Evening star., 1937-04-25
Aoeozins Section

hundred or more years ago, had no doubt
been mere red bricks, but time had tempered
and beautifed them. Now, with the sunlight
caressing their surfaces, they were mellowed'
almost to the color of the sun itself and quite
lovely.
1T is sort of pretty!" Miss Barbara said.
And her sister agreed; Come to think OF it, it
is Funny we never noticed it,
They looked at the wall in silence until
movement on the walk outside their weedy
front yard drew Miss Barbara's attention.
Look she said. Hes going in the Muir
phys. wonder what on earth he wants.
Mrs. Murphy was always glad of someone
to talk to. Having seen the stranger leave the
next house, she opened the door before he had
time to knock.
Come in!' she said Have chair. Waitll
| move them clothes . There. Now, set
down. Is it from the court you are? Pat has
been acting up something terrible with the
drink. As l told the lady yesterday, some
things got to be done. Not that like to COM
plain against my own husband -"
She paused for breath and the stranger
spoke: 1t must indeed be hard to turn over
to the law one you love. Ones mind at such
time would 60 back to the days before mar
rage, when all of life seemed to have its being
in the loved ones smile. To the marriage day
itself. when one made the solemn VOWS to love
and cherish the other always he, on his
part, vowed to provide home; you, on yours,
to make that home place which the discord
and sorddness of the world should never en-
ter
Unwashed dishes, unlaundered clothes, the
of the cheaper motion picture magazines, were
everywhere in the room The stranger did not
seem to see these things. His kind brown eyes
we're on Mrs, Murphy's eyes, and under their
compassionate regard, Mrs. Murphy's eyes
filled with tears.
You talk" she said, like Father OFal-
Ion the day he we'd US. Much the same he said
then. 'Tis years since thought of it,
The stranger sat silent. Then she sighed
and went on: well, maybe you can tell the
lady III not have him sent up this time on ac-
count OF he has swore by all that's holy to
keep off the drink, and on account of he has
just been took back at the mill"
He nodded gravely. "As it happens" he
said, Il am not from the court. am only
here to ask question" And he added did
you or any of your family live on Tombey
Street in eighteen ninety -one?"
Mrs. Murphy said that she had only lived
in Tombey Street three years. And what"
she asked, would you be wanting to know
that for, if I may be so bold as to ask?"
The stranger rose and bowed. Il fear that
must remain my own secret" he said. He
thanked Mrs. Murphy and departed.
In the last house on the west side of the
street young Ted Miller came to the door,
book in hand and, in opening the door, chanced
to drop the book at the strangers feet
STOPPING to retrieve it, the stranger said,
Il see you are interested in the study of medi-
cine. 1t is a noble calling"
All the bitterness inside Teds soul flooded
over him at the words, and before he stopped
to consider, much of it found utterance What
was the use of studying anything, he asked?
Young men went to college came out of COL
lege and, if they were lucky, got jobs driving
trucks or running elevators. If they weren't
lucky they starved to death - unless they
had wealthy families to support them. Ted's
mother sewed for living, and Ted was work.
ing his way through the first year pre- medic"
course at Wildmore College. He would be
fool to 60 on through three years more at the
state university, Shaving for the bare necessi-