Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1920-07-22
TWENTY-ONE
TEMPLE STREET
By VICTOR REDcLlFFE
vr,sht ,s2o Wsstern Nswsns nsr IIn,e

By VICTOR REDCLlFFE &
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Copyright. 1920 Western Newspaper Union.)
II have decided to take the room on
the first floor" announced Abel Marsh
to the landlady of q Temple street.
Shrewd, precise Mrs. Rachael Ford
smiled, as was always an indulgent
phase of business policy with her, but
shook her head with an equally insin-
cere suggestion of regret.
II am very sorry" she spoke, "but
an hour after you were here this
morning and told me you could not af-
ford the apartment"
'But / have changed my mind!"
piped the feeble old man querulously
ut is too late, sir. A Miss Wadleigh
has engaged the room. There she is
now" and Abel Marsh turned to OBJ
serve young lady passing down the
hall. but hesitating at the open door
way as If wishing to speak with the
landlady, but not desiring to intrude.
The crotchety, self centered old man
regarded her with a scowl, as though
she had crossed his path purposely
and had done him some deadly in.
jury.
But to this Miss Wadleigh was i'm
pervious. She had noticed the thin,
weasened old man painfully limping
into the house as though every step
was painful, she had overheard the
conversation between himself and the
1andlady. She advanced step into
the room unlimited, as the old man
said:
"Then I'll have to take the room
upstairs, / suppose. How I'll ever get
up three flights with my lameness and
pain don't know, but I've got to have
roof to shelter me. It's cheaper,
too, and that is a consideration with
me-"
"Can speak to you for moment,
Mrs. Ford" ventured Inez Wadleigh.
and she drew back into the hallway
and in a low tone conveyed message
to the landlady that caused the latter
to stare at her in wonderment. Then
further conversation, and 1nez went
on, while Mrs. Ford returned to the
presence of the old man.
"NIr. Marsh," she said, you can
have this room after all. Miss Wad-
leigh, the young lady who had taken
1t, most kindly agrees to occupy the
upper one instead, so you may be near
er to the street and more comfort
able"
"What's that!" challenged Marsh,
with token Of suspicion in his tone.
"Of course, she wants bonus for the
e1change?"
"Oh no." dissented Mrs. Ford. "She
wouldn't think of such thing. She
is just a thoughtful, kind-hearted girl,
who lost her father recently. You
make her think of him, she says, and
your age and feebleness appeal to
her. 1t Is settled, then?"
"You mean to tell me that there's
mortal in the world who would sacri-
fee their own selfish wellbeing for
an old hawk like me, without having
some Interior designs in view?" de
manded Abel Marsh.
"There seems to be lovely young
lady in this instance, just human
enough and gentle and piteous enough
to do So" declared Mrs. Ford, with a
touch of deep emotion in her face.
Abel Marsh became mystery to the
people in the house after that.
Inez was the only person in the
house to whom he paid any particular
courtesy or attention. Brusque, un-
social as he was with Others his fur
rowed face would soften when he met
or spoke to her. She did stenographic
work in business office and also some
piece typewriting work at home eve
nings. One evening in the common
parlor Abel Marsh asked Inez to copy
some legal documents for him, to
which she agreed. He was not at all
liberal in pay for her labor, but Inez
excused his penuriousness as n char
acteristic of warped and afflicted in
valid. The next morning he knocked
at the door of her room to hand her
some other work. Inez noticed as his
| glance swept the apartment that 1t
rested upon framed picture, the only
| one belonging to her in the room. 1t
was that Of her fiance, Gordon Bridges.
| She flushed as her visitor bestowed up
on her quizzical look.
"a fine looking young man." OBJ
served Abel Marsh, with an unusual
twinkle in his eye. "a relativeY
NO" replied Inez in an embar-
rassed way. 81 am engaged to him."
"Oh, see" nodded Marsh. "But
he does not come often to see your"
"He lives in another city," explained
Inez.
"You quite interest me-" said the
old man. "You deserve to have him
fully worthy of you, for. you are a
kind-hearted, truthful girl. Not many
of such nowadays" and he departed
with q certain vague and mysterious
expression upon his face that some
what puzzled Inez.
"a letter to copy" said Abel Marsh
the next day, handing some penciled
| sheets to Inez.
Half an hour later, as Inez placed
the pages at the side of her type
writer to transcribe them, they seemed
to blind, to daze, to overcome her. The
! first one began:
"My Dear Son: I have stolen 6
march on you and have seen the young
lady you SO sturdily insist is the only
one you can ever love- Keep on Low
ing her, for girl so considerate ant
self-sacrificing cannot help but BEES
worthy wife. She knows me as Abe