The sun., 1919-10-12
SYNOPSIS.

Anson Fdtrchtld Is q retired real es-
tate man soho depotes his time to the
finding Of housing accommodations for
his friends. For him the streets Of Ne.o
York haze q definite personality linked
up tpith the character of the people
tphom he has housed. He meets the
chronicier of the story on BroddtoGv
car tohiie the latter, a diSgrpntied young
bachelor, is scanning the i0ant ad sec
ton OF newspaper In the vGin hope
Of finding an apartment Fairchild in
vttes the bachelor to his home to meet
| fetc crontes, aud IN this instalp,ent the
engagement 70 Kept.
All day had looked forward to the
coming OF closing hour at the office II
was Friday and my usual enthusiasm
for finishing tho weeks correspondence
seemed to have deserted me. After all,
! reasoned. the company would continue
to let out huge electrical contracts,
whether or no my puny efforts were
kept at highest pressure. And the only
reason had hitherto been 50 engrossed
In these stupid affairs. reflected. was
because there was nothing warmer and
| more human in my life.
Now on this very evening I was to
discover just what It was my acquaint-
aged to acquire that was different from
my acquisitions.
i sat at my desk with the late after
noon sunlight shinig in on me and
was astonished at my own emotional
/ excitement. The office, like the city
streets. had suddenly become for me the
haunt Of human beings. The stenog-
rapher who flashed by. braveiy and
gauzily feminine In spite OF the pencil In
her hair and the businesslike cuffs at
her wrist brought life story into the
| ONCE so did the office boy What sort
Of homes did they return TO at the end
of the day, I wondered. Had Arson
Fairchild touched such lives as theirs7
I was swept with a fierce desire 10
obtain full satisfaction from this new
/ friendship OF mine, to seize hold on all
that I had missed In life. My memory
OF New England childhood. starved of
| all that was aesthetic or humanity gentle.
seemed to force my attention inward
upon the ugly gnarled heart Of me until
I felt that should this old gentleman de-
sert mo after all that he had limited
| would be a lost soul.
tortured myself with the .dsa that
Arson Fairchild might be just an old
man in his dotage with no magic with
which 70 heal such starveiings az I. AZ
length. unable to wait longer. seized
my hat, looked at myself nervously In
the small mirror In the coat room-as
though that was necessary-and plunged
out into the street.
A Chance to study the Crowd.
Walking up Fifth avenue to Fifty
| seventh street I realized suddenly that
my haste had made me much too early
and I walked back q block, restlessly
studying the crowd that pressed along
the ehoroughfare.
Never, It seemed to me. had ! seen
90 many pretty girls with their gay cos
TUNES setting of the tan OF an out OF
door summer. And to match them there
were athletic youths swinging along with
all the fierce pride OF eligible young
manhood. The stout dowagers were out
| In splendid array; 30 were their male
prototypes, gray haired men with forid
faces. And here and there, walking
quickly. close to the buildings, were
curious anomalous products OF the city
--hunch backed old men. sewing women
with worn fingers and painted bedizened
creatures eccentric in dress and gesture.
| But could not stand upon ceremony
longer. With q sense Of relief I turned
into Fifty-seventh street, walked west,
and holding tho bit OF paste board that
h had given me In my hand I studied