New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-05


hardly think we oughtsssp ask what
the note said, even inFaorence was
indiscreet enough to read it."
"No," said his wife. 81 hardly
think SO, either. It didn't say any
thing important, anyhow, probably"
eft began, Dear. Noble,'" said
Florence promptly. Dear Noble;
that's the way it began. 1t said how
grandpa was just all upset to think
he'd accepted an umbrella from him
when Noble didn't have another one
for himself like that, sand grandpa
was so embarrassed toathink he'd let
Noble do 80 much, for him, and
everything, he just didn't know what
to do, and probably it would be tact
full il he wouldn't come to the house
till grandpa got over being 80 en-
barrassed, because he; was SO pc
culiar, and all this and that, and
felt SO awkward about being embar-
raised and everything. She said not
to come anyway till next week; she'd
let him know"
"Did you notice Noble when he
read it," asked Aunt Harriet.
"Yessir! And would you believe
it, he just looked too happy!" Flor
ence made answer, not knowing with
what truth.
"1'll bet," said Uncle Joseph, "I1l
bet a thousand dollars that if Julia
told Noble Dill he was six feet tall
Noble would go and order his next
suit Of clothes to fit a six-foot man."
And his wife contemplated this
with a generalization, simple yet Of
a profound significance too sparsely
recognized. "They don't see a
thing!" she said. ''The young men
that buzz around a girls house don't
see a thing about what goes on
there! Inside, I mean"
e. 81 80
a ND yet at that very moment a
~. young man was seeing some
thing inside q girls house
little way down that same street.
That same street was Julia's street
and the house was Julia's. Inside
the house, in the library sat Mr.. At.
water, trying to read work by one
Thomas Carlyle, while rhythmic
murmur came interferingly from the
front porch. The invisible young
man, watching him attentively, saw
him lift his head and sniff the air
suspiciously, but the watcher took
this pantomime to be- an expression
to distaste for certain poetry and,
sharing that distaste, approved. Mr..
Atwater shifted again, threw down
his book and strobe fiercely out to
the porch, There sat dark-haired
Julia in silver dress, and near by
young Newland Sanders read long,
young poem in manuscript.
"Who is smoking out here?" Mr..
Atwater inquired, not mildly.
"Nobody, sir" said young New
land with eagerness. IL do not
smoke. I have never,t touched to-
bacco in any form in my life. I
lorthe It'll"
Mr.. Atwater. shifted once more,
found purity and returned to the
library. He frowned uneasily; the
air seemed family yet unmistak,
ably impregnated with Orduma ciga-
rettes. "Curious!" he said as he
composed himself once more to read
and presently the odor seemed to
wear away and vanish. Mr.. At
water was relieved; the last thing
he could have wished was to be
haunted by Noble Dill.
Yet for that while he was. Too
honorable to follow such an example
as Florence's, Noble, of course,
would. not spy or eavesdrop near
the front porch where Julia sat, but
he thought there could be no harm
in watching Mr.. Atwater read.
Mr.. Atwater read. Looking at Mr..
Atwater was at least the next thing
TO looking at Julia. And so, out in
the night, Noble was seated upon
the top Of the side fence, looking
through the library window at Mr..
Atwater.
@*
"a FTER a while Noble lit an
N other Orduma cigarette and
pulled strongly to start it.
The smoke was almost invisible in
the moonlight, but the faint night
breeze, stirring gently, waited it
IL