Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-03-15

/
/ borrow enough, he would. He would
| steal in order to go on painting. Ii
| turned the envelope over.
! 1t wasn't addressed in Miss GoGC''
| fine Victorian hand. 1t had been ad
dressed with typewriter. And tn,
| name embossed in the upper left-hant
| corner was Carlson & Stein, Michi'
| gan avenue. Chicago"
Arthur tore open the envelope. L
contained a pale-blue slip of paper
with serrated edges, check for 5000
| and a brief note informing him thai
Carlson & Stein had sold his old pic
ture of the Chicago River for $3.50
They took pleasure in forwarding hin
the amount, less their commission OF
20 per cent.
y = x ::
LIE could pay two months rent. He
would have place to work In
and sleep in for at least six weeks
till the first of March. He could pay
the gas bill and make a deposit of S1t
and get the radiator going. He could
buy paints and canvases and drawing
paper. He could buy that book or
clipper ships that he had found in
the second hand shop in Lexington
avenue. He could DO anything he
wanted to-he could paint his head
oH-fOr SIX weeks.
He ran downstairs and knocked al
Miss Goggs door. A maid answered
Miss Gogg wasn't in. She had gone
to Philadelphia on Monday. She
wouldn't be back before dinner time.
Arthur went slowly back upstairs
So that was why there had been no
envelope from Miss Gogg. He knocked
on Dorrances door. Dorrance would
help him cash the check. But there
was no answer. He banged on the
door, but Dorrance was out.
At PAS o'clock Dorrance was still
out. Didn't banks close at 3 o'clock
If he didn't cash the check before
closing time, he couldn't cash it al
all until tomorrow. He might have
to go hungry until the banks opened
in the morning. Arthur decided to
put his case to Miss Brown. He
knocked on her door. He heard her
say Come in" He pushed the door
open.
She was seated at her drawing
board, pencil in hand, under power
full lamp. Her face, framed in a cloud
of curls, was piquant- Her mouth was
almost knocking, but her eyes were
friendly. AS he advanced into the
room he saw that the piquancy was
partly the result of a smudge on the
side of her small, slightly turned-up
nose. She had touch of the gamin.
What can l do for you?" she
asked.
He realized that he was standing
there staring at her with a slip OF
pale blue paper in his hand. He
looked down at the check.
'Why-why," he stammered. Il
i"
But she had already jumped up
She was putting on her raincoat.
Wen have to hurry" she was say
ing. The bank closes in six min
utes."
He followed her quick steps down
the hall, down the stairs, into the
street. She led the way to d bank in
Madison avenue. They walked in the
door just as the guard was closing it
He made way at Miss Browns smile
She Endorsed the check at the counter
caught the eye of a paying teller as
he was dropping his wicket, and the
next instant she was presenting q
sheaf of twenty-dollar bills to Ar
thur.
There" she said, smiling at him.
He wanted to thank her, to make
some friendly gesture, and he was
very much afraid of her. He felt ut
terIy incompetent in the face of her
manifest competence.
Wont you come to tea with me?'
he asked suddenly, forcing himself to
look at her.
Her face had changed. Her keen
alert look was gone. She was look
ing at him with eyes full of compass
sion. as if she were his mother.
What you need she said, "is a
regular meal. Go and eat Then
come and see me. I'll give you tea
and We'll talk" {.
She put her hand on his arm, pushe
him gently out of the bank and into
the street.
At the corner he looked back She
was out of sight. He turned off Madi-
son avenue toward Lexington avenue
He knew she was right. He ought tc
eat hot luncheon, but he wouldn't
He wasn't hungry. He would go dowr
to the secondhand shop and buy thai
book on clipper ships. 1t cost 81
Miss Brown would think him foolish
He was glad of it. Let her. He
wanted to be foolish. He was a man
1t was a mans privilege to be foolish
He would not go to tea at her studio
and be talked to. She had no right
to judge him. She did not know the
circumstances.
x X X X
4 T o'clock he was again knocking
on her door. Her smile was Sc
quick and warm that he smiled bach
at her. He saw, what he hadn't no.
ticed before. that fire glowed red II
the CRATE behind a brass fender. Mis-.
Brown showed long willow chair
toward the fire.
"Sit down." she said, land dry your
feet while 1 make the tea
He hadn't realized how cold and
HI
sistibly. He sat down in the LONG
chair and put his feet on the fender
Miss Brown found a tin teakettle in
the closet, filed it at the tap in the
bathroom, set it inside the crate or
the glow of Goals.
I've got one more hand to draw
and I'm through for the day." she
said, and sat down again at her board
He stole glance at her. She was
bent intently over her board, one
eyebrow lifted in distress, her mouth
grim, as she struggled to draw the
hand. He smiled. He liked her bet.
ter that way.
I'm illustrating a book" she ex.
planned. IT'S the best chance I've
had SO far. But it's going to take
six weeks
The kettle on the Goals was bub-
bling and kissing when she sigheo
happily and rose. He watched heI
quick movements while she put &
small table, very low. in front of the
fire, laid a cloth, brought tray with
a small copper kettle on a brass
standard, and cups, and sugar, ant
cream, and slices of lemon ant
waters. She poured the boiling water
out of the tin teakettle into the cop.
per kettle and lit the lamp under it.
Thus" she said, as she put the tir
kettle away in the closet, I'VE com.
bine speed with elegance"
She turned off the fierce light ovel
her drawing board and turned on &
small lamp with a plated shade o.
ivory silk that stood on a low con.
sole between the windows. The room