Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-03-12

Pengreave, coming slowly down the
street. gave no heed to his surround
ings. For twenty years he had been
coming down the same street, some
times a little earlier, sometimes very
much later, but always he passed
fixed upon his business and his home.
At fifteen he had first turned into the
side street from the main thorough
fare. Horse cars had run unevenly
over the badly set rails, and Pickering
gas lamps had lighted all save the
business streets. Now there were troll
legs everywhere, and even the alley
ways were lighted by electricity, but
Richard Pengreave gave no heed to
these changes.
1t had been a good locality once.
When Pengreave. in the glory of his
first long trousers and his first real"
job. had sought boarding place Mrs.
BeIdin's had been recommended as be-
ing in mice residential neighbor-
hood"
1t had been well swept street then.
lined with rows of three story brick
houses and here and there a brown
stone 'front.' to break the monotoay
Now the homes had given way to FIVE
and six story tenements. Mud heaps
and garbage barrels Uttered the I'M
kempt pavement and the broken flag
stones
The Beldin house. too, had changed.
Mrs. Beldin's daughter had assumed
charge at her mothers death and had
changed ii to furnished room house,
declaring that the cares of a large
kitchen weighed too heavily upon her.
Then she married and had moved up
town, and some one else had taken over
the shabby house, with its shabby fur
niture
The change had annoyed Pengreave,
and he had promptly purchased the
place. for he was errand boy no longer,
but the proprietor of business. He
had retained the first floor for his own
use. and a real estate agent had rented
the other floors. He handed Pengreave
quarterly checks, and Pengreave wor-
| ried no more.
He was sure of home, the only
home he had known. He sat a: his
window in the summer evenings and
looked across the square opposite and
gave no heed to the children swarming
in the street
There had been few children when
he had first come to Barrow street, and
| those were well dressed and orderly
Now the policeman on the beat had his
hands full, and only Pengreave remain
ed serene and unworried.
Once for nearly year he had wor-
ried. 1t was when he was nineteen
and he had fancied himself in love
But Lena had married junk dealer
on the corner below, and. after an un
quiet month. during which he drank
seidles instead of the smaller glasses a,
the Bierhalle, Pengreave had recovered
his placidity.
Since then it had pleased him to be
lieve that his life had been wrecked
and so he kept Lena's faded photo
graph on the mantelpiece, and at times
he took 1t down and sighed over it
also he avoided all feminine society.
At his uncle's death the latter's bust
ness had passed to him. and under hi:
even administration 1t had grown great
| ~. He lunched at better places, ant
he also dined downtown. He bought (:
new suit of clothes whenever his ole
cashier discreetly limited that one wal
needed.
The woman who acted as janitres'
for the house attended also to hi
rooms, and he found them always or
derby. He asked nothing more.
| But tonight surprise waited for hin
at his very door. AS he let himself Il
q voice from the darkness of the foo
above reused him. 1t was a musica
voice with the indefinable accent o
good breeding, and it gave to the sim
pie question the melody Of song
81 am not the DOCTOR" was his repl
as he kept on up the stairs instead G
turning into his own apartments o
the first floor. "Is'there need of a do,
tor? Some one Is ill?''
Mrs. Brady explained the voic