The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-21

 gave up
 Kin I come to work tomorrow ?" suggested the boy.
 Well. err" hesitated the archi- tect-
 But Bob had rushed gladly on.
 I'll be here. And thanks. Is thera anything l can do for you right rJw?' The architect. who had so sudden ly acquired-rather had had thrust upon him-an apprentice, thought fully shook his head.
 What was 1t so familiar in the kids eyes? He knew that expression. He got the idea that If he had de- nied Bobs insistence 1t would have seemed as If he were denying a friend almost a trust.
 Fate, Was Itf
 Strange how things happen" mur- mered the business expert.
 Then he laughed at himself the way the boy had "held him up."
 Bob's long legged manner of van ishing down the steps, and particu larly the way he held his shoulders and moved as though he was getting somewhere appealed to the success full man.
 T reckon I couldn't have refused kid like that on a bet" he laughed. "IIe wouldn't have let mel"
 As the architect went back to his work, pictures of the boy kept re- curing to his mind.
 "Wonder how he happened to pick on being an architect, when the world is full of things that actually pay poor slaverl"
 It was one of his pet expressions that being an architect didn't pay. Yet he had not only attained suc- h1t at ha hnafOAae
 It was a rather long hard seige the following day. as work went. And while the architect thought of the boy once or twice. he forgot all about him toward afternoon and when he came was totally unpre- pared for his arrival.
 Didn't Stand Around
 Furthermore. he did not know just what to do with him.
 But Bob was not the sort to stand around. He shortly settled things for himself There were sheets of paper to be tackled down-and card board; rules to be handed to the master; certain pencils that needed to be sharpened. He swept the floor. In day or two Bob became hands and eyes for the architect. He put everything in its place, and this was sorely needed.
 Then Bob's eyes went everywhere his brain followed outlines, and pretty soon he began to catch on to costs of things, until, even before his first month was up, the architect had completely capitulated, and tbegan to pay Rim SIS a week.
 Furthermors the architect told his wife one night:
 q reckon the Lord must have sent me that kid. He's doing the work. Some of these days I'll be able retire and leave him the office" Bob's main success was that he did not get smart-that he, never got too big for his job. \ Was he learning? That was his main question to himself. Did he un- derstand what he was doing? Was he mastering every detail--letting any thing slip by him2 How good an architect could a man be? he would query. He wanted to be be the best. Then he would begin to dig harder at things he knew could be worked out, but didn't exactly know the way.
 Left Him With Office His boss. getting a bit tired of the ! grind. began to leave the office In as the months rolled by, he set him
 
 fixed in Bobs mind what sort of a foundation would support a certain structure. he began from that, work ing out and learning proportions. As he progressed he began to have a | passion to make things as beautiful as he could with the money to be spent
 Thus. very soon the Honorable Thomas Valdon, architect, found in his heart that perfect trust of Bob. Sometimes he even admitted that Bob was better than he was in some things and where the architect real ized a weak point in the boy. he built this, up
 Going to give the kid everything good I've got. he said to himself. And then he cackled:
 Guess I couldn't help that eith- err"
 But there was something that had begun to worry Bob.
 To be continued next week.