Show V y J i w Daily Short j V Fiction St Story SPRING FOR FORBy By JOANNA JOANN SINGLE j Co Copyright 1314 by bv the lbs McClure McClura Ie lute New dr paper Syndicate thirty eighth birthday April Il 3 3 Usually lly h Its 11 r forgot n ot hU il bt bUt da dAYS ye since his mother had died an and wa was no one CIne to care when he wa on lie he hadn't CJe cared himself but w. w more In Ing as aa he seed dee In let his din dingy no bOll house room he looked out over th thea strewn back yards and nd the Chilli nes and amid wondered what he was aa living Ie fc anwa anyway The worst of at It was that U iii trees were breaking out Into s of or Jre preen green m. m and where when It rid hall chance grass sprang up Though Il hardly 7 the air was alive with the th fr voices of ot children and chirping of Ot bird Wrt And nd somehow In all this thrill of ill lI Whiner himself felt dead Down at the uninviting boarding houi hou V table he ate a depressing breakfast c i cold toast and warm rm fruit frutt and coffee cortee elbowing two little office e lItle listless from their overwork o by day ai as their overplay by Y night They 10 M Jaded fe He lie reflected that d do i ii town work ork was not normal for fora a a worn What made them do it Ho lIe did a a this that surprised su himself and aDd the table i What on earth makes you do It ItT b basked 11 1 asked suddenly i Everyone E stared red at at the taU tall fair bald bal leh ish ma man n with the tho pleasant face the nu who seldom spoke I IDo Do what hat Im I'm no mind reader m i Elvie the frowsiest of ot the two lilt JIlt girls V Work ork In offices he lie said and m how foolish he must i ert them I m nr mean a an It its it's no place lace for gina What hat makes you retorted retort the di ct rn We Se have HI ve to cat eat and sleet and wet ee ft clothes It Jt costs mone money alln don work out in th the Ion long long- run sr so we nave hue 1 t 1 work That's cae easy How else would n live i iI Il I I r dont don't know w he h. saId w weakly akly Bi he turned and th his two took a a. long lone Zoo lex at each other JI caught the tho deep e vel el lIty brown of ot th time the girls girl's ey eyes els s. s and tt ta that the fro of ot her brown hunas hu JiM s na-s a. natural curl Her Hor face wa was as jilt and thin and nd sweet For Por tho the first t tin tIm h ho he liked her Perhaps It Was waa because a ei was So M o mall email and arid childlike Somehow the others began among amonS' them themselves and and eM U th girl beside him had their conversation i themselves j When your OUr folks tolk die and leave lean leavet t ye with nothing you OU have ha to work woric-i woric starve starve starve- she hc besan bezan V Or get marr married d suddenly put In t U other girl who was blond and bigger anha ext an had ha a hard look In her gray eyes ejes Tc Ye To can get Bet married If you OU want wl-nt to tak tal chances of ot a man treating you OU Not many of ot the tho girls J I know now ha have b bt l te-ed te themselves by Jd married 2 Tb Tho work harder and amid get only what th thel husbands choose to give gI them AT tn there there's the kids Sometimes the ma mi lights out and d deserts when things thing a i 1 worse It aint easy to support a your and a a. rait raft of ot kid kd i Vidner was mox-cd mox to defend hi his UJ M Ui Men Ien arent aren't alt all like that 1 he he- said Let La Letof of or them theta are o on the tho square If It Its It's MB sea Job lob believe me ins me to support a woman 9 i her liar life lite And she ahe doesn't always alws mallIt musk mil it pleasant He lie still poke to the brow bro haired one Elvic The TIle oth other r girl r rand rw roi and brushed the tho crumbs crumb from her bit blu atm scree e lap Jap I x should hould worry she snapped snapped- V Wel we girls would n t have to hurry hury dove don town if you OU bachelors were d doing you yov o J part youre you're sidestepping your our dut Merry Marry one of us usIm why Im dont don't you and andl loo 16 O after arter us ask Elvie ahee she's 8 craz cru to get married She loves to cook ansen an sew sen e 8 and nd she has a a. mania for tor kids Wit this impudent thrust she sIte dl disappeared J t th the hall hail V Elvis 1 blushed to to the tips of her bir earl ear earland a and turning looked straight tat int her 1 7 face wouldn't have you ou If lr you V ae a eel V V me she ho he said quietly Your Toure de date You You'd better come to Of or course I 1 ta knO I haven't been asked but when hen I It ItI e I married I want some man who's who gia II III I V-V- V Continued on page 12 J 1 DAILY SHORT STORY Continued from pa pago o 6 hes he's alve Youve You've sat be beside me mc three months and this Is I the first time youve you've seen een mo me An And I real really believe beleve you ou dont don't don dont know that spring Is here here Do you ou She Sho rose roe and though thought her wor words s were serous serious a R little smIle sprang up in her eyes Ho He came to her slue side slee and ane the they wont vent together Into Inlo the tho haloe hall hal Weve o time time lets lets let's walk this morning moring Lot me rae walk with you ou he wild said fush- fush flush flush- ing mug Girls were not In his line lne She Sho ran to her room and in a moment came down downIn In a trim little brown Jacket and hat hat Yes I know Its It's Its spring he be began an looking down at h her r. r He le cl calculated that tha she was IS ag perhaps 25 Ho lIe knew that lint she eho was a stenographer and remembered what i the other girl had said aid of ot her domestic proclivities For all ni the tho downtown life she had a n homey home look arent all like all like Men uMen he ventured aI she ehe said lold you know Lets Les not talk about It U she decided the use It I was wat three mornings later hater that m meeting meet meet- etIng et- et lm Ing In the hall hal after breakfast John and Civic Elvie EIle again started out together to together together to- to gether And again they walked Something Some Same thing new and chive alive e al had come into theman theman the theman's man mans man's a face face a facea a warmth and vitality Ho He straightened his desk bent shoulders Under under under un un- der a trim trim new gray f. f coat coaL Ho He looked fresh and well wel groomed I asked f for a raise ralso yesterday and got It he told the girl The boss asked why I didn't mention It before You were right right right-I I have ha been asleep Ive I've a little mona money and he asked me If I didn't want wani to put It into the business Then Id I'd have havo an Interest In It Of course I shallI shall I wonder that I didn't think of it Im glad You only needed waking up she said but there was a queer deT de- de T p rn in iri ncr her tone cone lio Ho sie gave cave her ner c a T p rn in iri ncr her tone cone lio Ho sie gave cave her ner c a quick look the tho matter Anything wrong he asked quickly No she said but not convincingly Im all right Youre all Youre all good ho he declared warmly When hen you pitched into me the other morning It was Just what I needed It toned me up to doing something It woke me ins up Since mother died and I hadn't anyone but myself to look after Ive I've Just got to mooning about Now 1 Im I'm m going to live He loft left her at the door of her office and went on to his a ii new softness stirring at his heart the girls girl's face In his mind It came camo to him that ho wanted want want- ed liar her and he began planning planning planning-he he had hada a little neglected house from which he would turn out the renters Then ho would fix it up and he would ask herto her herto to marry him He lie would make her want to marry him That night she was not at dinner nor tho next morning at breakfast He asked for her of the big blonde girl with the 1 hard eyes Oyes Blues lost her Job Firms Firm's moving West She's gone to her aunt on the east cast side till she gets another place Want her address she asked flippantly you seem so stuck on her Yes ho he answered steadily I do want her address He lie wrote It down In a notebook and left heft the house That evening he took a car and at a dingy but neat little house found Elvie sitting on the front porch When she saw him she tried to escape Into the house but he was too quick for her He took her by the tho arm Why did you follow me she asked vehemently and tears shone In liar her eyes Because I love you ho responded live without I and cannot you wan you to marry me and Ill I'll take care of jou ou nil your life Elvie dont don't you love me at all Cant Can't I make you learn to care I Quite suddenly tho resistance gone gono out of her but she sho pulled away from hIm him and faced himI himI him I was was horrid horrid to you that first morning morn morn- ing But that was only because oven then I couldn't I-couldn't stand it that you never seemed to see me oh me-oh oh of course you must flutist know that I do care do-care care The man laughed arid and drew h her r to him and youth and Joy seemed to flood and overflow his life |