The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-07-24
The Game Of Living
n
By S. D. HACKLEf
By S. o. HACKLEY
tCopyright, 1918. by the Mcclure E'"
paper syndicateo

| seated himsalf on one OF the lmposins
| st,pe stens NJ the church on the cor
ner. ia
"pre rot to rest a minute" he sara
half aloud. tanning himseh s'o"''
1 with his straw hat. 1T doesn 'aN'
much exerton TO use fellow up wien
he's only three days out of the nos,
| pital-but it's glorious 10 De 'u'
again! John says it's pretty quiet Oh
my beat--me for duty in couple VI
so days now J"
A pretty young girl came out OF 'ne
church and paused half moment u''-
certainly on the upper step. Inc
young man, in his swift inyoluntar!
glance. felt his heart leap. lie rose
hastily and stepped aside. she start
ed down the steps, hut her eyes were
misty from crying; she stumbled, mss
Ing a step. Buckley cauSht her iuli III
| his arms as she fell.
.oThonk you--oh, thank YOU" she
! fnltcred as she stood erect. i WAS
| Very awkward "
She passed on down the street, out
he had seen despair In the eyes she
raised to him. lie looked after her
with strange construction OF the
| heart.
THAT was my girl !" he said to him
self as he walked slowly back the 9th
er way, "and / don't even know her
name or where she Is going And oh,
good Lord, she looked like she wanted
| to die !"
A month before, the old insurance
man for whom Hester Moran worked
| had died-the city was overcr0wded
with workers-the girl had not found
| another job. On this Sunday she had
shrunk from going to the little church
she regularly attended. and so had
gone TO big strange one; but in this
great church il seemed to the little
stenographer every one was rich in
lands and money" there were but two
pennies left in her purse, and, after
Tuesday night, her rent would be up.
No money. no work, and nowhere to
COL
With desparing bitterness in her
soul. Hester had risen and slipped out
OF the church.
"I'll try again tomorrow and Tues
day." she said to herself-'perhaps
Wednesday-then-"
Monday and Tuesday were one con-
tinuous tramp. She had asked for
work at everything she could do. only
to be turned down everywhere. In the
dusk Of Wednesday she stood in The
lobby of great Office building. re-
solved to make one last try. "Stenog-
rapher wanted" the slip of paper she
held in her hand read, Room COO"
The stylish, elderly man into whose
Office she was admitted gave one look
at the newcomer, and turned to the six
girls waiting to talk with him about
the job.
mo use waiting" he flung at them,
II can see none of you will do"
With a gallant air he set chair Cor
Hester in his inner office and drew his
own big chair close UP beside ii.
you'll suit me to IT duckie." he
remarked. "l've been looking for
something slick like you, and can
see with one eye you're live wire"
Slckened Hester edged her chair
away.
How much does the place pay?"
she asked.
give dollars at first !"
"But Ia girl can't live on that :"
hn
locker like you doesn't have to live on
IS. Why, you might get as much as
twenty week If we hit it off together.
That's what my last stenographer
got"
He reached over and squeezed her
hand. Hester rose. her cheeks aflame
with helpless wrath.
That's the last insult I'll ever re-
ceive," she assured herself when she
was in the street again, "the very
last"
The smell of the bakeshop's fresh
rolls sickened her hungry stomach.
empty since her breakfast of crackers.
At the foot Of the stairs that led TO
her room she paused tempted to Dor.
row a slice Of bread from her land
lady. but she clinched her hands and
climbed the steps.
II won't be hungry very long" she
thought.
1t was close on midnight when she
crept out to the park. where the strong
tide beat against the sea wall. The
night was warm and sultry, but the
girl shivered as she crouched on
park bench.
"Fve got nobody" she defended her.
self to conscience; nobody to care"
But as she spoke, there floated he.
fore her excited brain the face of the
young man who had saved her from
falling at the church steps.
He'd never hurt a woman" she
thought; "he looked good. I could
have loved him! l wish had known
him and he had wanted mel"
A clock not far from the park struck
twelve. The young fellow In police.
mans uniform, standing on the sea