Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1915-10-08

happy that she had been SO thorough
~ appreciated.
1T is a joke about that house. .
said the workman, after no had
thanked her; they have been SO long
about building it,"
YES" said Joan, raising her eye
brows. She didn't like having a work
man calling the home of the Placys
a joke. But it is very beautiful"
"Well, not exactly that. It was
built more for comfort
Really" said Joan, more surprised
at the workman than ever.
He asked her whether she had seen
1t and Joan-scenting a possible
chance to see the upstairs and the
studio of the continental Mr.. Plaey-
asked the workman whether he had
the keys.
YES. indeed" he said. 81 will show
it to you gladly"
"Oh, you needn't bother to show
1t to me-" she said. "Just let me
have the keys and / can look through
it while you have gone back to your
work. 1t must be one o'clock. am
sure the Placys will have no objec-
ton"
Not the slightest" said the work.
man, laughing.
Joan started through the house. and,
to her annoyance, the workman fol-
lowed, explaining the uses for which
the various rooms-the billiard room,
the music room and the other rooms
on the ground fioor-had been de-
signed. She hurried away from him
up to the third floor in search of the
studio and he followed. Now he was
not so communicative, but he stood
near her and laughed little to him
self as she examined every nook and
corner of the studio.
On the stairs there was a place
where the boards had not been fas-
tened and Joan started to jump II
as she had done when she went up.
The workman was there before she
could reach 1t and held his hand our.
Put your hand on my shoulder and
/ win catch you IL you fall-or will
you let me carry your" It was
perfectly courteous suggestion. but 1t
made Joan uncomfortable. She jumped
the distance without waiting to an.
swer him, hurried down stairs.
and, thanking him. hastily hur-
riec home. She felt as II
there were something unusual
about the workman, and his laugh
fingered in her memory. It had prob
ably been very foolish of her to let
him show her through the house. and
she said nothing to her mother about
it. She fairly blushed when she re-
called the teasing look that he had
cast her as she disappeared across
the hedge.
Two weeks later, when the Placys
were installed in their new house,
when Joan was sitting alone in her
room, the maid brought up card
on which was written, 'Mr. Roderick
Placy." She hurried down to him
and he greeted her with easy cordial
ity and laughed as she returned his
smile. She felt for minute that she
had met him before. They began to
talk about the new house.
Il suppose you have been through
1t before we were in" he said.
She wondered whether he knew of
her encounter with the workman. She
didn't want to admit her curiosity and
she didn't want to tell lie. She
had0ad for q n,fuufa oud than Mr.
Placy came over to her chair and
looked at her closely in mock reproof.
Don't you know me? You are the
little lady who brought the cool drink
to a poor workman who had to spend
a holiday toiling, and you rather re-
scented it when he offered to carry you
over the loose boards in the stairs"
He did not wait for Joan's reply.
1--WE couldn't get anybody to do the
work, and so / came out from the
city and did it myself, and little
fairy godmother from next door came
and made the day happy"
That was the beginning of the ac-
quaintance and young Placy having
been quite sure of his intentions from
the first time he saw her, wasted no
time. BY early autumn Joan had
promised to become Mrs. Placy. When
she told her mother she also told
her the first chapter of the romance
of her interview with the workman
next door.
And you gave him one of those
heavy tumblers and the earthen pit
cher" said Mrs. Granger. whose mind
fingered on details. What must he
have thought"
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