Show O MANCE Ot TH SECOND FLOOR mv AND wo THE rHe rHeL TOP fLOOR I L BACK HARL aS CLIFTON was the pride of Mrs heart He took Cof C her ber whole second e nd Soot floor by the year she was Wall wont to explain and sad always al always always ways added that he had bad been with her so 80 long tong that he be seemed like one oae of the family Mr Clifton look as 9 though be he might be a 1 member of Mrs Kra family The Th were vein red of face and short and compact Of figure i while he be was wa pale and tall and aDd stooped a bit He looked most at home bome hi in Ms Ids I library which was we the largest large t room on Mrs Gilhooly second mooed floor He was 42 4 years yea old od and aDd a bachelor His landlady described de his business bu vague ague vaguely ly 11 as II having something to do with books The fact was that after pend pending lug ing half his bis life ute at the task he be had established a publishing business Having paid his hie bi youth and the sacrifice flee fice of all ali the wayside Joys of life Ufe as the price he be had bad at last 18 his bis business b And by way of compensation for what he had bad missed mimed he be had his library It bad had come coree to be a sentient thing to toI him He loved it instead of or the wife I he bad had never had and the children that were denied him Sarah Sah Ann Mrs I housemaid and tides declared that she he heard him mutter mutterIng mutterIng Ing in and R in there and be believed believed that he was waa w telling his secrets to the books book that would never repeat them as aa Sarah Ann would W certainly have done clone could she abe have heard beard I 1 Mrs Irs Gilhooly used a phrase phra e not unknown un unknown unknown known to society when she spoke of or Mary Hilliard I know her but very slightly Miss Kia Hilliard was waa small and unobtrusive and aDd occupied the hall room at the top floor back Beyond col collecting collecting collecting her ber small mall rental promptly every week Mrs Ins Gilhooly really did know but little of Misa Hilliard She was satisfied from her bet references that she was II employed In an office clues down town Mary Hilliard had reached ached an age that wo women women women I men make radiant It is the women who have shriveled led and paled under tinder I uncongenial and aad monotonous work who have associated it with the word I I parse puse Mary Billiard BUllard belonged to that class Her eyes e were heavy from front too I close co e application to her work of copying copy copying ing maps in the tile land office She SM had I the yellowish pallor of the anaemic I 1 Her skirts were too scant and she wore black from economy Mary Hil HII Hilliard Hilliard liard as Charles Clifton saw her when she passed him on the stairs occasionally occasionally occasion occasionally ally was wall not attractive It was not surprising that be he did not know her from the other women in the house honse One evening he left the library door open when he went down stairs to din dinner dinner dinner ner Walking upstairs after acter dinner he be saw a small amaH figure In standing in the tb doorway She had leaned forward a bit in a childishly eager way and her face had the th pleased look of a child He watched her as her eyes wandered over the I shelves sheves of books book the reading table of I carved oak the desk whose burnished aides sides reflected the crackling tare Are from the logs Jogs on the hearth the great chairs that wooed tired limbs and aDd brains beams the big lounge and andt the cheerful red silk shades on the chandelier and the reading lamp lamps She clasped her lIer hands hant with delight deUc t Then the pleased look faded She sighed The tired eyes looked heavy beavy again and she turned and began n the ascent of the three flights to the top floor back The next eXt morning Mr Clifton interrupted Interrupted inter interrupted Mrs Kra Gil voluble Inquiries about his health with Who is that small childlike person in la Mack black I no noticed noticed Seed in the tile dining room this morning The one who sits hi in the corner farthest away way a from the windy Yea Tes Miss Misa Hilliard in an office down town and Dd has my fourth floor back I know mow her but very ery slight slightly ly y I II 11 I think I know a friend of hers and I would like Uke you yeu to tell ten her with my compliments that she is i welcome to use u e my library whenever she likes I Tell her I am out all aU day and wont I disturb her Dont forget Mrs Gilhooly forget forzet On the contrary she told the story in wide eyed astonishment to Sarah Ann Just think his blessed Sarry Ann she said But shell have hae to have the pass key since hes he ordered She stop stopped stopped ped pad Miss Hilliard as she he commenced her toilsome the fourth floor and delivered the message and the keys which the woman whom she knew but slightly blushing and won wondering wondering wondering dering much accepted Mary Hilliard spent a glorious hour curled up in the big chair reading Pendennis When she closed the door softly and went up upstairs upstairs upstairs stairs the tenseness ten bad had left her face and her eyes were humid Every afternoon she read thus al aJ always always ways curled up in the biggest t chair chasing the tired look from her face by those blessed wrinkle eradicators new and pleasant thoughts There was as only one thing to mar her pleasure the thought that the owner of that haven might return sooner than usual and find her ber there She watched the ormolu clock anxiously looking up at atit atit atit it in a frightened way in the most in interesting Interesting interesting situation in a plot or the tho most exquisite portion of a poem to see how bow far off oft the dreaded half halt past 6 might be And nd promptly at twenty minutes past 6 she closed the book however interesting the portion ani ant antran ran away to avoid the ogre It was exactly nineteen minutes past i 6 one evening when the dreaded hap happened happened i The door opened and the mas mar master marter i iter ter of the library entered Mary struggled struggled struggled painfully to her treet Martin Martl fell tell from her hand and her blushes scorched her hep he thin face I beg your pardon she said ear earnestly earnestly nestly neatly I 1 thought you never came un until until until til 6 and I was Just going ping I II I have had bad this happen for forthe forthe forthe the world I II I sent my thanks by Mrs airs Gilhooly You are very good Good evening I She escaped and ran upstairs Clif Clil Clifton Clif ton smiled then thea frowned Finally he laughed and did an extraordinary thing He picked up that Chat traitorous ormolu and turned it back twenty min minutes minute minutes I utes ute You must do better next ext time he advised the offender as ae he be set it down with a peculiar smile Why Im home earlier than usual u ual said Miss MI Hilliard the next evening It Itis ItIs ItU is U Just lust as well for I shall leave at a quarter past this evening And so 80 she would have bave done bad had not Mr Clifton arrived at 6 This time I tears tea of chagrin filled her eyes Please do not go SO he said leaving the door very much ajar Pardon me but I 1 like to see Bee you here Let me j show how you a new set et of Balzac that has hasu Just u t arrived She lingered a few minutes admiring the Balsac BaJue edition thanking him shyly for the privilege e of the library then Mn hurried away What bright eyes and pink cheeks he mused By love She ic 10 i almost pretty I wish She would come back He winked and nodded at the clock and turned it back ten more mor minutes Miss Mias Hilliard BUllard became accustomed to these interruptions but never long ong after them She grew suspicious of the traitorous clock and brought brou ht her own with her ber to regulate her read readings readIngs readings ings Mr Clifton surprised ed Mrs Gilhooly by complaining that the light at his table was wag too strong It hurts my eyes he declared craftily Now why I cant I sit at that third table tate on the right Its dark and the fixtures aint as asgood asgood I good objected Mrs Gilhooly Gilhool I prefer that he said and so it came about that he be sat at the same table with Miss ll s Hilliard who was I formed for ed to the alternative of running away of or starving She stayed The guileful Mr Clifton had his re reward rEward i iward ward Acquaintance progresses over steak and coffee and Miss Hilliard grew less eM afraid of him Once she even remained in the library fifteen minutes long enough for a man of his directness of or speech and purpose to propose This dear library she said ten tenderly deny derly after he be had bad made some of or the superlative remarks to which lovers are addicted It has bu been our match matchmaker matchmaker matchmaker maker i We will duplicate it in our new nt home he said and Im rift going to have havea a picture of you as you stool stood looking into it like an eager little tittle girl pr i I 1 knew then what was going to happen hap happen happen pen he said then more humbly or hoped it would happen |