Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1918-07-11
IN AID
~
BY MAUNA COWLES
Copyright, 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)

Worheu lne SWITCHBOARD at curtis II
Carriers real estate Offices. The young
man listened to the voice on the tela-
phone, then turning to the young Mr..
Carter, he said: "She wants TO talk
to one of the firm. Kind o. mad, 1
should say. Want to talk to her, Mr..
CarterW
whats she like?" queried the
youngest member of the firm.
sounds like cranky old sslSol
ma'am. She's awful mad"
ooh, well, l might as well talk to
her. I'll kid her a little, and maybe
that will keep her quiet" and still
turning over the papers on his desk,
with his right hand, Mr.. Carter reach
ed out with his left hand to take the
receiver off its hook on his desk phone
while the operator connected him with
the tenant in apartment Four d.
$50 you're pretty cold Well, now
didn't catch the name-Miss Crosby
Il certainly am sorry. But you'll
have to see Mr.. Hoover about that.
Now, you don't think we're keeping
that apartment cold just to make you
mad No, honest, there isn't any way
we can get more coal. What-the
heaters get coal enough. Well, that's
a good one. All you can do, then, is
TO 90 to a show. It's matinee day.
Now, really, l didn't mean to make you
angry. But YOU see, everyone is kick
ng, and it really isn't our fault. We
can't get any more coal and all we can
10 is to try and keep cheerful about it,.
What? You bet that it isn't so cold
1ere in our Office as ii is in your
apartment? Well, now, Miss Crosby,
I'll have to admit that it is pretty
comfortable here. We've got south
ern exposure and we're on the ground
door, and somehow these office build
ing people do manage to get the coal.
Yes, it is unfair What? Why, GER
tainly. I'd be glad to see you. Come
right along. Yes just ask for Mr..
Carter. Jr, Frank Carter. Good-by,
Miss Crosby. I'll see you soon." He
aung the receiver back on the hook
md then clapped his hand over the
sar with which he had been listening
is if to relieve it from the effect of
lie volley fire that had been charged
.n it through the phone.
"Wow," he said, addressing the tel
sphone operator on the opposite side
If the room, beyond the little wooden
tence "Wow, but she certainly is
tome sour old maid. thought I'd kid
Ter into good humor, hut ii was the
wrong tack. | wonder if she'll call my
bluff and come down and see how
warm we are. But say, Nathan, try
20 get the coal commissioner on the
wire again. It's a shame to run the
Tres so low. Ask them if they can't
et me speak to him personally. 1t
seems as if something ought to be
lone"
A half-hour later young Carter
heard very low but unmistakable
whistle. 1t was Nathan's way of in
dicating that something worth observ-
Ing was occurring in the office There
was a note of admiration in the whis-
tle--distinctly it was his way of sig
Mailing to the other boys in the office
and Mr.. Carter, who was still young
enough TO be interested in such sig
nal even though he was a member of
the firm-the proximity of q pretty
girl.
Carter looked up from his paper,
caught the direction of Nathan's gaze
and then whistled an answering
whistle, very low, but still audible to
Nathan. 1t was a pretty girl and she
was approaching in the vicinity of Ma
than. Enveloped in a voluminous fur
trimmed rough wooden coat of dark
violet hue, with her hands encased in
b black muff to match the fur on her
coat, with a picturesque black velvet
hat, cut on the poke bonnet order, that
cast auch shadow on her face, there
was still enough opportunity to see
that the girl beneath so much warmth
giving clothes was young, animated
and pretty.
The bewildered Nathan looked up as
she approached and to her query that
Carter did net hear, he nodded to the
desk of the youngest member of the
firm. Then the violet coat and the
delicate aroma of violet sachet that
went with it moved toward the little
wooden fence that hedged in Mr. Car
ter's desk.
"Here am" said the girl. I'm the
tenant in Four D., Marhridge court.
Where do you want me to sit-inside
the fence or outsider"
Carter jumped from his seat and
was so confused that all he could say
was: "Inside the fence-please take
this chair, any chair any chair Yes,
indeed. You-are actually Miss Cros-
by? How very good of you"
"No, won't take your chair. III
take this little one" she said, slipping
out Of her coat and revealing a very
neatly fitted plain blue serge dress BE-
meath. She placed the chair precisely
half way between the radiator ana
the window where the light would
come over her left shoulder. There,
she said. Il like Il just like that. !
Shall knit and not disturb you at all
Please sit down, Mr.. Carter. You can
Imagine what a pleasure it is to be
warm"
aF a