Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-05

some American Beauty roses
With a muttered oath, Warren
turned off the faucets. Just how much
the water had been left running, Hell
en- could not tell. as the plumbing was
Of the improved type" the tub being
filled from the side.
Anybody that hasn't any more
sense than to put flowers in a tub End
go off and leave the water turned on!"
stormed Warren. Here" turning to
the fireman, this waters got to be
mopped up or it'll be all down in our
place"
I'll have to have some sort of a
cloth to get up with" mumbled the
fireman, sullenly unwilling.
Take these" and Warren jerked
from the towel rack some long
fringed, monogrammed towels.
oh, dear, wait-wait!" fluttered
Helen. Don't use those-Tn go
down and get some old cloths
That's all right; you use those
towels" ordered Warren. We've got
to get this water up, and get 1t up
pretty blamed quick"
While the fireman was hopping up
the water and wringing the towels
out in the tub, Helen instinctively
glanced around. She had always Won
dered what this apartment was like,
and how it would be furnished.
The Sandfords Return.
Through the open bed room door
she caught a glimpse of the library
and drawing room beyond. 1t all
showed a lavish expenditure of money,
without being in particularly good
taste. II was too ornate and too
crowded Helen could not help but
think how much better their own
apartment looked, and how much less
money they had spent on 1t,
There was a sound of the outer door
opening and of voices in the hall
"Oh, Warren! Warren" Helen
whispered, panic-stricken. Can that
be the Sanfords2 Oh, how dreadful
for them to catch us in here"
Warren, who was overseeing the
firemen mop up the water only
grunted.
Even when the voices were at the
door of the bed room he did not
trouble to turn. Then, to Helen's
horror, Mr.. and Mrs. Sanford en-
tered.
Afterward Helen told herself that
in all her life she had never passed
through a moment of such anguished
embarrassment and awkwardness as
when those people confronted her in
their bed room Evidently they had
come up on the other elevator and
knew nothing of the invasion of their
apartment, for Mrs. Sanford gasped
and gazed at Helen in petrthed
amazement, while Mr.. Sanford STAN
m cred an astonished,
Il beg your pardonl"
They had not seen Warren, who
room door, but now he stepped out
with cool:
You left the water on here and
flooded our place. The superin-
tendent was out, and l had the man
break in. We've been trying to mop
up some of it-but you'd better get
up the rest before it soaks through"
Mrs Sanford was the first to re-
cover herself. She had darted into the
bath room, but stepped back quickly
as the water soaked through her thin
evening slippers. Then she turned 10
Warren with an icy;
Helen Ashamed.
This Is an unfortunate accident, of
course, but | hardly think you were
justified in breaking into our apart
ment"
"Then that's a point, madam, on
which we can not agree. I'm of the
opinion that we've done you quite a
service in not letting your careless
ness do more injury than II has. Be-
fore you go out, hereafter, | would
advise you to turn of the water in
your bathtub."
Just how they got out in the hall,
Helen hardly knew. Mr. Sanford
started to say something-a sort Of
stammered apology-but Warren had
cut him short with a curt:
Good evening"
In their own apartment Helen threw
herself on the couch and hid her
burning face in the pillow.
"Oh, II was dreadful" looking up
with her cheeks afame. When they
came in there and found us like that
Il thought / should go through the
floor! oh, l never was so embar-
rassed!"
Embarrassed? 30 snorted Warren.
They're the ones TO be embarrassed.
The nerve of that womanl"
And what will she say when she
finds all her embroidered towels were
used to wipe up that water"
The shrug of W6rFen's shoulders
expressed his complete indifference.
But, dear, she may make a COM
plant about us breaking in the apart
ment."
Let her. Iguess we've got one or
two kicks coming" looking up at the
stained ceiling. Pretty stiff ones,
too. Don't you worry, she's going to
be mighty busy keeping still.