Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1907-11-14

In the bachelor apartment on the tor
floor of the Riverview court Pan'
Laurison paced restlessiy UP and
down. Occasionally he stopped {"
look out at the spring landscape ana
sighed.
you'll be all right now, my 10y,
was the doctors parting shot Just
take plenty of fresh air. Get up ca
the roof as often as you can"
"Confound the roofr' muttered Paul
but he took his overcoat and went up.
In the apartment below the bach
elors'. her eyes red with weeping. Syl
via Randall was washing out a lin
gerie waist.
Its mean OF Sarah not TO come
today she complained, regarding her
shriveled fingers ruefully. She knew
had to have this waist done up. And
now I've got TO go up on the roof
myself and hang the thing out to dry"
But before she went up Sylvia
stopped to obliterate the effect of tears
and to throw a scarf jauntily over her
head
~ might meet some one she eX-
planned. with demure little smile al
her reflection In the mirror
A strong wind whistling over the
housetops snatched the waist from
Sylvia's hands just as she was pin
ming it to the line and would have
carried it over the edge of the roof
had not help come Unexpectedly.
"Oh, thank you-thank you, SO
much" exclaimed Sylvia. Then, motto
ing how good looking her benefaetor
was, she stopped in confusion.
You're very welcome, I'm sure
answered Paul, lifting his hat and re-
Stunning his constitutional.
'Its-it's my own waist. you see. :
stammered Sylvia.
Paul turned
"Is II, indeed" he replied. Then
I'm doubly glad l rescued it,"
Il mean, Numbered 1t for myself |
don't go out. Sarah didn't come.
didn't think there'd be any one up
here
AT this Paul burst into laugh that
even Sylvia in her embarrassment
found contagious.
II see.'' he said, you are the queen
In the garden. hanging out the
clothes
Sylvis assumed an injured look.
"Yo,: know that isn't right" she cor
rected 1T was the maid who was in
the garden
Honest. was it?'' asked Paul. Il
never was much good on poetry. l al
ways thought 1t was the queen, but I'm
delighted to find it is really BOTH
Without another word Sylvia vanish
ed, leaving Paul transfixed with as
constituent.
How deliciously naive and childlike
sunny corner In which to stretch his
lazy length. Having found one, he
smoked cigarette or two and then fell
to scribbing.
What he scrubbed remained for Syl-
via to discover. This she did the very
was still conspicuous by her absence,
and there remained handful of fluffy
trihes that had to be Numbered. Syl-
via went at the task with commenda-
BILE resignation. The drying stage
reached. with careless indifference to
bareheaded and bare armed. As no one
was in sight this time to rescue arti-
Giles vagrantly disposed, each piece was
pinned to the line with a firmness that
defied whirlwinds.
This accomplished, scrap of paper
tapping in the side of the chimney at
tracted Sylvia's attention. She pulled
1t out from between the bricks and
read the following:
The man was on the housetop
Seeking recreation.
When suddenly the wind changed
Bringing variation.
The queen was in the rooftree
Hanging out her gown.
Along came a brisk breeze
And blew the thing down.
With sniff. Sylvia tucked the paper
into her belt Then she picked up one
Of the little stones with which the roof
was covered and tried to mark with It.
but without success A small sharp
pointed stick proved equally futile
Suddenly in corner she found burn.
ed match. Triumphantly she scratched
a word across the rhymes and then put
them back In the chimney.
Here, an honr or two later, Paul
| found them. SO the queen had not
come into the garden again, he argued
1t was just as well perhaps. He was
about to tear up the nonsense when
Sylvia's scrawling letters caught his
eye.
SILLY" he spelled. and shouted with
\ amusement.
Then he pocketed the missiye, sc
oddly transformed from the ridiculous
to the sublime. and sought his favorits
corner. There was no sun shining on
It today. and the wind was bleak, bul
he turned up his coat collar and settled
down to a smoke and more scribblings
The latter he soon read aloud:
One bright and sunny morning.
When windy was the weather
! CHANGED to meet a young maid,
Sweet as Scottish heather.
began to compliment,
And she began to cry:
"How-do-you-do and how-do-you-do.
And why do you say goodbyy"
After applauding his own perform
ance Paul got up to deposit the effusior