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Show MWIMHBHMaaMMMiHlnHMHMaMHBHaHaaHaHaaBHHHM Jssbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb51 II HUNTING A FLAT By ZOE ANDERSOttNORRIS .1 (Copyright! Tho two Btnrtcd out In the rnlii together Elizabeth and her friend, ' who was a widow. Their umbrellnB dripped. "Slrall wo tnko n enr here?" asked tho widow, ns they took a car. "I nm sure I shall bo hiipBir 'aid Elizabeth, "now that I hno . I up my mind. Yon and I can live In a llttlo flat together, and bo cozy, can't wo? It's a good deal bettor than bo-Ing bo-Ing married. Wo havo been friends for a long time. We'll be very congenial. con-genial. Unless you are happily married," mar-ried," she assured herself,, "you'd a great deal better not bo married at all. Hut I wish It hadn't rained today," to-day," she finished, and sighed. "Forget the rain," advised tho widow. "We dhnll bo guy, of course, lu our llttlo Hat. You nre wise. Why live unhappily when you nre Independent, Independ-ent, when you havo some money of your own? This Is a freo country, lie free." "I think," reflected Elizabeth, "that It will be good to bo free When you are married, you can hardly call our soul your own. You must dress to please your husband I don't mind that, If only I could please him and talk to please him, and walk to Jnlenso him. Why, sometimes whon I mi dressing to go out 1 nearly go Into jysterlcH, .Inck nags me bo about "Everything I am putting on. I snail be very glad to bo rid of all that." "It Is probably not the only thing -"" you will be glad to bo rid of," flashed IM liBIlM "Ib There a Flat for Rent Here?" the widow, "nor tho only hundredth thing. There's n flat for rent In this i wtreet. Shall wo get out here?" " They got out. It rained. It not only rained, but It poured. At the door of tho npartment house they furled their umbrellas, and pushed tho Janitor's boll. After a long time n woman, In a gray shawl tho color of the day, emerged from Homo siibterrnnenn depth, and confronted con-fronted them with a countenanco apparently ap-parently composed of stono, In which nature, or Ill-nature, had carved various vari-ous and suvlry curiously repellent and uncompriyilsing lines. It was tho Jnnltreatf "ThyVs n Hat for rent here," -y"-- . nskedj bo widow, pleasantly, "Isn't thoro'.' "Ye ' nnsweied tho Juultrcss, und, l'V,rK ' lor, H!'0 preceded them If i a long hull, and opened another t' r. ..."Tho rear apartment," she an-" an-" h?""' uouueed, standing aside to let them jinss In. Then sho followed them, asking ask-ing questions. "Any children?" "No," answered the widow. "Any dogs?" Elizabeth turned white, and her friend pressed a cautioning hand on her arm, "No," she answered, "How many lu family?" "Two." "Women?" "Yes." "This flat Is $r0," announced tho janitiess, suddenly, and vaulted back a foot or two to observe tho effect. ' "It Isn't worth $:i0." said Kllza beth, in a frightened whisper, "and It's dark. 1 should die of tho horrors In rooms that wero dark. I couldn't stand them." At that the Janltress, without a word, freezlngly showed them the door, and shut It In their fnceH. "1 tremble to think," sighed Elizabeth, Eliza-beth, safo In tho street, going steadily against tho rain showering heavily on them, "whnt would havo happened If she had known about Fldo." Tho widow turned upon her In surprise, sur-prise, "If you want to rent n flat In this town," said sho, "keep quiet about Fldo. A cat might live In a New York flat. It has nlno lives. Hut a dog never! That Is, In a flat with a Janltress." Jan-ltress." Kllzabeth stared gloomily Into tho rain. "I'm glad," mused sho, "that wo havo a hall-boy. Ho's very kind to mo sometimes, David Is. And ho never sayB a word about Fldo," Tho widow occupied it moment In thought. "I believe," sho decided, "that tho creature raised the prlco of that flat on us becauso wo are women. A Janltress Jan-ltress never likes women." jL,. , L. . Kllzabeth continued to gazo Into tho downpour "A man Is n protection," concluded she. "Isn't he?" "Ho Is," assented tho widow. "No mntter bo good-for-nothing ho Is, ho's a protection. A lone woman Is subjected to all sorts of slights and III-treatment III-treatment from other women In authority, au-thority, particularly If sho Is a widow. 1 nm a widow I know." Hy-and-by: "And of nil tho women In authority," she continued, "barring the landlady of a boarding house, the Jauitress Is the most brutal to women. Unless you have a husband, it Is nl-most nl-most impossible to llvo In a flat with a Janltress." They walked on and on In the drenching uiiti to the next flat on their list. There, the Janltress was occupied In polishing tli- door knobs Ascending tho steps, they furled their umbrellas, and stood looking at her In a frightened way. They might have been stone lions on a stoop, for all tho notice sho took of them. "There's n flat for rent here." asked the widow, presently, "Isn't there?" "No." "Hut," objected the widow, "It wns advertised." "It's rented." "How much was It?" "It's rented." "I understand that," explained the widow, suavely; "but 1 should like to know at about what prices tho flats rent for lu this neighborhood before I inquire further." The Janltress had finished polishing the door knob. Silently sho opened the door nud closed It with herself on the Inside. Somewhat disconsolately the pair onco moro walked Into tho straight and steady ruin. "My shoes aro wet," complained Kllzabeth. "And so nro mine," returned the widow. They arrived eventually at the next flat on tholr list. It seemed to be n day for polishing door knobs. The Janltress tbeio polished pol-ished lmperturbably. As they ni-proached ni-proached sho added renowod vigor, bending over her work In nn absorbed ab-sorbed and chilling manner which had tho effect of leaving them out In the cold. "Is there a flat for rent here?" asked tho widow, with oven moro timidity tim-idity than formerly. "It's rented," came tho unswer. "I wish," remarked Kllzabeth, audi bly, "that wo d known beforo wo canio they wero all rented." The JanltresB turned n granite fnco upon her. "Did anybody nsk you to como?" queried she, to which question, thero being practically no niiBwor, they went out agnln In tho rain. It showed no sign of decreasing. It rather Increased. In-creased. Tho rows upon rows of flnt buildings, gray and pink new ones, brown and red old ones, swam In a mist. Tho streets shono grnyly. Tlio skies showed hardly ut all, bo bluured wero thoy. "Sometimes," began tho widow, "I think these Janltresses nro soured by their llfo underground .".nil out of the sunshine; and sometimes I think thoy nro born that way." Kllzabeth stopped short at tho corner cor-ner of a street. "Let's go homo now," bIio Implored, "and get some tea to cheer us. My skirts aro wet; my shoes nro wot I'm drenched all over." On tho wny: "Did you say," sho questioned, wistfully, "that the Janltress Janl-tress was not so kind to women without with-out husbands?" "That." reiterated tho widow, grimly, grim-ly, "wns whnt I said. Thoy aro brutal to them." "There nie worse things than husbands," hus-bands," reflected Kllznlieth, softly. "Ah long as theio's n Janltress In the world." decided the widow, "you cnu depend upon that." "Hosldes." sho ruminated, "n widow, after all, Is a lonely sort of creature, I know. Apparently nlio Is the gayest of the gay; hut In reality there aro many dark anil lonely hours that she must llvo through. Sometimes a wlilow Is the loneliest crenture In tho world." At home, the hall-boy smilingly bowed them In. At the door of hor apartments n JoyoiiB yolp greeted Kllzabeth. Kllz-abeth. She stooped anil clasped Fldo lu hor arms. "Dai ling," sho murmured, "I hopo you'll never know how near you havo como to living with a Junltress." Making thoinsolvos comfortable, they had cups of tea, sitting cozlly lu opposite chairs, sipping It. "I'm glad," repeated Kllzubeth, "that wo never see the Janltress In this flat." "I should think you would be." nodded the widow "There's nobody to make your llfo a burden but the hall-boy, and your husband Is hero to wreHtlo with him." Kllzabeth sot her cup down, and went to tho window. Sho drew asldo the curtain, and calmly observed tho downpour, which, being outsldo, no longer depressed her. "Thero nre worso things than h.s-bands," h.s-bands," smiled she, und added, her eyes on tho corner where tho car stopped and people wero alighting; "I think it's Just about time for Jack to como home." |