Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-12-06

they sat talking. once they disagreed.
Then they slipped into silence.
And Clauson fell TO thinking of Miss
Rickson. He had heard her say in
credibly little and yet he could feel
the zest, the laughter, the thrill which
talk with her could conceivably hold.
But he and Jep had nothing to say to
each other really, which they had not
already said
He rose abruptly. "I'm going out
for little while, Jep." he said.
"Where on earth are you goingT"
she rejoined, as always.
This time as he went he did not
reply.
At a chemists he called up the
scared boarding house and asked for
Miss Ruth Rickson.
"I've something | want TO talk over
with you," he told her earnestly. "Are
you well enough TO have bite of sup
per with me?"
II am not, thank YOU" came back
at him crisply. won't this wait till
morning? I'll be down at work
then"
at will not wait" said ClausOn,
just as crisply. And then she said
that the landlady sometimes let her
use her own sitting room and she
would see. Ten minutes and Clauson
was In the landlady's sitting room and
Ruth Rickson sat before him. She
was in her Office dress and she waited
primly and as If she We're about to
take dictation. but with faint
puzzled frown.
1t was a terrible room, this in which
they were seated. The colors fairly
locked horns. Above Miss Rickson's
head depended bright oil of a dog
much too large for his kennel The
light swooped down from the naked
gas jets. There was an odor of cold
storage.
81 can't get you out of my mind"
Clauson began abruptly. "Look here ::
want to help you"
Help me" She looked still more
puzzled. Her somewhat wary pres
ence was not as ClauSon had imaged
1t. She made it bit difficult for him
to go on. He was not very sure what
he intended to ay-anyhow-had not
been sure, any of the time. He had
depended on inspiration and her man
ner was not inspiring him.
eyes. Help-help you somehow to
get better deal" he brought out.
WTNhorly
you. How?" inquired Miss Rickson
rapidly. 1t was the exact manner in
which she sometimes said, "Will you
spell that name for me, please?"
ClausOn fioundered q don't
know he said. You tell me. What
do you-what do you want to do?"
Miss Rickson was watching him. II
came to Clauson that she was enor-
mouSly able to take care of herself,
to make her own deals. There in the
office, taking his orders in silence, def
erential, gentle, she had never seemed
anything like so self-sufficient as she
seemed now.
81 want to be stenographer." she
said. That's fairly plain, isn't it, by
my taking the trouble to learn the
stuffY
Eyes, of course. But haven't you
any other ambition? Haven't Won
ever wanted" Clauson was feeling
rather foolish, as if the only reason
which he could think of offhand for
coming to see her had failed.
"Why," said Miss Rickson, II sup
pose l want to be married."
Clauson was startled. "YOu are
going to be married?" he inquired.
Nobody that I'd have has ever
asked me. But" said Miss Rickson
gravely, che may, he may,o She
smiled a little then, and dipped her
head.
It went through the mind of Clau-
son that this booEkeeper or whoever
he might prove to be, would be the
one to hear her agree, Exactly, dear"
Or would she agree so very much?
Really, she was very different from
the Miss ltickson in his office She
sat there waiting politely, to hear
what he was going to say next. And
what was he going to say next?"
"YOu-you wouldn't want to 90 to
colIege2" he asked her, looking more
foolish still
Me? Not much. I'm no teacher
born. Three and bath-thats nv
measure. And my mother will live
with me-when l get it,"
Clauson arose. He looked around
him a little wildly. "But couldn't Won
live somewhere now" he wanted to
know, "where-where such caused
dog wouldn't sit in front of a kennel
he doesn't ft?"
She looked quite blank, whats
the matter with the dogT she in
CURED, and dipped her head, and
turned her face bit without turning
her eyes, and ran her hand UP over
her bObbed hair at the back. She was
so utterly charming when she was
silent--and agreeing. She was so
utterly different when, now, she
wheeled toward him:
Look here, Mr.. Clauson," she said
briskly, "why did you come to see me
tOnightY
She was looking at him aggres-
sively. And abruptly-perhaps 1t was
because he Just noted the thinness
Of her wrists-Clauson was swept by
a strong pity. Poor little thing, he
thought, suspecting everybody, quite
on her own In this big town. Poor
little thing, in this fearful boarding
house, just working ahead on the
chance that some bOOkkeeper or other
would marrN her out of things. A