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Show 8 Bedroom X 5 By JESSIE D. FOX Jjjj CKOOO00KC (Col.yrlijht.) IF CAMILLA WHITE had not fallen Into his arrn.-i Andy McDonald would never have given her another thought. lie was dumping up the last flight of dark, oilcloth covered stairs, when he heard a liltle (.mso and then something some-thing soft and yielding was flung head first Into his arms. lie caught her easily and having set her on her feet gently asked In his big voice with the trace of huskincss in It, "Hurt any?" She breathed quickly, and answered, an-swered, "I I guess you saved my life!" There was just the suggestion of a laugh in that voice that went straight to Andy's heart. "I must have caught my heel in the oilcloth," she explained. Andy thought she had the softest, sweetest voice he had heard for a long time. "I think my dinner is forever lost!" Camilla said sadly, stooping to feel about the dark stairs. They found at last the head of lettuce, let-tuce, the two rolls still in their bag and the lemon that was to help make up the dinner. In the process they said several things to ench other, altogether al-together trite and yet somehow most Illuminating. So It was not strange that the second sec-ond time Andy ran Into the occupant of the haM bedroom he lifted his hat and stopped to talk. The third time they met Andy asked directly, "Would you take a walk with me this afternoon?" The faintest tinge of color showed through Camilla's white skin and she said for it was Saturday "I'd love to!" Camilla's eyes were shining and she was actually prettier each time Andy McDonald looked at her The next Saturday it rained and Camilla hesitated and then knocked at the door on the second floor that bore the card: "Andrew McDonald." "I thought you might have tea with me, it's such a cold, dismal kind of afternoon," Camilla offered shyly. At the answering gleam of pleasure pleas-ure in his eyes Camilla hurried up the flight of stairs. She knew it would mean that she must lunch meagerly all the following week, but she bought crumpets toasted them over her gas burner and a tiny jar of marmalade, and a spray of narcissus to put in the bowl by the window. She waited for him eagerly and with a queer fluttering of expectancy, wondering if he would like her room. At his loud rap she opened her door and smiled up at him. Andy laid down a box of candy as he said, "I brought it for the party," and looked about him curiously. For it was the oddest hall bedroom he had ever seen. He had imagined a room with a bureau and an iron bed, and enough room just to sit on one chair. What he saw was a room with two windows and an alcove, a room that looked sunny in spite of the fact that it was raining, because the walls were yellow and charming sunny sun-ny colored chintz hung at the windows win-dows and covered the cushions of the two brown tinted wicker chairs. Gleaming brass candlesticks were on a table in the corner, a brilliant color print of blue mountain and an Icy mountain brook hung over the gray painted table. A couch under a tumble of cushions and a black luster lus-ter bowl held the frail narcissus in the window. Camilla sitting down at the table pouring tea into clear yellow cups, he suddenly saw as another girl. A girl removed from his own hard struggles strug-gles by all the beauty of this charm' ing room. Why, she must earn more in a week than he did to have a place like this ! For a month Camilla scarcely saw the owner of the room on the second floor. When she did meet him by chance, he hurried past her with an abrupt "Good evening!" that was worse than chilly. But once when she climbed two flights of stairs and saw that Andy's door was open and a strange girl was standing by the black marble mantelpiece mantel-piece her heart seemed to be a piece of lead. She could scarcely drag herself her-self away. "Oh, do you live on the floor above?" the strange girl asked eagerly "I've seen your room and it is so pretty " Camilla answered, wondering now she could go on talking when the bottom bot-tom of her little world had dropped out "I bought the hangings at a sale, and the candlesticks for $1.7f; you can find some second-hand furniture and paint it yourself; oh, yes, I'll show you how." She smiled wistfully and went on up the stairs. But the blood thrummed in her ears madly when she heard clumping steps behind her. Camilla turned to see Andy McDonald coming toward her with a bewildered, dawning happiness happi-ness in his eyes. "I heard what you said." l.e began without any introduction. "I had to come back. I thought I'd go away and try to forget you for I knew I couldn't ask a girl with all you had to marry a poor fellow like me you mean it. Camilla, you've fixed up that room out of nothing?" He caught her hands and looked down into her eyes. "Don't you know I love you?" "But " she wdiispered. "I was ashamed to ask a rich girl to marry me," he said as he took her In his arms. |