The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-01

in the corner The chairs were moved about the papers on the desk were in neat piles, the room had an aspect of fem mine occupancy.
 Your familiar spirit o magician, has been tidying up," she said. You shouldn't have done that-you're | tired-but here are ham and eggs and bread-I made it myself-and coffee to i keen me awake. I'm sorry I haven't l lamb chop to offer the fairy princess, and 1 only condensed milk for the coffee, but even my magic wand can't conjure Up l fresh meat and milk on Fire Island in De- l cember We had a COW once, but she in- considerably diedn'
 Ham and eggs and condensed milk That's like canoe trips Now you fill the kettle first, that's an obedient magician. l and I'm going to lie here and watch you | cook. and order you about She smiled | up at him from under her straight dark brows.
 l And as he measured coffee, cut ham. set the eggs popping in the pan, spread an old towel for d table cloth, she talked, making music in the tower room. Before they sat down to their supper they had got quite through the first stratum of ac- | quaintance which is tastes and adven- lures and views on people, and were down to the second which is hopes and asper- | ations and views on life
 He told her how his father had died while he was still in high school, leaving him with a living to make, and how 1e l had turned to the key because he used ! to play with telegraphy when he was a l little boy; how he gave up chance to work his way through college because of the sister left him to support; how he had been reading all the time to make up for | the university education he could not ! have Now his sister was grown and teaching, but it was too late for college and he was reading law all by himself | She lietened with the wide-eyed wonder of child.
 And just thinkl' she said, .I who am 1 listening to this never had to think of money at all. Why when I wanted to go to college, Aunt Penelope-she seemed to settle everything in our family, does Aunt Penelope-she wouldn't have 1t for months and months. She said that none of our people ever sent their girls to college, and she didn't like the idea But how I've loved it, and how hard I've worked with my books-too hard, I suppose" | She was rich, and hers were "our peo- ] ple." He felt barrier colder than the l icy night-for he was at an age when such things count Yet her next words i, licked it away
 Do you know, I never told them at home-but I'm going to make my own living for at least three years after graduate That's one reason why I've worked so hard, I suppose" And after that?''
 "It's supposed to be Bar Harbor and Europe in the summer and dances and teas in the winter-but it won't. That's looking rather far ahead, though, isn't | it?'
 When they had finished and Woodford had stacked up the dishes, she looked about for his pipe; asked him to smoke. Suddenly Woodford became aware of light at the seaward window, a blue ghost-flicker in the blackness. "The Lucania" he cried 'T had for gotten her She's off the island now, burning her signals" The blue died away, leaving on the horizon the faint, illumined honeycomb that was the Lu- cania, and f1ared up again.
 1.-TWO blue lights, two Roman candles" he said. That's the Canard signal. Wait a moment and see the candles burn" A dainty ball of blue fire streaked the sky. You see, won when I took the risk of wiring that the Lucania was sighted. On nights like this I like to look at the steamers through the telescope and know that there is company out there. Not tonight, though" he added, smiling back at her But would you care to look? Sometimes I can make out the passengers behind the cabin windows"
 "Pd like it very much"
 "Then watch out for the wind when I open the chute"
 The room grew cold again. The papers on the desk went scurryng.
 "Something in the chute,' he said. 'I wonder" and into the room tumbled a confused, Hopping brown bird. He rammed the chute tight shut, and turned to find the girl crouched on the floor, coo ing and crooning over the bird which lay kicking feebly all of huddle.
 "Oh. bird, bird!" she was saying over and over again. She picked it up and held it to her breast. Tears were drop ping on the brown plumage. She was crying.
 "It is only stunned a little" he said, reassuringly. "They often come in SO"
 "Oh, do you think that? And you don't kill them or put them out, do you?'
 'Oh, no! I keep them until they are quite over it."
 'Do you know, I thought you'd do that,' she looked up smiling, although a tear had perched itself in the corner Of her mouth. She seemed to have forgotten