The Bismarck tribune., 1919-04-10

censory glance at them as she slipped
her coffee made her quest look easy
There were millions Of flats for rent.
apparently, and they were arranged ;lc-
(~cording to Observation-Disclosures Side
flats together by themselves, two or
three columns of them.
She tore this part out of the sheet,
and after satisfying herself that it
listed plenty of places lit tweny dollars
and less, she crumpled it into her wrist
bag and went on with her breakfast.
that is to say with her coffee. These
had, for many years, been synonymous
terms to Celia. How Alfred could eat
things like liver and sausage, or even
eggs. at this time Of the day, she had
never been able to understand.
Her idea was, when, in the train, she
got out her list, and looked ut it, that
she would select place at the price
SHE wanted, go. out to 1t, and rent it.
SHE wasn't looking Tor luxury SHE
there comfortably enough iii the train,
THAT it would be US uncomfortable, and
cramped and mean as possible The
neaner it was. and the, more destitute
Of comforts the life they had to live in
it, the more triumphantly, could she
demonstrate to Alfred that he had
misjudged her-the more completely
avenge his insulting belief that now
he was poor, she would abandon him
and begin u bright lookout for some
body else ... S. .s.zs r..
SO she picked out, more or less ut
random, something she thought would
do, and dismissed the matter from her
mind. 1t didn't occur to her, until
after she got OFF the train in the ter
mlnal, that she hadn't the least idea
where the address was, or how to get
to it. Then, under the spur Of neces-
slty, she went to the information desk
and asked the man.
He wasn't looking ut her, and his
answer was Il gesture toward u latter
ed-a vilely dirty volume on the shelf
lat her elbow, which she made out to be
Ia City Directory.
1t is fair to say the Celias first
moment She had ne,cr, III her life,
been compelled to submit to cOntAcl
with anything as repulslvely filthy al
that volume.
She opened it and stared ut it help
lessiy.
But" she. said, Il don't want to
know what street and number any one
lives in: want to know where u GER
tain address is. !"
street index" he said. Then, with
u look at her, relented. Here! Ill
! find 1t for yOu.'I r
But the search was u rather cOmpli-
Gated one and he was interrupted three
or four times before he got to the end
Of 1t, by impatient .traln-catchers, and
the directions he finally gave. her were
not very enlightening-i ques-
tlOning conductors as to where to take
transfers and asking policeman, when
she finally got III the general neighbQr-
hood, when way to walk.
The morning was half gone when She
finally found the place. She'd walked
what seemed miles her feet acheu ex-
crllcla ungiy, she felt worse than dirty
contaminated by the last street-car
she Il ridden in, and she couldn't be
sure she'd, got u clhder out Of her eye.
But the place she found at least the
merit Of making her forget these minor
troubles
The terrifying thing about it was that
it was not SO bad. She was escorted
through it by the tenant Of the flat
below, who had charge of the key, and
this lady praised 1t with genuine en-
thusiasm. She pointed out that the
floors weren't badly worn at1all, ana
had recently been coated with slleiluc !;
sne lndlcated the sOundness OF the
plaster. Nothing would come falling
down On your head here, even II the
tenants Of the topnlost flat Of all
should rouse round u bit. There was
radiator in each Of the four room,
and the heat was ample They, dowu
below, frequently had to open a win
dow somewhere for while. It actually
got too hot. The front room had two
windows looking on the street, the kit
chen. at the back, got the benefit not
only of its own back yard, but OF the
vacant lot behind 1t on the next street,
while the two middle rooms, thanks
to the fact that the adjoining building
ran up only two stories, were at the
top Of the light-well, aud were almost
as good as the outside rooms. She
was sure. it was a bargain ut the money