The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-09-29
When Brown Meets
Brown
BY MARY MORRISON

square. lie was fcellng ratner teHl-
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 |
him-he wished he had gone in for
more tennis and golf, that he had
not spent SO much time indoors His
mood was one OF pleasant melancholy
rather than actual unhapplness, and
the sharp dlscordant ring of the tele-
phone was distinct jar on his nerves.
"Yes, hello" he answered, trying to
remember that the voice with the smile
wins
MAY speak to Miss BrownT'
asked a man at the other end of the
wire.
There Is no Miss Brown here; am
Mr.. Brown" answered Henry.
II want Miss Henrietta Brown, 1lla
Stuyvesant square" persisted the
voice.
"Well, the names all right. and the
address is all right, but the genders
all wrong. What's the answer?'
Henry was annoyed but interested.
"No. no." came through the receiver.
'it's 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
hoor." and he rang OFF.
He returned to his stand by the
window and muttered to himself
about the nuisance OF having been
born with 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
II rang It always seemed to be for
Henrietta. People seeing his name In
the book just took II for granted that
Henry" must be a mistake and sub
stltuted 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
gentle splash into his coffee cup. A
leak from Henrietta's apartment! AT
last he had definite cause for com
plant and up the stairs, three steps
at time. he went to tell her few
homely truths. He gave her bell q
vicious push-and the door opened.
Henry first thought that he was
dreaming-that nothing as pretty
and dainty as the apparition that
greeted his eyes could be real And
when the vision spoke and sait
Good morning" In that indescribabl,
way usually only attributed TO the
herolnes 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 ant
stood there staring. speechless.
did you want to speak to me-?
continued the lady, smiling at hi
very apparent discontinue; ant
then struck by sudden thought
!. "But perhaps you are looking for Mr.
Henry Brown In the apartment down
0 stairs. People often come up her
!. first before they know the wild way
NIL txxt
Browns In It." Merriment radiate
g from her as the rays from the sun.
0 Henry gulped. mo; you see. an
= Henry Brown"
"Oh," said Henrietta. holding ou
a friendly hand. "what can do 70
= you? Won't you come inf'
y Henry entered, explaining as b
y came. II Just ran up to see II
couldn't be of some assistance to yol
. There seems TO be just a tiny lea
y In your kitchen-and perhaps l coul
- fix 1t up for you In minute. Tn
: janitor, OF course, doesn't get up O
j early as this - He spoke In Joe,
lar manner. but his head was swim
- ming with a sense OF his own III
wOrthiness and utter abasement II
the cruel things he had said an
thought about Miss Henrietta Brow
" Henrietta laughed In the most Jo
,f Gus way In the world. Thanks ay
ID fully" she said. "But 1t wasn't
70 leak at all, you know. just forg'
ie to turn of the water when RI
'e down to the corner to buy paper, an
re when / came back the kitchen locke
at like the Mediterranean. Wasn't 1t t
ly stupid of me hope, though, 1t didI
r ruin rare Chinese print or fir
edition Of yoursl" At the idea
such catastrophe she looked so b
6 witchingly contrite that II Henry hi
had any lurking animosity left In b
a. system, Il would have vanished befo
such picture Of beauty in distress.
Perish the thought. / keep SUI
things our of the kitchen on purpOst