The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-11-25
Don't you want toothpick?" she

Don't YOU want toothpick?" she,
asked, as he went out.
In KS previous walk of life there
had been no tootllpicks; or, if there
We're any, they were kept, along with
the family scandals, in closet. But
nearly a year of buffcting about had
taught him many things. He took one,
and placed it nonchalantly in his waist
coat pocket, as he had seen the others
do.
Change was in the very air of the
Street that June morning. 1t was in
Harriet, asserting her right to live;
in Sidney, planning with eager eyes a
life of service which did not include
Joe; in X. LIE Moyne, who had built
up q wall between himself and the
world, and was seeing it demolished by
a deaf-and-dumb book agent whose
weapon was lead pencil pad!
And yet, for week nothing hap,
pened. Joe came in the evenings and
sat on the steps with Sidney, his hon.
est heart in his eyes. Anna, no longer
Sulky, accepted with childlike faith
Sidney's statement that they'd get
along; she had splendid scheme"
and took to helping Harriet in her
preparations for leaving. And X. LIE
Moyne, finding his little room hot in
the evenings and not wishing to in
trude on the two on the doorstep, took
to reading his paper in the park, and
after twilight to long, rapid walks out
into the country. The walks satisfied
the craving Of his active body for ex-
ercise, and tired him so he could sleep.
When X. was sure that the boy had
gone, he would turn back toward the
Street. Some of the heaviness Of his
spirit always left him ut sight of the
little house. Its kindly atmosphere
seemed to reach out and envelop.
Within was order and quiet, the fresh
ness of his turned-down bed, the tidi-
ness of his ordered garments.
Life, that had seemed so simple, had
grown very complicated for Sidney.
There was her mother to break the
prove, she felt; but these others! To
assure Anna that she must manage
alone for three years, in order to be
happy and comfortable afterward-
thnt was hard enough. But to tell
Joe that she was planning future
without him, to destroy the light in his
blue eyes-that hurt.
After all, she told X. first. One Fri
day evening, coming home late as
usual, he found her on the doorstep,
and Joe gone. She moved over hoSpi-
tnbly. The moon had waxcd and waned,
and the Street was dark. The cOlOred
man VIII" drove Doctors Ed in the old
buggy on his daily rounds had brought
out the hose and sprinkled the street.
Within this zone of freshness, Of wet
asphalt and dripping cutters, Sidney
sat. cold and silent.
"Plcnsc sit down. 1t is cool now.
My idea of luxury is to have the Street
Sprinklcd on hot night"
X. disposed of his long legs on the
steps. He was trying to fit his own
fdras of luxury to IL garden hose and
n city street.
I'm afraid you're working too hard"
81? do II minimum of labor for
minimum of wage"
"But you work at night, don't your"
Il. was nativcly honest. He hesitat-
ed. Then:
"No, Miss Page"
"But you 20 out every evening! I"
Ia tr,,t
ooh, denr" she said. II do be-
lirvc-why, how silly of you'll"
Il. was most uncomfortable.
"Rrally, like IT," he protested. II
hang over desk all day, and In the
evening l want to walk. l ramble
around the park and see lovers ON
benches-it's rather thrilling.''
Quite suddenly Sidney laughed
"How very nice you nrc!" she said
"nnd how absurd! Don't you know
that, II you insist on walking the
streets and parks ut night because Joe
Drulnmond is here, shall have to tell
him not to Gomez"
This did not follow, to KS mind.
They had rather heated argument
! over it, and became much better &C.
qunlnted.
"If were engaged to him." Sidney
ended, her cheeks very pink, IL
might understand. But, as am not
"Ah!" said K, a trifle unsteadily.
$50 you are not2"
Only week-and love was one oil
the things he had to give up, with
others. Not, Of course, that he was in|
love with Sidney then. But he had
been desperately lonely, and, for all
her practical Observation-Disclosures, she was
softly and nppcalingly feminine. BY
way Of keeping his head, he talked sud-
denly and earnestly Of Mrs. Mckee,
and food, and Tillie, and of Mr.. Wag-
ner and the pencil pad.
ITS like game" he said. 1--WE
disagree on everything, especially Mex
leo. If you ever tried to spell those
Mexican Names"
"Why did you think was en-,
gagcd?" she insisted.
Now, in KS walk of life-that walk
~>A1 e.