Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-20

to utter his customary call OF
Gong down. because this was
the first trip after five O'clock
and the various offices in the
building had, with their usual
startling prOmptness, spilled their
employees into the halls, where 1
completing the operation of dress
ing for the street, they stood a. l&
clustered about the entrances to NJ
the four elevators. 49,
As Chris slid the door open AM
office boy darted under his al NJ
and scurried into a remote corner 3
of the elevator, slipping his arms fE<A3 ~
into the sleeves of his overcoat st.
and pulling his rumpled cap from ~
of its pockets. *
aYou fresh kid!' growled Chris.
@Its wonder you wouldn't wait Be 81
for somebody else to get on. DO -
you think this is your private carr" d
Y
Il should worry IetoTtAd The IN
urchln xasreTatingly, and leered HgGV
at his hereditary foe; but the de- NfkX
faint grin on his features relaxed
and he suddenly grabbed his cap K
from his head young woman ~ X
entered the car, followed by NV
man. Chris too called an arrnis-
tice in his endless warfare with the AHA 4
office boy, and deferentialy re- |.8EM4
piled to the young womans srnil- VIZ
ing greeting. Then, as he shooed
quartet of ggglng small girls
back into the car to make room
for her, he said
ats rainn'. Did you know
it, Miss Whitman
@Oh I've only block to walk
to the subway" she replied; but
his announcement caused spar
rowlike futtering and chirping
among the small girls.
ooh, gee, Chris! Is that SO,
honest?"
3My goodness And me with my sisters new hat on
She'll murder mel
3Jever such weather? | amt got carfare, and
left my rubbers to home!'
The Young woman smiled with interested amuse
ment at the little girls comic distress, and then turning
Serious said to the who had voiced her impover
ished condition, "And you live away the East
Side, don't you Mamie?"
eyes, Miss Whitman l don't mind walkn' it most
nights; but if it's rainin-oh, as gloved hand held a
dime before her big eyes, Il didn't nothn like
that-I-wel thank you ever much, Miss Whitman
III pay it back tomorrow sure
The office boy, witnessing the transaction, had it on
the tip of his tongue to make whitening and sarcastic
observation to the recipient of the dime; but the fact
that the phanthropst was his employers secretary
more than that the young man who had followed
her into the the boss himself silenced him. He
contented himself with winkng at the little girl.
HE clean looking young man of thirty-thrce OIL
IL four this Frank Ashrst, the Office boys boss with
face strong in its indication of character to mark
him anywhere among men. Even had Miss Whitman
been stranger to him, instead OF a confidential en-
ployee she could have placed only the highest conStrc
ton on his manner as he spoke to her.
Il happen to have my umbrella said he. "Please
take it"
NO, thank you." She flushed and turned her head
away
He understood why and did not press his offer of the
umbrella Within the hour he had asked her, in his
plain businesske way, to become his wife, and she had
refused in quite matter-of-fact words Another man
finding himself in the elevator with her, in these
circumstances, would have been overwhelmed with con
fusion: but it typical of Ashurst that he had fol-
lowed her into the absolutely unconscious of her
presence. Perhaps the blow of her refusafor it had
been blow though the effect of it had not been appar
ent at rst-had stunned him, accounting for his allow
ing himself to get into this awkward situation Now as
it all to him with sudden Cearness he would have
given the world to be out of 1t.
But it too late The car had begun its downward
journey. At the next floor it ok on other passengers