The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1918-03-09

Suffer1ng from the cold. AS nc spoke
Hermine led him to the corner of the
living room nearest to the cracking
embers on the hearth. The only chair
available for him was the comfortable
one the good neighbor had found SO
inviting. The fire was unusually in
viting, and the rows of Temple lilies
that bloomed on a stand near q sunny
window at n side of the room gave
a suggestion of warmth and cheer that
captivated the neighbor. He rose to
go, and then resumed his seat when
Hermine went to the kitchen door and
called to Rachel to ask her whether
she could spare q little wood. At the
door she whispered: "Hurry in with
a pot of chocolate and nice buttered
toast. Look surprised when you see
MI. Gray, and make a move to take
the chocolate away. Hurry, Rachel"
Hermine walked slowly back to the
fireplace. "My woman is looking to
see whether we have any wood
chopped" she was saying, and her the
old woman entered with the tray. She
started at the sight of the caller and
pretended to return to the kitchen.
"That's all right, Rachel; you may
bring it In" said Hermine. And then,
turning to Mr.. Gray, she went n
"You see, l usually have chocolate at
this time on cold mornings. Rachel,
another cup please. Oh! please, Mr..
Gray, let me give you a little-it is
so warming"
A half hour later, when the caller
rose to go for the third time, he asked
Hermine whether he might send Moses
over at once with a basket for a little
wood; they actually had no fuel to
cook dinner. Hermine looked puzzled.
She said the wood was in q shed at
man who anne to carry the wood had
the key. She was sorry, and then:
"Won't you share my own very simple
dinner2 / believe Rachel is roasting a
chicken. 1t is beefess day, you know,
and Rachel is very patriotic. She has
made crullers-I can't offer you very
much. Please stay, and Rachel will
call to your man Moses to have him
get a bite with her in the Kitchen"
Mr.. Gray accepted the invitation,
though as he did so something that he
mistook for his conscience pricked
him. He felt that he was breaking
down a barrier that it had taken him
ten years to build up.
At six hat afternoon Mr.. Gray still
fingered. He was playing cribbage
with his spinster neighbor before the
fire, with the light of a skilfully ar
ranged bracket-lamp hat threw just
the right shadows on the board and q
mellow, becoming glow on Hermine's
face. in the kitchen Rachel was max.
ing savory coffee. A pan of johnny
cake was browning beautifully in the
oven, and a broiler of bacon was spit.
ting on the fire. Rachel was laughing
to herself-or rather to old Moses, who
sat watching in admiration, with 8
growing appetite, at n side of the
stove.
Hermine did not even ask her neigh
Dor to stay to tea-it seemed to be
such q matter Of course for him to re,
main there in the glow of her fire
rather than to go home to his OWL
barnlike abode to feed upon cold meat
and damp, chilled bread.
When Rachel had cleared away the
things Mr.. Gray drew his chair closer
to that of Hermine. you're a wonder
full woman, Hermine," he said. 81
made up my mind once that you were
cold; but you've been thawing out my
heart today-my heart and incident
ally my fingers. 1 know it is onl!
charity on your part. You are doing
1t in the same spirit that you had tn,
factory girls here last night. Tit
worst part of going home isn't the fac
that 1t is as cold as a barn-it's be
cause I'll have to leave you"
Hermine's expression showed com
plete amazement. She told Mr.. Ora!
that never in the world had she i'm
agined that he might want to MARI,
her-the fact was that Mr.. Gray haC
not expressed his sentiment in JUS
those words-but she did hate to hav,
him go home in the cold. Her CUES
room vas very warm; Rachel kept {
fire there. She wondered whether 4
might not be arranged for him TO stay
And that is how it happened thai
about eight o'clock that night Denslov
Gray and Hermine Whipple reused the
minister from where he huddled by
his own meager crate fire. "We'vt
been intending to be married for som
years." Denslow explained, and nov
we want to spring a surprise on thu
!, neighbors. Yes, it is rather cold" hi
; answered, "but an old bachelor doesn'
have time to think of the temperatur,
on his wedding day."