The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-12-17
MOVING DAY.
BY ISABEL FROST.
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would not trust her indefinitely, even
though she had not taken the time to
apprise him of her intentions. She
had meant to drop in the Office on her
way to the station and tell his slave at
the desk that they might renew her
lease; but it was pouring pitchforks,
and she had to make train therefore
she trusted to luck and the landlords
intuition.
When she returned on May she en-
c00ntered large packing cases In her
FlAai, also a young man in shirtsleeves
wrestling with the same.
ATIl have these out of the way In
Just a minute, 50 you can get by" he
told her, pleasantly.
"But I don't want to get BY" said
Alice frigidly. THANK you. merely
wish to get into my apartment"
He looked at her in surprise.
"There seems to be some mistake
here. I rented this apartment under
the impression that it was vacant" he
explained. from May 1 for one year.
I'm just moving in"
Allce's face turned a shade paler.
Manners were instructive second ma
ture to her, and she forced herself to
speak very quietly
"May / phone the officer she asked,
bit helplessly.
PaxtOn's voice was suave but firm.
He reminded her that they had written
several times, inquiring her intentions
on the renewal of her lease, and she
had calmly ignored them.
"Have you anything else left in the
building" she asked.
mo, am very sorry, but there is
nothing at all left. We waited until
thevery last moment for your decision,
but Mr.. Reeves wished the apartment
on the first, and we accommodated
him. If there is anything that we can
do"
No, there was nothing they could do.
She thanked him and hung up the re-
ceiver. Drawing off her gray suede
gloves, she looked around her a bit
tiredly.
"PlI pack up my things right away"
she said.
/ shall not retain the apartment" he
told her resolutely. TT was beastly of
them to rent it without your knowl
edge. I'm going to throw the whole
thing up"
'But you can't, you know. NotI If
you've signed lease" She laughed
rather YEARLY. eff you don't mind,
think I'll make cup of tea for myself
before I pack my dishes. Won't you
join meY
Before the impr0mptu tea was half
over, she made several enlightening
discoveries. First, Mr.. Reeves was a
Yale man, the same class as her broth
er Tom. This in itself would have war
ranted her in accepting almost any ia
vor at his hands. The time slipped
away while he told of Toms initiation
into their fraternity, and then she
found herself reading to him Toms
last letter from France, where he had
Joined the aviation corps.
'Of course, you understand" he told
her, when they had finished tea, that
can't possibly let you go out of here.
If they won't let me step down and
out, shall sublet to you.'
She wrote to Tom. telling him of the
accidental meeting. and asking him If
he remembered Dick Reeves, class
'13. Yale. The answer did not come
back for nearly two months and in
that time Dick had securely estab-
lished himself as a landlord who be-
slowed remarkable attention upon his
tenant He called frequently.
Then came the letter from Tom. She
never forgot the moment when she
opened 1T, just after Dick had gone.
He's one of the finest old chaps /
ever met, but he got into a mix-up at
college with a girl who blew into town
with road show. guess she was a
square little kid, all right, for she new
err tried to hold Dick, and told him he
was making fool of himself for moth
Ing. His old man went mad over the
affair and cut Dick off without cent.
He stuck it out, though, working his
way through his last year, and took his
degree. don't know what became of
the girl. l believe he's working now in
his Cousins automobile factory, learn
I'm mighty glad you've met him."
1t was two weeks later. He sat on
the window-seat looking down at
Gramercy park. "Alice," he said sud
denly, with touch of desperation in
his tone, 'Tve got TO tell you some
thing. Something I'm mighty ashamed
OF, now that I've met you and known
the real thing. Maybe I'm wrong. but
it seems to me you ought to know be-
fore ask you TO be my wife,
Alice bent little lower over her en-
broidery as she sat in dark-green viii
low chair beside him.
"Tve heard all about Peggy" she
said, quietly. "Tom told me. / like
you much better as a worker, Dick
than as you must have been before
she switched your life into the manlier
way of independence. Was that all?
She glanced up at him with a little
mlschievous smile of inquiry, and Dick
JoPk tho xviuIouv Soof