Evening star., 1913-04-20
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR APRIL 20. 1913

was reoiced to see he still had Shoes There five
courses of Christmas dinner.
Then had followed in the great gray drawing room
one of those appalling family outbreaks of which
men merclfuy know nothing before which those who
do trernble
Biv Merrick had listened with whitening lips "You
may whistle back to the crack of DOOM, he had
guped thiclly-after ALL they his sisters, but
never, will enter this house again And then he
had plunged forth, to draw what help he might from
the darkness If they had heard since from the Ludlow
Merricks that he reduced to working in store
so far know, actually behind counter, he
could hear Felicia calling Providence to witness her
at his connection with anything halt so re-
spectacle If had been saloon she could quite
have understood it.
Contrary to the Ludlow Merrcks report, the job was
not behind the counter, but to assist Peters keeping
stock in Wall Papers. 1t should have seemed descent
in life but strangely enough it did not. The eighteen
per had been godsend but it not wholly the
eighteen per-
Billy Merrcl had once fanced he cut out for
painter-had fancied it too hard for his good at
Harvard. To his amazement he now found he rather
liked Wall Papers. He liked the look and the feel and
especially the thought of them He liked to pick out the
kind of rosy Welcome Home stuff he would have in
his vestibule and the satin damask for the draw
ing roomlf they decided they wanted drawing room.
He wasnt keen drawing rooms himself; but you bet
your life there should be den! This friendly clipper
horsechestnut May pattern was as good as an nvi-
aton to bring your crocheting your pipe and spend
the evening. And linoleum for the ktchen-a black
and white cube pattern is always neat. And this gay,
frsky Kate Greenaway stuff for the nursery-al well
effect in red and green for the dining
dining should be in red and green,-just the red
of the he would bring Her home every Saturday
She would of them tipped just so against her
white shoulder. Not The Girls shoulder, you under
stand,-that all over,-but the Real Girls who
would understand all things without telling But-oh
he was forgetting! No girl of that kind probably
lived, and if she did she would never rap tor
scamp and a renegade and oafer. He would not hold
this job day longer! He would take catteship to
Australia or Panarna-or anywhere!
TT was at this point that Billy Merrck dved into the
third lefthand drawer for the empty whisky bottle
that wasn't there when that girl from the Advertising
Office walked in.
She was even younger and trigger and classer than
he had decided his hasty survey in the Advertising
Office, and had that little paintive note in her voice.
as though she just needed comforting.
you've forgotten, haven't you that Monday morn
ing copy always be by Thursday at four thirty
We make no exceptions And here it is Friday almost
eleven thirty, and this She looked reproachfuy at
the sheets in her hand "Coud you write ad out of
these yourself? Now could you?"
Who could ever have imagined that two dents
cheek could add so much to its effectiveness? If he
Strengthened up and faced her, would she do it agan'
She did. To his stupeactlon, Merrick found himself
1numbling abject apology.
"You see. I'm leaving in day So, he explained
gloony; $50 it hardly matters. Peters doesn't care
hang; why should II"
He stole cautious glance as he made his announce
ment but, mercifu Heavens he had not expected she
would take it that way, Why, they were actually
starting to quver.
"You 're-you're eavlng in stricken tone. why
-why-where you golng?
"To Australia answered Billy Merrick shortly. The
catteship did not at the moment so alurng.
That is, haven't fully completed my arrangements
yet" he qualified; "but-why under Heaven should
you care?"
He regarded her skeptically. The Girl too had
casons known how to look soft and appealing. Miss
Ellsworth stole denure glance 1t was clearly no mo-
ment to quibbe over trifles.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" lamented the Advertising ssst
ant, "Then it's no use-l suppose | must lose It,
lose WHAT" Merrck inquired sharply