Tombstone epitaph., 1915-01-17

when he opens our door tomorrow morning"
 "Harper's an ass; tell him said sol" Meade retorted. and turned back into the architects office.
 He found Conrad. his hands clasped behind him. inspecting the materials upon the table with greedy eyes.
 Nice pickle you've got me into" fused Meade. Il suppose have to stand around now till you earn your breakfast; and my times worth money. Where are my plans, l won der?"
 With ruthless hand he began to open and scatter about the office sey- eral small rolls of tough manila-pa- per drawings until he found the ones for which he had been searching. They were the first and second story plans of a moderate-sized house, arranged he spread upon the table in front of l Conrad.
 There" he said; "see what you can | do toward designing an outside for that house; just a rough, free-hand i sketch"
 In spite of the draftsman's apparent deliberateness, they had not long to wait; for presently he put pencil to the block of paper and, with deft, sure | strokes, not one mark wasted, sketched. in perfect perspective, a | house fitting the plans that he had seen: it's roof simple to avoid snow- pockets, it's caves and porches wide to afford shade in summer. its lines simple and squat for the flat grounds. | The ornamentation, massed against broad, plain surfaces. was exquisite in its suggested detail and placed with consummate art. Meade, as the last strokes were put down, could scarcely wait.
 Look at that" he exclaimed in triumph to his friends. Harper couldn't make drawing like that in two years!"
 AS young Conrad added a chimney and lined in the wide porch-steps, Meade was for jerking the sketch from under his fingers, but the artist held up his right hand solemniy. You shoult wait," he calmly com manded; and, with a few delft lines. suggested a sidewalk. a lawn, some trees and clouds; then, having drawn a waving line about it to circumscribe the plane of his picture, he detached the sheet from the block and handed it over, with the pencil upon it.
 The three bent over it in profound respect
 That is certainly some house." pro- nounced Hyde.
 T don't know how to say lovely" drawled Eastman, but I'm willing to pronounce that. mighty decent de- sign"
 Decent" repeated Meade. Its great"
 IL
 Of course they called him the Dutchman" after he had become an intimate part of the life of Holden. for there was almost no foreign ele- ment in the town. Eight dollars week and his board Harper paid Con rad, and the boy was satisfied.
 Il am more worth" he said, adding philosophically, but it iss not here the money. If you have not profit of my work that do. then I am--what you call it?-no goot"
 Harper. with whom economy was a stern necessity, brought cot into the office, and for a week Conrad slept upon this cot, taking his meals at nearby restaurant. During that week Harper studied his draftsman closely, and Mrs. Harper made two unobtru- sive trips to the office for the same purpose. On Sunday Conrad was taken to the Harper home and formally in- stalled
 Hes simply a revelation, Sam" Mrs. Harper pronounced in surprise after the first week. After you get used to the dialect you begin to dis cover that he's well educated; he's artistic to his fnger-tips, a poet in feeling. a lover of severely good music; he sings divinely. and little Elsie fairly loves him. She makes him rock her to sleep every noon be- fore he goes back to work" It was the good-fellowship of this couple, together with their unwaver- ing affection, which made Conrad turn his admiration of them to the same degree of worship that he had already bestowed upon four-year-old Elsie. His lines were cast in pleasant places in deed, and he thrust his roots deeply into the soil
 At first he had to overcome the same contemptuous prejudice that had bestowed upon him the title of the