The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-19

What has happened before,
 This is q story dealing with Bir- mingham's future.
 At IA years old, Robert Landon be- gins his awakening to young man. hood by joining the Boy Scouts. The son of poor woman, he leads any thing hut an envfable existence, but citizenship and what it means has begun to stir fin his soul. One day seeing a corner stone being laid and hearing the attendant eulogy to a citizen, Bob vows he will be a great man.
 A red-haired girl hears him, and much to Bons embarrassment. speak. up and encourages the idea. He loses her after a boyish promise that he will make good just for her sake. An automobile drives mp and whisIks her away. He does not even learn her name.
 Rob decides to become an architect, and gets a job with the best and most successful firm in Birmingham, and is persuaded to become a real estate man. .Ho conceives an idea that he wishes to build a series of gigantic electrical figures above the city which win be magnificent to look upon from the top of Red mountain. TwinIkIing lights, he feels, are not enough. He hopes to see only castles, municipal buildings. houses of God, vast auditoriums, public and state buildings go up along Red mountains $ crext-aIl of them to he of marble Their spires and turrets and artistic beauty, he feels, would forever be an inspiration when Birmingham citi- gems lifted their eyes to look upon them. He maps ont figures typical of the old south, and builds his towns in colonial style.
 One day coming down the street, he sees the red-hended girl again but again she suddenly escapes him.
 CHAPTER VI
 Bob then took himself to taw.
 Eve got to get over this" he said sternly. T act like foolish kid when I'm not kid any longer.
 T have never been rroperly intro- duced to the young woman. If I had spoken to her she would prob ably have been humiliated at my pre- umption-embarras anyway"
 Beside what Is she to me, any how?"
 Bob shouldn't have asked himself that question. His face grew brick red
 An Admission
 But hn told himself the truth
 Just about everything" he ad- mitted. i've given her that place l guess I've built about the biggest altar for her in my heart anybody in the world could"
 But where did she go9 The thought was ng-unbearable. Bob said to himself that he probably should not-but finally decided that, any way. he would walk up beside a line of automobiles along the curbing to see if by chance she could have stepped into one of them.
 If Bob could have known. the young woman whom he actually sought had entered the home of dressmaker upon the street. and at that moment was preening herself before a mirror to determine the length of very much befrilled skirt.
 Her eyebrows were drawn into little self accusatory line as she queried her dressmaker:
 This old stuff is just awful to handle isn't 1t? Mercy, I didn't mean to give you such a hard job. I wouldn't have bought such flimsy material"
 The dressmaker was all gracious ness.
 "T'aint no matter. Miss Mary, I want ft Just dS DedutlluI dS you are There's not much extra work. I don't mind"
 Nice Molly!" said she of the frilled skirt. batting the elder wom- ans hand. Then her eyes fell upon Bob outside.
 He was stumbling along on the street gating-and naturally since 1t was she he sought, headed dead wrong.
 Was This shes
 Finally he caught sight of hat which looked to him like the one the red haired girl was wearing The girl was sitting on the footboard of the automobile. Her face was turned away so that he could not see it. Bob knew he could not inn politely stand and stare and wait for her to look around. but he was most unwilling now to miss the chance of seeing the red headed girl, if it was she, no matter what hap pened.
 So he walked straight into the heart of his subjecs.
 "I was looking for a young lady I met when I was little boy" he said clearly, 'and I beg your par don if I am mistaken-but thought you were she"
 Annette Kingston knew a masher when she sa wone. She realized in an instant that Bob was not one. But Bob was so good looking, and she sensed instantly. worth know ing, that she was disposed to argue the question and thus prolong the interview.
 Am I like her?" she queried archly.
 The architect took in at glance the blue eyes, the rather pudgy. though piquant nose, and most of all the hair that was not at all red, but more of a brown. He decided that it was the sun shining upon it which had given it the auburn