Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1921-11-04
When Brown Meets
Brown
By MARY MORRISON

uchfy bTOWD StOOu lOOhlHS Out Ut
the falling leaves on Stuyvesant
square. He was feeling rather tenn
peramental as he watched the sea-
son dying before his eyes. The
thought Of all the nice things he had
missed during the summer haunted
more tennis and golf, that he had
not spent SO much time indoors. His
mood was one Of pleasant melancholy
rather than actual unhappiness, and
the sharp discordant ring Of the tele-
phone was q distinct jar on his nerves.
"Yes, hello" he answered. trying to
remember that the voice with the smile
wins.
May ! speak to Miss Brown"
asked man at the other end of the
wire.
"There is no Miss Brown here; am
Mr.. Brown" answered Henry.
II want Miss Henrietta Brown, II "
6tuyvesant square," persisted the
voice.
swell, the names all right, and the
address Is all right, but the gender's
all wrong. What's the answerY
Henry was annoyed but interested.
mo. no." came through the receiver.
Its not joke. Miss Brown has
just moved In on the second floor"
"Oh, WE'LL" said Henry, "you have
the wrong number. I'm on the first
door," and he rang of.
He returned to his stand by the
window and muttered to himself
about the nuisance Of having been
born with q name like Brown. "A
feminine shadow on the next floor"
he exclaimed. "Well, it's queer
little old world we live in"
From that day on there was no
doubt as to the presence Of Miss
Henrietta Brown upstairs. He grew
to hate the telephone-for whenever
1t rang 1t always seemed to be for
Henrietta. People seeing his name in
the book Just took 1t for granted that
Henry" must be a mistake and SUBJ
stituted Henrietta and apparently
everybody in the world knew and want
ed to talk to her. His apartment be-
came a sort Of receiving station for
her parcels and callers. And Henry,
without having ever seen the lady or
heard her voice, took an ardent dis
like to her.
One morning, while the chill No
vember wind howled through the
square outside and the steam wouldn't
come up, Henry felt that insult was
being added to injury when a large
drop from the ceiling above fell with
a gentle splash into his coffee cup. A
leak from Henrietta's apartment At
last he had a definite cause for CON-
plant and up the stairs, three steps
at time, he went to tell her a few
homely truths. He gave her bell q
vicious push-and the door opened.
Henry s1rst thought that he was
dreaming-that nothing as pretty
and dainty as the apparltion that
greeted his eyes could be real. And
when the vision spoke and said
Good morning in that indescribable
way usually only attributed to the
heroines of fiction, he forgot the
stored-up resentment of weeks, he for.
got the telephone calls and the par.
cels-he even forgot his manners and
stood there staring. speechless.
did you want to speak to meY
continued the lady, smiling at his
very apparent discontinue; and
then struck by a sudden thought
But perhaps you are looking for Mr.
Henry Brown in the apartment down.
stairs. People often come up here
first before they know the wild ways
Of an apartment house with two
Browns In It." Merriment radiated
from her as the rays from the sun.
Henry gulped. mo; you see, an
Henry Brown
"Oh," said Henrietta, holding out
q friendly hand. what can do fol
you? Won't you come int"
Henry entered, explaining as hi
came. II just ran up to see If
couldn't be of some assistance to you
There seems to be just tiny leal
In your kitchen-and perhaps l coult
fix it up for you In minute. The
janitor, Of course, doesn't get up a,
early as this" He spoke in a jocu
lar manner, but his head was swim
ming with sense Of his own un
worthiness and utter abasement FOL
the cruel things he had said ant
thought about Miss Henrietta Brown
Henrietta laughed In the most JOY
Gus way in the world. Thanks aw
fully" she said. But 1t wasn't I
leak at all, you know. just forgo
to turn off the water when RAJ
down to the corner to buy paper, an(
when l came back the kitchen looked
like the Mediterranean Wasn't it to-
stupid Of me! hope, though, 1t didn'
ruin a rare Chinese print or a frs
edition of yours!'' AT the idea O
such a catastrophe she looked so be
witchingly contrite that If Henry hat
had any lurking animosity left in hi
Flies and Milk.
Take your choice between files and
milk; the energy COW uses when
badly pestered with flies can't go into