The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-05
No. 30.

I
 Even as the great emotion shook her delicate shoulders, a gentle hand was placed upon her arm. | Nervously Jane sat bolt upright, brush- ing aside the tears which coursed down wan cheeks.
 ''Yes?" she exclaimed in surprise as she turned in her hair, ashamed of her outburst.
 There stood the red-headed office boy. his big, blue eyes wide with sympathy. Say, I heard you cryin out in de outside office, Miss-Miss Stenographer," he began, with hesitancy. 'Ts somepin' wrong? Did that big, skinny ginny do scmepin' that hurt yer feelin'sss'' Jane could not resist weak smile at the little fellows earnestness, as she shook her head.
 I NO. he did nothing. my boy" she said. The youth clinched a small and none :. too clean fist
 | well, it's lucky for him that he didn't" declared this youthful champion | of distressed maidenhood. "If he gets gay wit you I'll lay for him downstairs the next time he goes out an bounce a brick often his head; that's what I'll do"
 Jane patted his shoulder as she used her handkerchief on the last few obsti- nate tears
 l There, there" she answered, its all right. I'm just a bit blue, through no | ones fault but my own. I'm stranger 1 in New York, and 1t seems a very big place, and I've no one in my family left | in the world-not even a nice little nephew like you That's why I was cry | ing-just lonesome" | how a but with an honest light in the blue l eyes.
 "HuIly gosh! I might a-knowed you | was from the country. You ain't like the other stenographers I've seen in of fees. They don't care what becomes of l the office boy, ner no one else. They | ain't kind like your" Then frown, a curiously deep furrow | wrinkle in the forehead of so young a boy as Jane thought came, as he con- tinued:
 You ain't the only one what's lone | some. l ain't got no mother nor. dad. I just lives with me aunt and she ain t very strong fer me, cepting on pay day. So I git lonesome, too. Gee, 1t must be great fer boys out in the country-where they has mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and cows and horses and can go swimmin' in real pond, instead of just offen dock in de East river.
 Somehow the little fellows pathos heartened Jane. It was comfort, cu- riously enough, to know that she was not the only lonely person in this great city, which was apparently too busy to ever be concerned with such an old fashioned emotion.
 But some day you can go to the coun- try she said to him, gently. Its not so far away nor so hard to get to. I'll help you do 1t this summer, some day, if it's only for 0 day or two.'
 The red-headed one now had his turn to blink, at this surprising promise, but he was a Spartan and no tears were permitted to tricl<le.
 'I was to the country onct before me mother and father died. But I was too much of a kid to know how fine 1t was. There ain't no country around yere but parks. and the cops don't even allow the sparrers to walk on the grass.''
 Tommy was starting toward the outer office confident that his services as a protector of endangered woman were not needed.
 Come here, Tommy" said Jane Brown on sudden thought. ''When do you go to lunch?''
 Me, huh? I git my lunch at supper, from me aunt's. I have ter take all me