The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-03-28
stairs Bopp yelled down, MONTY. Mrs.
Green wants you to come up"
/ started, but Lucille stopped me.
aAaLr hos xpyhat che vuontaD

impossible. From behind the closed
door OF Mrs. Green's room there issued
sounds Of IN argument supplemented
by weeping.
Eventually Lucille came TO the top of
the stairs and called, Monty"
How different that name sounded
when she used it, / bounded up the
stairs. When / say bounded I mean
It. 1t was the first time that I had
done anything like that in years.
Lucille stood leaning over the banis-
ter, perplexed and troubled, her face
flushed and her hair becomingly dis
arranged, as II she had been engaged
In a physical contest Of some sort. ]
stopped on the stairs below her.
'"Tho blessed damosel leaned out
From the gold bar Of heaven"
I quoted.
Don't be silly" she said In a tone
of voice that told me she liked II. 81
have to ask you a dreadfully embar-
RAISING question"
"An right" ! commanded. "Shoot."
Would you mind very much kissing
a lady who Is not as young as she was
onceT"
Would 1 mindf" I said, taking her
hands. 1--WE been thinking of nothing
else for two years"
"I meant" disengaging her hands
gently, would you mind kissing moth
err good nightf She is acting very Pc
culiarly this evening, as you know.
and she says she won't go to sleep
until you kiss her"
l was touched at the old lady's fond
ness for me. We went In. She was
lying tucked up in bed, with a night
cap tied firmly under her chin.
LUCILLE made me come to bed" Mrs.
Green volunteered, her bright ayes
swapping with w~akefulness. ITS all
nonsense. = Don wanna be In bed. /
wanna get up and go somewhere with
you and eat,
There, there" said Lucille, "the doc
tor says not to eat anything"
Eyes" snapped her mother, land III
bet he had Just had his dinner when
he said il. / know a place to eat over
In town, beautiful ~Blainey-lots Of fine
steaks, chops and roas' beef. Guess
I'll get up"
She started to throw back the GOV
ers, but Lucille forcibly restrained her.
you said you would go to sleep IL
I brought Mr.. Blainey In to see you"
she said.
The old lady eyed me with evident
suspicion. ais he going to kiss me
good night?' she demanded.
assured her that I was there for no
other pGTpose.
"A right" she sighed; "then I'll go
TO sleep"
And she did, or at leest we didn't
hear another sound from her that
evening.
When we left the room and closed
the door softly Lucille put her hand on
ms arm and said: Thanks. Monty. 1t
was awfully silly, but / didn't know
how else to quiet her. You WON'T
think anything Of 1t. win your"
"Of course not It's all In the family
anyhow, or II It isn't / wish 1t were,"
I hAzarded, e~mboldened by the pres
sure ON my arm. For the moment I
could not have been any happier If I
had been FED.
After awhile the telephone man came
downstairs In a suit Of Bopp's clothes
light flannel trousers, outing shoes.
fancy shirt, soft collar, tie and blue
serge coat. The toys lifted him re-
markably well, and except for a YER
nacular line OF conversation the man
did not seem Iii suited to the clothes.
At any rate, / liked him better than
I did Bopp.
What to do with him seemed to be
puzzling Lucille. Il didn't seem right
to ask him to go ont In the kitchen and
drink water all by himself, and there
was no other place to put him unless
he stayed In the living room with us.
Before she could decide n way OF
the other he seated himself comfortably
and proceeded TO entertain US with
considerable copyersation about him
self.
II amt a Rube," he volunteered. "Iave
been near enough Fifth avenue to
know good clothes when I zee 'em. and
I have to admit that Mr.. Bopp 10 q
swell dresser. ] only work here In the
summer time. In the winter ! stick
around within sight OF the statue or
Liberty. I'm q wire Taper"
"A wire tapperY' repeated Bopp.
"Isn't q wire Taper q sort Of crookf"
SHOT compared to a burglar. Wire
tapping 10 just high finance"
His name. II appeared, was Harold
Kent. He was married, was a Social
list In feeling IL not In theory. had been
q jockey, q tout, q telegraph operator,
and hoped to learn to fiy an aeroplane
Otherwise his was an ~uneventful his
tory.
GRO BIZ coNTrNuEp)