The Lamar register., 1920-02-18

And | can remember" she said
aloud, "the time the plumbers came
and piped our first Nat and put In the
gas JETS to replace the oil lamp. Jim
and / nearly died of joy--sat up and
read the whole night through just be-
cause we could.
~ wish Jim could like things now as
he liked those foolish gas jets. At
least. I'm not like him. love him
this minute Just as loved him on
Ninety-third street. and Heaven knows
how often we agreed that nobody had
ever loved like that before. But JIM
She laughed mirthlessly.
"Jim's a big man now. If he were
to come home tonight and find that
they had cut hole in the wall and
built covered bridge to heaven for
our particular nse, he'd only say,
'Humph! Quite an Improvement and
forget it."
When the Hon. Mr.. Brainard re-
turned to his Broad street offices late
in the afternoon. he was deeply veXed
and snappy in manner.
The directors meeting which he had
attended had shown a thorough dislike
for several OF his pet projects, and 1t
had become necessary for his fellow
members to curb his enthusiasm with
number OF stinging rebukes.
AT his office he found a request that
demanded his attention. For ten min
utes he puzzled over the yellow tele-
phone message. frownlng and strongly
to int
for home.
The element OF curiosity crept into
his meditation. The call was demand
for his services in personal affair.
and 1t was a long time since he had
dabbled in personalities.
"who was thIsY' he asked the ONCE
manager.
II know nothing about II beyond
what you read. | think it's = sepsrs-
tion case-somethlng that somebody
wants done about her husband. Possibly
it's non-support case"
"If you hear anything further. sim
ply say that can't bother with It,"
He tossed the slip upon his desk and
drew on his coat. Before leaving the
office he stepped over curiously and
picked up the message. Without any
particular thought. he dropped II into
an inside pocket.
The Brainard touring car could do
sixty miles an hour without touching
the last speed, and the dlligent chauf-
feur was closely approaching that mark
on the uptown ride, when Brainard
learned forward and spoke to him. The
IL At
of taking the usual course up the
Drive, II honked It's way to the opposite
side Of the city.
"very odd" reflected the chauffeur.
"very odd. indeed"
Through unfamiliar streets. packed
with traffic and cluttered with children,
the big car threaded Il cautious way,
and finally the driver brought II TO q
stop, with rasp Of brakes and .
growing OF cylinders.
This is the number. SIR" he said.
and Mr.. Brainard stepped out.
Before him were dirty stone steps.
railing that sagged In rusted dIlapidn'
tiOn, and a greasy door. with still
greasier entrance hall beyond.
For an instant the lawyer paused.
He plucked the telephone memorandum
from his pocket and studied II. Then
he walked slowly up the steps and be-
gan TO scan the letter slips above the
push-buttOns.
This Is it, he muttered. 81 musi
be losing my senses to do = Thing like
this"
A faint clicking In the lock put an
end TO his musings. and he pushed the
door open and started up the stair
way. At the top of the first flight he
knocked loudly At 4 door that was
wholly hidden in the darkness OF the
landing. and 1t opened at once.
A frightened, white-faced woman
stood directly before him, swsying
slIghtly-the woman whom he had
kissed good BY At eight o'clock that
morning as he left for the Office.
He stared at her In silence, closing
the door behind him. Her heavy brown
hair was parted smoothly over her
forehead, and she was clad in a faded
blue wrapper-a wrapper that had
once gloried in q wealth Of red half
moons.
II was the wraDpsr that shocked him
into the FIRST realisation Of where he
stoOd-the wrapper and a leather ring
that hung from the ceiling and which