The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-30

"HE Bachelor Girl knew he hadn'
 any money, because at lunchtime
 she had seen him eat what was left of box of crackers and a piece of cheese whose color and texture had caused very apparent doubts as to its digestibility. The Bachelor Girl knew everything, because. she had watched him constantly-and shamelessly-for months. She could tell how many, or rather how few, suits of clothes he had l; how many shirts and hats. From her window across the narrow court she had seen him washing those shirts and ironing them. Once, when he was out, she had even reached over with her long broomhandle, picked up the best white linen one where it was dry ing on chair, mended a tiny hole and returned it.
 The Bachelor Girl painted things on glass, china and other knicknacks. She earned enough to pay her rent, and dress neatly, and eat as much as she liked, and give a wee bit to charity and she loved the Bachelor, though he was unaware of her existence. He was nearsighted He was like child adrift in strange and chilly world. 1t hurt the Bachelor Girl not to be able to help. With a woman the mat ter would have been simple. She would have stepped in and offered it. And it seemed absurd to be deprived of the pleasure of assisting a person just becauseshe happened to belong to the opposite sex.
 One morning, from behind the seeur- ity of her pretty net curtains, she saw the Bachelor eye his watch regretfully, and reach for his hat and coat. Intui- lively the Bachelor .Girl felt that he was going to pawn the sole remaining ar ticle of value in his possession. Some thing had to be done-quickly. She snatched her purse, extracted five dollar bill, weighted it with a heavy button, and, taking good aim, flung it through the open window into the Bachelors apartment. Just in times It struck him on the head with force that made him wince, as he was moving toward the door. Picking it up he unfOlled the bill and took a hasty glance around for claimant. The Bachelor Girl, crouching low in her chair before the window, watched him standing transfixed for a few minutes, and saw his lips move as though giving thanks to an unseen power. She breathed easier. For a while the watch was safe, and the Bachelor would have breakfast.
 The Bachelor wrote stories that never were sold. Every day, with infinite faith, he seated himself before his type writer and poured out his soul in worlds and every night he prayed fer vently for the check that never came. Hope budded anew each morning-and did painful death each night.
 Only few mornings after her five dollar bill hit the Bachelor on the head the Bachelor Girl saw that things were financially wrong again. When he sat down to his typewriter, after swal- lowing the few edibles that were left, he stayed there, without interrupting himself for lunch. The Bachelor Girl was broken heartd, for she knew the Bachelor was hungry; and on her gas range was roast, with potatoes and gravy and a freshly made apple pie for which her appetite was spoiled. She thought a while and was rewarded with a brilliant idea. The Bachelor was typewriting in a room quite dis tant from the kitchen. Picking up her trusty broom, she inserted strong hook in the handle, covered the roast with the pie in its tin plate, attached it to the hook and, gently hoisting her bur den into the Bachelors kitchen, de posited it on the floor.
 5 She felt prodigiously rewarded when later she saw the Bachelors look of in- credulous amazement change under the prompdngs of the inner man. If the ravens chose to feed him, his expres- sion seemed to say, it would be flying in the face of Providence to refuse to ne fed. There was little of the roast and pie left when he was through.
 However, a roast couldn't be thrust through the window every day and the Bachelor became very thin. The Bach elor Girl racked her brain for some new way of keeping him. It was diff ficult. He was always at home, it seemed. And though she had a hamper packed with canned fruit and meat and fish, crackers and bacon and eggs, there was no way of getting it to him without betraying herself. At last she saw him leave the house one evening Ostensibly for a walk. The Bachelor Girl moved quickly. She seized her ironing board and made bridge from her window to the Bachelors, grabbed the hamper, crossed lightly, put down her burden of eatables-and faced the Bachelor, who had evidently changed his mind about the walk.
 Panic took possession of the Bachelor Girl. Making a mad dash over her ironing board. she pulled in her tenn porary bEidge and banged the window Shuf Thpn sha fhroU haFealf nm fha