Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1918-01-31
MOVING DAY.
BY ISABEL FROST.


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 1t was pouring pitchforks,
and she had to make train; therefore
she trusted to luck and the landlords
intuition.
When she returned on May l she en-
countered large packing cases in her
hall, also n young man in shirtsleeves
wrestling with the same.
"I'll have these out of the way in
just minute, so you can get by" he
told her, pleasantly.
but l 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 1t was vacant" he
explained. "From May for one year.
I'm just moving in"
Alices face turned n shade paler.
ture to her, and she forced herself to
speak very quietly.
MAY phone the Officer" she asked,
a 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, l am very sorry, but there is
nothing at all left. We waited until
the very 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 u bit
tiredly.
"I'll pack up my things right away"
she said.
tOh NOh wv dily tlllliS VI tic SOlts
! shall not retain the apartment" he
told her resolutely. 1T was beastly of
them to rent 1t without your knowl-
edge. I'm going TO throw the whole
thing up"
but you can't, you know. Not If
you've signed a lease" She laughed
rather YEARLY. IF you don't mind. |
think I'll make cup Of tea for myself
before | pack my dishes. Won't you
join me?"
Before the impromptu tea was half
over she made several enlightening
discoveries. First, Mr.. Reeves was
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.
II they won't let me step down and
out, shall subet to YOU
She wrote TO Tom, telling him of the
accidental meeting, and asking him If
he remembered Dick Reeves, class
10, Yale. The answer did not come
back for nearly two months, and In
that time Dick had securely estab-
lished himself rs 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 it, just after Dick had gone.
Hes one of the finest old chaps |
ever met, but he got into mix-up at
college with girl who blew into town
with n road show. l guess she was a
square little kid, all right, for she new
err tried TO hold Dick, and told him he
was making a fool of himself for moth
ing. His old man went mad over the
affair and cut Dick off without cent.
He stuck 1t out, though, working his
way through his last year, and took his
degree. l don't know what became Of
the girl. believe he's working now in
his cousins automobile factory, learn
ing the business from the ground up.
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 a touch Of desperation in
his tone, 1--WE 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, hut
1t seems TO me you ought to know be-
fore l ask you to be my wife"
Alice bent little lower over her en-
broldery as she sat In a dark-green will
low chair beside him.
'I've heard all about Peggy" she
said, quietly, TON 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 am"
She glanced up at him with a little
smile Of inquiry. and Dick
left the window seat.
The following morning Mr.. Paxton
glanced up from his desk. Dicks tone