The midland journal., 1917-01-19

pencil pad and pushed it toward him,
he replied in kind.
| "We are very glad to welcome you to
the Mckee family" was what was
written on the pad.
every happy, indeed, to be with you,"
wrote back LIE Moyne-and realized
with sort of shock that he meant it.
The kindly greeting had touched him.
The greeting and the breakfast cheered
him also, he had evidently made some
headway with Tillie.
'Don't you want toothpick?" she
asked, as he went out.
| In KS previous walk of life there
had been no toothpicks; or, if there
were any, they were kept, along with
the family scandals, in closet. But
nearly a year of buffeting 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 K. LIE Moyne, who had built
4 up a 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 K. 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 K. was sure that the boy had
gone, he would turn back toward the
| Street. Some Of the heaviness of his
! spirit always left him at 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
news to, and Joe. Harriet would ap.
| 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-
that was hard, enough. But to tell
Joe that she was planning a future
without him, to destroy the light in his
Fblue eyes-that hurt.
|
After all, she told K. first. One Fri.
day evening, coming home late as
usual, he found her on the doorstep,
and Joe gone. She moved over hospi.
tably. The moon had waxed and waned,
and the Street was dark. The colored
man who drove Doctor 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.
"Please sit down. It is cool now.
My idea of luxury is to have the Street
| sprinkled on a hot night"
/ 1icnocod Of h;c 1oOc loOc, ~, ha
steps. He was trying to fit his own
ideas of luxury to garden hose and
a city street.
"Tm afraid you're working too hard"
81? 1 do a minimum of labor for a
minimum Of wage"
'But you work at night, don't you?"
x. was natively honest. He hesitat-
ed. Then:
"No, Miss Page"
"But you go out every evening!"
Suddenly the truth burst on her.
"Oh, dear!" she said. II do be-
lieve-why, how silly of you'll"
K. was most uncomfortable
"Really, like it," he protested. II
hang over desk all day, and in the
SNcA1uS want " VAIN. IulnUIc
around the park and see lovers oD
benches-it's rather thrilling"
Quite suddenly Sidney laughed.
"How very nice you are!" she said
"and how absurd! Don't you know
that, if you insist on walking the
streets and parks at night because Joe
DrummOnd is here, shall have to tell
him not to conner
This did not follow, to KS mind
They had rather a heated argument
over 1t, and became much better &C.
Quainted.
eff were engaged to him." Sidney
ended, her cheeks very pink, I'll
might understand. But, as am not"
"Ahw said K, n trifie unsteadily.
i