South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-07-08

now aware OF my occupation anu NY
name. and my place OF abode and man
ner OF living. and. when one comes to
think Of It. isn't that about all that one
knows about anybody"
"Really-that's true" said Miss Collins
thoughtfully. "oh. it's such strange
world"
Yes" said Rothes, discontentedly
Here were you and so close together.
and not knowing It."
Il don't see anything strange In that"
objected Miss Collins.
We'll. perhaps there isn't" Rothes ad-
mitted. doubtfully. lone can't tell"
Il think that you are very strange"
she said, decidedly
do you?" he asked. People have
thought that before But when you kr~w
me better you'll find that it isn't any
thing. Really. Miss Collins. you'll have
TO know me to find out"
do you think that It would be worth
while-just for that?" she demanded.
There might be other things" he re-
sponded
The door opened and a stout. elderly
woman stood upon the threshold. She
scowled upon Rothes. and looked re-
proachfully upon Miss Collins.
Good morning. Mr. Walker" cried the
girl. 81 am so much Obliged to you"
She entered the room. and the door was
Immediately and abruptly closed by the
elderly woman who had opened II.
May hippogriff seize the old party"
muttered Rothes. Even in the simplicity
OF the slums there seem to be dragons of
duennas"
And then. as he sat in his small room,
he thought of her. Netti Collins! The
daughter of the people. What if she
were? No one could be prettier than she.
and he felt no one could be dearer and
sweeter aud truer. How charming she
appeared in the ugly place! How simply
and with what merry dignity she had car
ried herself! The thing had happened be-
fore, and will happen again. and it was
happening 10 ROthes even then. He knew
that he loved her. Such a mingling of
reverence and longing he had never known
before. and he understood that new ex-
istence was beginning for him. Who that
knew him would believe it? He could
hardly believe it himself, but still there
was the all-compelling feeling. There
was the wish to see her again-the de-
termination that he would see her, the
conviction that IL was necessary to his
happiness that he should see her many
times-always.
This was the first OF numerous meet
ings. In the beginnings she sought to
H.,
with respectful determination In putting
himself In her way, she appeared to yield
TO circumstance and let him talk to her,
walk with her and accompany her to the
door, and. on one great occasion. pass be-
yond the threshold
The room was bare and dull. Still he
recognized a refinement in its neatness
and simplicity Nor was 1t without a bit
of color from a simple rug in one place.
And on the walls hung a photograph or
two in slight wood frames. Rothes gazed
about him. delighted. The place was ex-
actly such as he should have desired it
&c be, in which he should have liked to
find her living
My cousin is in the next room,' she
explained, primly, land she is just going
to bring me some tea. Can't l give you
some?"
ROthes stared. He could almost i'm
agine himself in a drawing-roo in quite
a different part of the town. Here was
this pretty girl Offering him the usual
tea at the usual hour. To be sure. she
was dressed in the toughest. simplest
manner. AS he glanced down, he saw the
cracked boards in the floor, the cheap
paper on the walls, the stove But what
did dress matter? How much could the
bare floor count? Had he not dropped
hopefully into this unknown world. and
had he not been justified? Was there not
standing before him the prettiest, dearest
maiden that he had ever beheld? What
did it matter II her shoes were old? They
were the smallest. What did anything
matter but she-she. and again she?
Thank you." he said, dropping on to
hard chair
do you know" she continued. as she
brought the cups and saucers and busted
herself with the teapot. II have never
known gas-htter exactly like your"
Have you known many?" he demanded.
as he watched her small hands deal easily
with the coarse crockery.
Not many" she replied. Indeed. I
believe that you are the very first. Still.
you are not what my idea of a gas-ft:cr
would be"
And you have an idea-an ideal. per-
haps?'
Hardly" she laughed. "But II we're
going to have one. Honestly, you
puzzle me. You speak differently and
you behave differently and better"
Because a man is a laborer he does
not have 10 be lout." answered Rothes.
with a manner to bring the applause
from the upper gallery
That's what I've always said" she
eagerly assented. If people only knew.
l am sure that they would find that in
the poorest surroundings there were in
telligence and taste anC niceness."
But you" he went on; frankly. /
never supposed young woman in a book
bindery was like you"
why not?" she demanded. promptly
and peremptorily.