The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-12-19

anything you have ever tried be-
FORE" he warned me. Every Ger
man 1t is, and very, very clean.
and most inexpensive. Also
think you will find material there
how Is 1t you call it?-copy,
yes? Well, should be copy in
plenty; and types! But you shall
see."
From the moment I rang the
KNAPP doorbell l saw. Herr KNAPP
opened the door. l scarcely had
begun to make my wishes known
when he interrupted with q large
wave of the hand.
Zach. yes! You would be the
lady OF whom Herr Doktor has
spoken. Gewiss! Frau Orme, not ?
But SO young lady did not ex-
pect to see. A room we have
saved for you-aber wunder-
hubsch! 1t makes me much pleas
me to show. Folgen sic mir,
bite"
l tried not to look frightened,
and followed him up to the but
wonderfully beautiful" room. To
my Joy | found 1t high-ceilinged.
airy, and huge, with q great vault
of clothes closet bristling with
hooks.
had thought myself hardened
to strange clearinghouse dining
rooms, with their batteries Of cold,
orifinoI wnpDop,o ayac Thorafaro
on my first day at Knapf's | went
down to dinner in the evening,
quite composed and secure In the
knowledge that my collar was
clean and that there was no flaw
to find in the fit of my skirt In the
back.
AS I opened the door of my room
heard sounds as of violent al
tercation in progress downstairs. l
leaned over the balusters and lis
tened. The sounds rose and fell
and swelled and doomed.
I tip-toed down the stairs, al
though I might have fallen down
and landed with a thud without
having been heard. The din came
from the direction of the dining
room. Well, come what might, |
would not falter. l peered into
the dining room.
The thunder of conversation
went on as before. But there was
no bloodshed. Nothing but men
and women sitting at small tables,
eating and talking. l stood in the
doorway until Herr KNAPP spied
me, took a nimble skip in my di-
rection and waved me toward a
table In the center of the room.
Then a frightful thing happen
ed. The battery was not that of
women's eyes, but of mems. And
conversation ceased! The uproar
and the booming of vowels was
hushed.
Such men! Immediately I dub
bed them the aborigines, and
prayed that might find adjectives
with which to describe their fore
heads.
1t appeared that the aborigines
were especially favored in that
they were all placed at one long,
untidy table at the head of the
room. The rest of us sat at small
tables. Later I learned that they
were all engineers. At meals they
discuss engineering problems in
the most awe-inspiring German.
They are all graduates of high
sounding foreign universities and
are horribly learned and brilliant.
but they are the worst hammered
lot | ever saw.
An examination of the dining
room and its other occupants
served to keep my mind off the
hateful long table, The dining
room was double one, the floor
carpetless and clean. The wall
was ornamented with very German
pictures of very plump, bare-armed
German girls being chucked under
the chin by very dashing, mustach.
ed German lieutenants. 1t was all
very strange and foreign to my
eyes, and yet there was something
bright and comfortable about 1t.
felt that | was going to like 1t,
aborigines and all. It is uncanny
in these United States. But It ia
going to be bully for my German,
Won Gerhard has not behaved
at all nicely. l did not see him
until two weeks after my arrival
in Milwaukee, although he tele-
phoned twice to ask II there wal
anything that he could do to make
me comfortable.
"Yes," l had answered the last
time that / heard his voice over
the telephone. ut would be q
whole heap of comfort to me just
to see you. You are the nearest
thing to Norah that there II In
this whole German town, and
goodness knows you're far from
Irish"
He came. The weather had
turned suddenly cold and he wal
wearing q fur-lined coat with q
collar OF ur. He looked most
amazingly handsome and blond
and splendidly healthy.
you have no idea how glad
am to see you" ! told him. III
you had. you would have been here
days ago. Aren't you rather ILL
hammered and neglectful, consid-
ering that you are responsible for
my being heref"
Il did not know whether ron.