Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1914-08-06

edge: but when she opened her fiat
purse lie was inside that, as grim as
ever.
To make 1t worse. career was not
all she would leave behind when she
had spent all her money-all OF 1t,
that Is, except the price OF ticket
to her home I'm certain New Eng
land village. Even to herself she
would not admit Il but there would
be another wrench W, en- she s;w the
last of certain wearer OF corduroy
hreeches who, for all the air Of him.
might never have worn anything near
err creased trousers In his life. He
was a Westerner and the critics said
that he painted "ireer and holder"
than any student In the big school.
Tom Graham and she had a paint
ing-room acquaintance which extend.
ed to unch.time. when they usually
nodded shortly to each other from OPP
posite ends of the same soda-fountain
He lunched on egg connections, with
hot chocolate and crackers to boot;
she on matted milk.
There had been time when Ann
used to have a sustaining egg put in
her thin drink: but that was in the
DAYS Of her fathers remittances-
prodigal days, when she spent as
much as twenty cents In carfare, on
a Sunday, to fill her lungs with Gods
fresh air as It blew across the Hud-
son. When the remittances ceased.
instead OF eggs and car rides, she
bought baked beans and fresh paint
tubes In fact she kept reducing her
food outlay, nickel by nickel, until
sometimes she weakly wondered IL
after all courage doesn't depend on
diet. She ought to have been told
that a tumbler Of matted milk isn't
enough to keep the blood in your
cheeks at noon. when your breakfast
has been two cold squares OF choco-
late, following a 15-cent dinner the
night before.
Then something strange happened.
Everybody noticed that Ann perkcd
up--especially the "miXologist' before
the fountain, who had often slipped
a little more than fair ten-cents'
worth into her tumbler But this was
different: for now an egg appeared
daily, and sometimes two. while the
check she paid was the same.
Ann hated taking charity, even while
she swallowed It, She hated it only
while she was before the counter, how
ever. She forgot everything she want
ed to forget in the resulting power. II
leaked from her tinger-ends to the
canvas for hours, on the day when
she had two eggs. About this time
she sold a drawing to a magazine,
and in came another prize for her
work In oils
One fall dav, however, the keen
wind that raked Broadway helped Ann
through the door bodily. The mixol
ogist looked her coat up and down.
then caught it between his fingers to
feel how thin 1t was.
Pretty sharp breeze miss, he said.
'You need a fur coat-one o them
new dog-skins. now
He stopped in the face of Tom era:
ham, who had come in for his lunch,
Ann. sensitive about her shabbiness,
choked over her egg and got out
quickly.
Later-an hour after Tom Graham
had left the counter-she came back
with 20 nickels in her humpy, frayed
black purse 1t was nearly all the
money she had She talked to the
mixologist with a red face.
"IIere Is the money for the eggs.
or course expected to pay 1t as soon
as could. Very, very much obliged.
! know there were just 20, for kept
track"
The mixer turned away.
81 didn't mean any offense about
that coat" he said over his shoulder.
"Of course not. 1t is getting cold"
well. and | wasn't responsible for
those eggs, either. 1t was the man
with the velveteen pants. He paid
me for EN-
AIMS finances were In that critical
state when the loss Of dollar makes
the whole difference; so she closed
honorable mentions" blue ribbons,
and wrecked hopes into a home
bound trunk that evening, and thought
out note to Tom Graham meanwhile.
She lacked the nerve to go and thank
him.
When she opened the door TO a
mans humping, late in the evening,
she even lacked the nerve-Or the
food-to stand up. Tom Graham was
breathless after climb Of three
flights, but he caught her to save a
fall, and then, to save an explanation,
he told her he loved her.
1t was enough for Ann when he said
passionately that he couldn't see her
grow pinched for food any longer If
he had tried, for women of your sort
don't 60 hungry where I came from"
Then he drew hastv sketches of the
mountains on his Colorado ranch all
over her white paper.