The Ordway new era., 1918-04-19

meeting occurred. 1t was at the cor
ner grocery. Freda came hurrying in
with the base of an old stove. her self
consciousness at having to carry this
awkward burden only making her
cheeks pinker and her eyes rounder.
please fill this with OIL" she told
the grocer's boy, and then blushed a
little roster as she realized that Victor
Paige was standing at her elbow. He
took his hat Off, and then. when Freda
averted her look he awkwardly waved
| his hat in the air and stroked the cat
with the brim of il to try to convince
himself that he lad meant to take it
off anyway. and that he was not bit
| embarrassed by Freda's hauteur.
I'VE aln't got no oil-all sold out"
came from the grocer's boy, just as
Victor Paige was inquiring of the
| grocer himself whether 1t happened
| that oil stoves were a part of his
| equipment. In the grocery store back
in his New England home town he re-
| called that such trifling articles were
| always sold. And as the grocer as
sured him that the only places to get
such things were the household fur
nishing stores, and they were all
closed because 1t was coalless Mon
day, he confided to him. He knew the
grocer didn't care, and he didn't care
whether he did care, but he spoke in
a loud, clear voice. Could 1t have been
that It was for Freda's benefit?
you see, the woman that keeps
house for me suggested that If
bought some oil / could manage to
keep warm, even when the steam was
not up in the apartment, and / was
such an ass as to forget that one
really needed something to burn 1t in.
l have a gallon of oil, but what good
does that do?"
Freda did listen. and for just one
moment she was tempted to tell her
neighbor that between the two they
might manage to get some sort Of
result. But she didn't tell him. She
hurried home, walking faster and
faster as she heard his footsteps be-
hind her. He overlook her just as she
reached the landing off which both
their apartments opened, and would
have spoken to her only that she
closed the door rather unceremOnious-
ly in his face. She knew she had been
rude, but for some unaccountable rea-
sons she took satisfaction in her heart
lessness.
A half hour later. when Victor Paige
answered a slight ring at his doorbell,
he wore skating cap, bathrobe, an
overcoat, hockey stockings and gal
loshes. He found Freda Tilson on the
landing. She was very sorry to dis
turb him. she told him, but she had
received word from the editor in the
office where she worked that, because
he had been unable to dispatch some
copy for her to do at home. he would
like her to put In the day taking die
tation on the typewriter from Mr..
Paige. Wasn't It funny that Mr.. Paige
happened to be connected with the
same office? Did he wish to come into
her apartment, or should she come
into his? There was small choice;
both were arctic.
Ten minutes later Victor Paige. carry
ing an odoriferous gallon of kerosene,
some ill-kenpt notes on stray bits Of
paper, and dish of apples-Victor
could not write without apples for re-
apartment. When lunch time came
Freda had forgotten her resentment.
and Victor, truth to tell, was as much
in love with her as he had ever been
with any girl.
"If I had some eggs I'd make an
omelet and ask you to lunch," she said,
just little timidly.
And although Victor knew that his
| Dinah was coming to make lunch in
his apartment that day, he hurried to
get some eggs that he was right in
guessing she had left In his ice box.
And so they lunched. and SO they
worked on through the afternoon.
"Whats the use of resisting the In
evitable." he said as she handed him
the last page of his manuscript from
| her typewriter. 1--WE can't either Of
us get along without the other. We
would both have been miserable today
| alone"
at does seem strange. Do you be-
| lieve in fate?"
And apparently Victor did. for he
was always sure 1t was fate that threw
him and his wife together that coal.