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Show Secret of a I Low Rental It seemed unbelievable. For a moment mo-ment tho two studio hunters worn afraid to'nsk tho Janitor If they had heard aright. Eight dollars for that great room! Eight dollars a month 1 It must have been 25 feet long and 20 wide, while tho great celling roso 15 feet from tho lloor. Tlioy built In n moro nmplo manner when this old rcsldenco was put up. Tho skylight, a later addition, was so largo thai thoro must always bo a galo blowing through up there on tho fifth story. Rut $8 surely tho man had meant by tho week. Tho two homeseekors, with fcmtnlno gullo oxchanged glances behind his stolid back. "You ask him again," hollographed ono. "No you ask," was tho silent mcs-sago mcs-sago Hashed back. "Never It must bo you," Insisted tho first. Tho second homeseckcr thought quickly. "Now, let us see," sho said to the Janitor, "that would bring tho rent up to how much a year?" "By tho year?" replied her unsuspecting unsus-pecting victim. "Why, figure it up 'yourself. Eight times two Is 1G, ntn't It? Eight times ono Is eight, nnd ono to carry makes nine I'JG a yenr. But wo don't rent It by tho year you'vo got to tako It by tho month." It was true! truo! Eight dollars a month was tho prlco. You could not rent a hall bedroom In that part ot tho city for less. They took It, and held their breath while tho decision was conveyed to tho Janitor. Ho seemed to havo no objections to them as tenants. "All right; will you pay a deposit?" Would they! Purses were opened and tho first month's rent put Into his hand In n lump. Thoy would havo tried to ralso five years' rent had ho domanded It "So," ho commented; "I'll wrlto you a receipt and tako down the sign. To-morrow you move In eh?" They moved In next da"y and when tho few bits of furniture, curtains and rugs that had crowded tho old studio woro put in placo In this now ono, thoy came nowhoro nenr furnishing it. Tho big tnblo around which ono had to walje In tho old placo wns, In this, almost lost under tho skylight. Everything Every-thing seemed microscopic In such an apartment. They put up curtains, but thoy did not divide the upper half of tho studio. A screen, somehow, looked like n oaby fence. During tho firBt month they never got rid of tho notion that thoy were living In Buckingham palace, or Blenheim, Blen-heim, or tno blue room at tho Whlto House. It was simply lmposslblo to got on terms of fnmlllarlty at nnco with such a rooom, and thoy did not really feel settled till tho second month, when thero was a moro doflnlto "homoy" air about tho place. But no question over nroso as to how thoy liked their eight-dollar apartment. High nbovo a street that waB deserted at night, and In daytlmo busy enough to have n purely Impersonal roar, It was moro secluded than any dwelling either of them had known In New York. Thero was always tho cool breeze through tho skylight, and the sky scorned much nearer aftor Sunset than tho affairs of Now York. It wns during tho second month that thoy began to noto how fow tenants tho building hnd. Pcoplo soldom went In or out. Thoro woro signs on tho doors of somo old-fashioned offices. Many wero deserted. Onco every fow days Bomebody elao moved out. But nobody moved In. By nnd by tho doors downstairs becamo placarded with signs: "Sklddoo & Quick, removed to 23 Twonty-thlrd streot." Fower persons still woro seen In tho old-fashioned wldo corridors. As tho building had no olovator, thoro wns no elovator man to question. Tho Janitor kept discreetly dis-creetly out of tho way, for somo rea son, though whonovor ho oncountorcd his tennnts his manner hud nothing out of tho ordinary. But when tho third month's rent wns paid tho secret of theso strange mov-lngs mov-lngs enmo out. Tho Janitor folt safo In imparting It ns soon as tho money was In hand nnd tho receipt given. "Thls'll bo about tho last," ho announced. an-nounced. "Tho last?" echoed his fair tenants. "Yos tho last month you .stay hero," ho replied. "Next montti'thls tlmo you'll havo to movo." "But why?" thoy faltorod. "'Causo thoy'ro goln' to tear tho bulldln' down. Down Blie comes the first o tho month." "And wo'vo had only threo months horo, after moving, nnd now wo must movo again!" "Say, do you know what this studio rented for beforo tho building was sold? Twclvo hundred dollars! Not a cent loss. BllnkH, tho pnlntor, had It, and wns horo 1C years. When tho building wns Bold Inst spring ho folt so' bad ho palled up and went to Paris, So you got threo months' rent for what ho used to pay ovory week. My Idoa Is tlinryou'vo been living high. Now It's your movo." It wns nnd thoy did. N, Y. Press. |