The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-01-01

i ingsf Every normal woman. NO maj
!, ter what sort Of bungalow, palace
} ranch-house, cave, cottage, or tent
ment she may be living in, has In he
} minds eye picture Of the sort o
apartment she'd live In II she could al
ford 1t. I've had mine mapped GU
from the wallpaper in the front hal
to the laundry tubs In the basement
and 1t doesn't even bear q family re
semblance to this"
I'm sorTy," stammered T. A. Buck
| you asked my opinion and r."
Opinion! If every one had so lit
tie tact as to give their true opinion
when 1t was asked this would be {
miserable world. l asked you becaus,
wanted you to lie. l expected it O.
you. I needed bolstering up. I real
lie that the rent I'm paying and tht
fat I'm getting form. a geometrica.
problem where x equals the unknown
quantity and only the agent knows
the answer. But it's going to be q
home for Jock and me. It's going to
be a place where he can bring bis
friends; where he can have his books
and his 'baccy, and his college junk
1t will be the first real home that
youngster has known in all his mis-.
cradle clearinghouse, hotel, boys
school, and college existence Some
times when / think of what he's
missed, of the loneliness and the neg
| lect when l was on the road, of the
| barrenness Of his boyhood, L"
| T. A. Buck started forward as one
who had made up his mind about
something long considered. Then he
gulped, retreated, paced excitedly to
the door and back again. On the re-
turn trip he found smiling and repent
ant Emma McChesney regarding him.
Nov aren't you sorry you insisted
on coming along? Letting yourself in
for Raging like that? l think I'm a
wee bit taut in the nerves at the pros
pect of seeing Jock-and planning
things with him"
T. A. Buck paused 1. his pacing.
'Don't!" he said. Il had it coming
to me. I did it deliberately. l want
ed to know how you really felt about
it."
T. A. Buck was regarding the head
OF his walking stick with gaze as
intent as that which he previously
had bestowed upon the chandelier.
Mrs. McChesney had wandered into
the dining room. She peered out Of
windows. She poked into buffers PAN
try. She inspected wall lights. And
still T. A. Buck stared at his stick.
tits really robbery" came Emma
McChesney's voice from the next
room. "Only New York agent could
have the nerve to do it. I've friend
who lives in Chicago-Mary Cutting.
You've heard me speak of her Has a
fiat on the North side there, just next
door to the lake. The rent is ridicu-
lous; and-would you believe it?--the
fiat is equipped with bookcases, and
gorgeous mantel shelves, and buffet,
and bathroom fixtures, and china clos
cts, and hall tree"
Her voice trailed into nothingness
as she disappeared into the kitchen.
T. A. Buck did not look up But, |
"Oh, Chicago!" he might have been
heard to murmur, as only New York.
er can breathe those two words.
Don't oh, Chicago!' like that"
mimicked Emma McChesney. 1--WE
lain awake nights dreaming of home |
/ once saw there, with the lake in the |
back yard, and couple of miles of |
veranda, and darling vegetable gar
den, and the whole place simply honey
combed with bathrooms, and sleeping |
porches, and sun parlors, and linen
closets, and-gracious, 1 wonder
what's keeping Jock!"
T. A. Buck wrenched his eyes from
his stick. All previous remarks de-
scriptive of his eyes under excitement
paled at the glow which lighted them
now. They glowed straight into EN-
ma McChesney's eyes and held them,
startled.
Emma" said T. A. Buck quite calm
y, will you marry me? / want to
give you all those things, beginning
With the lake in the back yard and
ending with the linen closets and the
Jun parlor."
, And Emma McChesney, standing
here in the middle of the dining
Dom floor, stared long at T. A. Buck,
tanding there in the center of the
living room floor. And ii any human
ace, In the space of seventeen Sec
nds, could be capable of expressing
elief, and regret, and alarm, and dis :
nay, and tenderness, and wonder, and
great womanly sympathy, Emma Nc
,hesney's countenance might be said
0 have expressed all those emotions
nd more. The last two were upper
1ost as che slowly came toward him. 4
ct. A." she said, and her voice had
1 it marvellous quality, I'm thirty !
inc years old. You know / was mar
led when l was eighteen and got :
~ divorce after eight years. Those :
light years would have left any wom-
q who had endured them with one Of
vo determinations to take up life
gain and bring it out into the sun 9
line until it was sound, and sweet,
i'd clean, and whole once more, or y
J hide the hurt and brood over 1t, and a
,vor II with hftforuQaa and hate nm