Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-07-03
'.Is 1T noMEsroKNnss ?" HE ASKED.


on to the same fire escape. The girl
made quick move to go in. but the
man spoke. and she paused. ~
"Is it homesickness? p he asked qui-
city.
Something In his voice made the
tears well up In her eyes, 80 that she
could only nod her head and smile
waveringly.
"How did you guess 7" she asked aft
er moment.
II used to have 1t, and know"
ut Is very silly" said me girl, "but
the nights seem to clutch one So"
II used to cure myself by getting the
gloomiest book could lay hands on
and reading 1t until was 80 stepped
in melancholy and darkness that ID
would grow positively funny"
The girl laughed and mopped away
the tears. .F
II have fine theories I wrap about
me in bright hours-theories dlscourag-
Ing all such atmospheric things as
homesickness and the blues--but they
only, act like little demons to mock me
when genuine spell Of homesickness
comes on" se.- ..
Fighting always makes 1t worse"
he aaid Ff t
This man with his friendliness was
like tonic to the girl. The two talked
on obviously. 1t seemed perfectly
natural that he should emerge sudden
ly and sit there chasing away her
moodiness with his easy chatter. He
) was the frat person she had really
talked to since she came to New York
few weeks ago, and In the pleasant
ness Of the sensation she let his SYM
pathetic questions lead her on to talk
about her work, her ambitions and her
plans. They sat chatting half an hour
or more when the girl made a move to
go. She held out her hand to the
stranger. THANK you for curing my
homesickness," she said frankly.
. II shall understand whether you real
let me know the next time the same
malady threatens YOU"
There was a comfortable, warm little
feeling in the girls heart as she crept
back into her room: the pleasant tingle
that follows talk with some one that
aderstands. In the plain. staring sun
{Eysht Of the next morning her expert
ence OF the fire escapes seemed very
improbable and absurd, but the men,
ory OF 1t brought a gladness that lasted
all day while she worked away at a
story she was writing. 1t was good to
know that there was one friendly soul
In the big lonesome city, even IL he
were a shadowy specter that came out
Of the night and had probably van
ished into nothingness. But In the aft
ernoon when she went to the window
to look out she found an evidence Of
the reality Of her ghost In white mug
with bunch Of violets in 1t. She
reached out for them greedily and
buried her face in their fragrant
depths. On the handle Of the mug was
card with the words, "Tor the little
homesick lady of the fire a, from
her next door neighbor."
Her heart thumped 80 that IL there
had been any Inconsistencies In II at
chat moment It would surely have spill
ed out.
Every day there was some further
token from her next door neighbor-a
bunch Of flowers, big rosy apple or
maybe jolly little note which the
efrl returned thanks for In a few
words, but she didn't crawl out on the
fire escape any more. Late one after
noon as she sat In her room, just on
4 the outskirts OF loneliness, she heard
10 tapping on the glass and looked up
''to find note poked under the window
ledge. ----, :.