The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-08-02

Jim with his hands clenched at his
sides, and Mr.. HARRISON with his
arms folded and very erect. Dal
took Jim by the elbow and led
him downstairs, muttering, and
the situation was saved for the
time. But Dial was not optimistic.
You can do a bit yourself,
Kit" he finished. Look more
cheerful, flirt a little. You can
do that without trying. Take
Max on for day or so: it would
be charity anyhow. But don't let
Tom HARRISON take 1t into his
head that you are grieving over
Jim's neglect, or he's likely to
toss him off the roof"
81 have no reason to think that
Mr.. HARRISON cares one way or
the other about me-" / said prim-
ly. You don't think he's-he's
in love with me, do you, Dal?"
l watched him out of the corner
of my eye, but he only looked
amused
I'm love with you'll" he repeat
ed. why bless your wicked lit
tie heart, no! He thinks you're
married woman! It's the prin-
ciple of the thing he's fighting for.
If l had as much principle as he
has, ibid put it out at inter
est"
Max interrupted us just then,
and asked if we knew where Mr..
HARRISON was.
Cant find him." he said.
I've got the telephone together
and have enough left over to
make another. Where do you
suppose arbison hides the tools :?
I'm working with a corkscrew and
two palette knives"
| heard nothing more of the
trouble that night. Max went to
Jim about it, and Jim said angrily
that only a fool would interfere
between a man and his wife
wives. Whereupon Max retorted
that a fool and his wives were
soon parted, and left him. The
two principals were coldly civil to
each other, and smaller issues
were lost as the famine grew more
and more insistent. For famine
lit was.
They worked the rest of the
evening, but the telephone refused
to revive and everyone was starv-
ing. Individually our pride was
at low ebb, but collectively it was
still formidable. So we sat
laround and Jim played Grieg with
the soft stops on, and Aunt Selma
went to bed. The weather had
changed, and it was sleeting, but
anything was better than the
drawing-room. / was in a mood
to battle with the elements or to
cry-or both-so 1 slipped out,
while Dial was reciting "Give me
three grains of corn, mother"
threw somebody's overcoat over
my shoulder, put on a mans soft
hat-Jim's l think-and went UP
to the roof.
1t was dark in the third floor
hall, and l had to feel my way to
the foot of the stairs. / went UP
quietly, and turned the knob of
the door to tn eroof. At first Ii
would not open, and / could hear
the wind bowling outside. Final
ly, however, l got the door open
little and wormed my way
through. 1t was not entirely
dark out there, in spite of the
storm. A faint reflection of the
street lights made it possible to
distinguish the outlines of the
lockwood plants, swaying in the
wind, and the chimneys and the
tent. And then-a dark figure
disentangled itself from the near
est chimney and seemed to hurl
itself at me. 1 remember putting
out my hands and trying to say
something, but the figure caught
me roughly by the shoulders and
knocked me back against the
door-frame. From miles away a
heavy voice was saying, $50 I've
got you'll" and then the roof gave
from under me, and l was float
ing out on the storm, and sleet
was beating in my face, and the
wind was whispering over and
over, open your eyes, for Gods
sake!"
l did open them after a while,
and finally / made out that 1 was
lying on the floor in the tent. The
lights were on, and l had a cold
and damp feeling, and something
wet was trickling down my neck.
seemed to be alone, but in a
second somebody came into the
tent, and l saw it was Mr.. Har-
bison, and that he had double
handful of half melted snow. He
looked frantic and determined,
and only my sitting up quickly
prevented my getting another
snow bath. My neck felt queer
I