The commonwealth., 1917-08-07
ACROSS THE Street
BY ISABEL FROST.

,ASANAS~:&NHNHN2AHAHA2H2E4
Zone of the joys Of living in a city
Is not knowing or caring who your next
door neighbor is, and equal Indifference
on his or her side"
Jean poured tea with her customary
air OF absorbed nOnchalance
"Now, where 1 came from everyone
knows all about you. It's simply ter
rible. You never feel grown up. I'm
nineteen and nobody called me Miss
Ashton, not single person. They just
said Bah. or that Ashton girl. And be-
cause wanted to break away by my
SELF and do something in the world they
well, they didn't approve"
Hartley eyed her curiously from his
place on the high window seat. What
queer, self-sufficient little wandererI
she was. 1t was quite as If very
young. adventurous kitten had started
off to see the world by itself. 1t was
mighty nice Of Jean to get her under,
her wing, he thought. Jean was al
ways doing that sort of thing, opening
the doors of her Ninth street studio
wide to all heart wayfarers who need
ed cheering up. He could not measure
up all that her faith and comradeship
had meant to him during his own up
s,lill fight in New York. Perhaps the
only thing about Jean he did not like
was that she herself never seemed to
need help from anyone. He would have
loved to Know she needed him ; that his
presence and cOmpanionShip were q
strength to her; that she even missed
whom tn
few days. AS it was, she merely gave
him the usual smile and happy greet;
Ing, and went on with her work.
1t was week later when he got the
tickets to Savelli's musicale There was
splendid 'cellist and good sOlOist,
young soprano who sank folk songs.
He thought Jean might like to go. But
Instead she told him over the phone
that she was too busy, and asked If he,
would mind taking Bah The kiddie
was lonely and rather at sea. said
Jean
That was the beginning, and he vent
: on sullenly at first, then Indignantly,
: believing it was all Jeans fault Bah
enjoyed going around with him to the
exhibitions and little studio teas Inn
ant, tantalizing and whimsical.
3 One day she came up to jeans studio
l rather white and discouraged.
: 'You know I'm not earning anything
t at all, not cent" she said suddenly.
"It's funny how little one can live on
), here, Isn't IL I hate spaghetti and
cereals. Mother was the most most wonder
4 full cook you ever saw. I don't see
! how people starve in garrets and paint
i or write masterpieces"
@ Jean did not take her seriously. II
: was SO usual to say you are not max
), Ing money, and only meant you were
e not earning the hundreds you had
# hoped to. IL -~'4s
n The morning Of the fourth day {
8 phone Gait caffM froom Miss Milligan
l. the landlady across the street. 2
Is you're little Miss Ashton's friend
!, aren't yo9l We'll, she's pretty slck
s. Ahd II something Isn't done the doctor
,e says she's got to go to hospital righ
IS away. It's pneumonia, he says, and sh'
j. hasn't been eating regular" @hs@->
p Jean stood in the middle cf the floor
= thinking quickly. Then in five minutes
IS she had called up good nurse, he
d own doctor, and had made arrange
a. ments for bringing Bah over to he
c. own cozy suite of rooms. When Hart
It ley came down at noon she met him a
the door with her finger to her lips
He listened in silent wonder as shl
told him what she had done.
N "But your work."
p "Never mind my work. We've go
,s TO feed her up and put her on her fee
o. again. Go and send telegram to he
= mother for me. Answer that phone
,s VIII you, while I write this?"
a Hartley obeyed, and turned from
I'd to her with curious smile.
It "Theres somebody downstairs frou
es Haines Falls" he said. "He wants
,e know If you know where Miss Ashton
u is. Isn't she from Haines Falls2'
a. ''In see him." Jean went down tn
ut winding staircase quickly, and met tn
if tall, anxious-faced youngster waitin
t. there. -
W Il got letter from Bab--from Mis-
I'd Ashton-last night" he said hrokenl,
to eve were engaged, you know, and sh
broke 1t, but she wrote me she Vas 3
- the last lap, and she didn't care wha
49, happened she was so hungry and sicl
y So came at once to take her home.
rr wondered If you'd Ak it so We could b
,g married first" 1asaesF's<Aa
t. Half an hour later Jean left the tw
le together in the darkened room, Bal
o. her eyes bright with fever, but col
le scious and holding fast to the big boy
y hand. Hartley sat in the studio O
le the window seat waiting for hef. Sh
d. went to him; her eyes rather tire
~ now that the nerve-strain was over.