Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-02-20
JOHN
BY DOROTHY o. GRAVES.


the third and fourth fights of his
rooming house. Here in the room di-
rectly beneath his own. the door often
stood open few inches, enough to
allow a glimpse TO passerby. There
was a jolly little stove always gIeam-
ing red-frequently cracking gayIy.
Beside it stood gaunt, a violin rack.
That was all.
John never passed the doorway
without a longing glance at the stove
and a prolonged gaze into the narrow
opening
For weeks this room had fascinated
him. Why, he could not say. Was it
the stove? Was it "the roomerv he
never saw?
Tonight he passed the door slowly.
He saw the same few inches only, and
he heard the lightest possible rustic
and that was all, but his heart checked
him, and he stumbled up to his own
room.
There he sat on the edge Of his
lumpy bed, and buried his face in his
hands. He wanted to cry. He did not
cry. Instead, he thought and thought.
Was the roomer" lonely, too? Was
she young or old? Dare he speak to
her?
He glanced about his grim four walls
which could never be a home to him.
His memory of little gray house In
the fields of golden corn, or among the
tender spring shoots, or the whitened
stubble of December. sent hot tears TO
hts eyes. The Christmas box from
home had been meager. 'The girls,'
who took pies and cookies as matter
of fact, and who never knew what It
was to be away from home. could not
understand
But little Benny, queer kid" had
sent three ears of the prize corn from
the farm. and all the popcorn he had
raised in his school garden. Queer
kid, Benny" thought the big brother.
But the corn looked good to him. 1t
was the best present he had ever had.
Meanwhile something he had not ex-
pected was happening in the room
below. The strains of the violin float
ed up to him: bravely, cheerily they
began. 1t was a tune he knew aRd
loved. A voice iolned--a yoyng voice,
sweet and tender.
The voice trembled and ceased in
sob. The chords of the instrument
stumbled and ceased. The door banged
shut.
John leaped to his feet He hastily
selected the three lusty ears of yellow
corn from the others and bound them
together with their own dried silk, and
as hastily removed his heavy boots.
Then stealthily he crept down the
stairs Outside the room under his
own. he noiselessly fastened the ears
Of corn TO the door knob and stealthily
returned to his room. Up there he hur-
ried "tidying up" whisIIing his, toilet
articles into a drawer, kicking his
shoes and ruhbers under the bed, and
stufiing his clothing behind the soiled
curtain which served as a closet.
The he snatched up his banjo and
strummed the strings. His own voice
unframed. but young and spontaneous,
swelled
Singing Justify, John heard sounds
other than the strumming and his sing
Ing Was he sure he heard stifled
cry of pleasure? Was he sure he
heard rustic on the stairs? He
sang on.
The unattached door swung open and
standing there half afraid half joy
GUS. the ears of corn tightly clasped
in her arms stood girl, black-haired
red-lipped, back-eyed Her cheeks
glistened with tears of inconsistencies
and surprise
John was singing the tune.
Sobbing, the girl finished the stanaa,
"and corn and somebody to talk TO-
.Yon will talk, won't you?" She pleaded
TELL me about it. l am so homesick.
John was shy, and he flushed. but he
saw the girls distress was greater
thar his. SO he smiled bravely and
said:
Il come from Mineral. Whore do
You come from2"
The girl smiled brightly now. The
tears sparlled in her dimples. oh"
she said, I'm most a neighbor I'm
from sheffield
sShefiieldw John laughed with de-
light I'm John Devine," he said,
simply
sand I'm Lois Prentiss," volunteered
the girl. They both laughed for sheer
JOY.
"Iohn Devine." the girl spoke de-
eideuly. sim so homesick don't know
what to do And, if you're from Illi-
nois you must be all right And, If
you're one Of the Devines from Mineral
I'VE heard about you, so that's all
right. too. Now" she entered the
room and placidIy seated herself on
Johns umpy bed. 1--WE something TO
say
John grinned at her.
Lets take that" she pointed to
Be.say's popcorn. "and pop it. You
come down and Wen pop ii ON my