South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-07-20


wearily mounted the steps Of his
boarding house. and standing in
the yestibule, Alphabetically lowered
his umbrella. Then, letting himself
irto the dim-lit hall, he deposited
his dripping umbrella in the rack.
He could hear voices in the parlor,
a confused babble of sound. and he
hesitated a moment before the hall
rack An odor OF soup seeped
through his nostrils. He frowned
dIsgustedly. and climbed the stairs
10 his room.
Soup again, And tina. continuous
prattle of tongues He was sick of
T l., nauseated, The whole world was
rotten, Nothing but a place of con-
hnement. in which one must pass
hours and years Of grind-one day
no different from the other, Crum-
( pied up in a rickety rocker near the
window. he gazed savagely at the
tiny rivulets of water coursing down
/ the pane-one after another, each
+ one taking the others misera bic
/ place after the first had gone, one
( knew not where, That was life! He
ran his hand rehectively over his
/ jaw. and some remote sense told
I him he needed a shave. Why should
/ he shave? Who for? He had kept
| himself as immaculate as he could
on the meager salary his slave
drivers had grudgiGgly allowed him,
and what did il pay? Refectively,
1 the memory Of Edith Marmon's con-
/ versation with that conceited ass,
! Tt omley, chief assistant TO the
4 treasurer, dinned on his ears Would
/ she go to the Strand with him? Why,
/ certainly. She was tired Of moving
/ pictures. oh. no. Bob Trent was
merely a friend. Shed be delight
/ ed and-Trent shivered disgustedly.
/ No wonder the little typist hated
/ him. He was a nobody, a mere
clerk, a machine. Why couldn't he
/ get a good jOb-a real salary. Then
he could show her. But could he?
He frowned again, and gradually
the realization forced itself home on
I him that the trouble lay with him.
/ no initiative-nO pep. The babble
Of voices below had ceased. and
]
/ erowled, and rose to close the door.
The same old banging-like a with
cred broomstick on an abandoned
tir-pan But at the door he paused!
plaintive melody reached him,
and a faint glow came TO his weary
/ face. The sunshine of Your Smile
and such sunshine it seemed. Not
! the fierce blindness of the midday
sun. but that tempered golden glow
| OF twilight. The sunshine of her
/ smile-Ediths smile! What wouldn't
/ il be worth 10 have Railways!
! Absently, he had followed the
sound. and now, at the threshold of
I the parlor, he hesitated She was
a stranger-this girl at the plano.
/ Her profile looked eXquiSitely pref
( ". he told himself. as he noted the
( faint touch of pink in her cheeks.
She was smiling wistfully, as if the
piece had touched responsive
| chord, and the dainty eXertiOn had
/ dislodged a strand of hair, that hung
/ clingingly over her cheek. Why
( couldn't Edith Marmon smile that
way? His hands itched TO tuck that
/ tiny strand back in its place, ana
/ then. as if sensing his thoughts, she
/ looked at him and gave u little start.
4 The music ceased.
go on" he whispered. Please
play it again"
She gave him a quick glance, and
as if meeting some compelling look
in his half-closed eyes. she turned
] to the instrument and played the
piece again.
Suddenly he was aware that the
music had again ceased, and he
/ opened his eyes to meet her quizzcal
gaze.
Did you-like it?" she asked.
with a faint smile.
Like it," he echoed, absently. Il
won't you play il again ?"
She laughed merrily.
"Oh, but 1 can't" she told him,
with some amusement. Dinner is
/ almost ready"
Dinner" he echoed again, as il
that function was some blasphemous
orgie oh, dinner be dashed"
NO" she corrected him, lit must
I be eaten, not dashed. That's not
/ healthful" And she laughed again
as if in wholesome enjoyment OF her
/ joke The laugh. and the joke
/ brought him back to earth, and
somewhat Jared him.
who are you?" he demanded,
[ abruptly.
My. how quick you are." she told
/ him. tantalizingly. I'm Mr.. Cutters
/ niece. Evelyn Hunter. And you?"
Cutters niece One OF his fellow
/ boarders. the star boarder, in fact
foated through his vision, but what
struck him most forcibly was that
word quick" Why, he was slow
/ everybody said so. He
My names TrenC - Robert
7 Trent" he answered, aloud. I
/ board here too. 1 know your uncle
well Fine mani"
Then a clang summoned them to
dinner. and Trent found Miss Hunter
I seated at his side. Cutler formally
/ introduced his niece 10 the others
and 50 il seemed TO Bob, a little
/ grudgingly TO him. Fine man, How
I Trent had lied He thought Cutler
a prig-Stuck up. just because he
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