the wom-
an whose heart was his. the woman who
had come to find and take him away.
And Gyp's red hands clutched the parcel
in a spa-m of jealousy.
Mr. Meredith? They told me he
The sweet whisper broke off
YES. | know YOU He's here" Gvp
breathed back. That's his room-up
there And this-here's his book
take it,
A pause. If his door had opened. He
knew nothing of the tragedy breathing
outside. OF the two women who looked
into each others eyes. tie never knew
and never would know of the last
whisper
"His-his book, And does no mot