The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-19
CHAPTER TEN

OAA<AA AtAAS 4 AAAN
HER eyes went past the orchid
Il l. and-black' bathtub in the win
dow to the wide sunlit street be-
yond. When Mr.. Redfern had con-
ceived the idea of lowering his rent
by moving from the west side of
the river to this small place on the
east side, he had said that it would
be much pleasanter for Miss Fen
wick.
They were closer to the street,
here, and she could look out of the
window and watch the people
passing and the traffic all day long.
He had meant it kindly. He
knew, as Ann knew, how light her
duties were: few letters and bills
to be sent, few items to be posted
in the books, an occasional tele-
phone call to answer, pay rolls to be
made out on Saturdays, and moth
ing more to be done except for a
scurrying day or two around the
first of each month.
Since Mr. Redfern managed to
keep his ailing business alive only
by constant personal ministrationS
Ann was alone most of the time in
the office.
She read library books; novels Of
the lighter, neatly mediocre sort;
f1ctionized biography, or newly
popular philosophy; poetry, some
d times, If the bindings were clean
and pretty, though poetry often
made her sad.
She wrote letters to the few peo-
pie she knew who did not live in
Portland-letters SO long that the
recipients felt they required a real
letter" in answer, (Ann Fenwick
writes such dandy letterD and so,
often, never answered them at all.
She sewed a little, but guiltily-it
didn't look we'll to be sewing in an
office. During the season she went
to a nearby market and bought peas
and string beans and prepared them
surreptitiously, and with news
papers ready to hand for coverings,
to carry home ready to be cooked
Tor the evening meal.
Once, for a few happy months,
she had attempted short-Story writ
ing; but the following flood of fat
envelopes bearing reflections had
drowned her courage, or her con-
ceit, and dissolved her ambitions
for authorship.
l She had not told Phil about the
short stories. She had been afraid
that he would tease her, as he had
leased her about the graphology
the French in six easy lessons, the
crossword puzzles.
Her defense had been that they
killed time. 1t was hard for Phil TO
understand why a person who had
nothing to do all day but kill time
should so often complain of weari-
ness in the evening; and yet, I'M
doubleday, David too, was tired
after the encounter with Goliath.
A MESSENGER BOY riding along
IA out there turned his bicycle
sharply and dismounted at the curb.
AIMS breath caught, but only for
bllG lllOIllGllO ~ bOOh Vic OOy W us
cover the number next door.
Phil sometimes had sent flowers
to her at the office. Phil, only last
year. had said that he hadn't nerve
to telephone her after the way he
had acted, and had sent a long let
ter by messenger. Phile once l..
Ann liked her yesterdays, and she
had fallen into the quaint habit of
jlaying with them in her mind, of
arranging and rearranging them as
boys arrange their stamp collec-
tons.
Phil'S failure to call her today was
not so noticeable put beside the eve
ming he had left her house at 10 and
telephoned from a drug store twen-
ty minutes later. Nothing had been
: wrong that evening; he had wished
to hear her voice again, to be GER
tain that she really was.
Phil's SurlinesS last evening did