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Show j She Had Socks ? i to Mend i ? 6 By JANE OSBORN G'O-O-O'O'O -00-00-0-0 (Copyright.) MINERVA was obdurate. "I've got them socks to mend, Miss Phillis," !! the excuse she gave, and that to her was final. "But I don't care about the old socks," countered Phlllls with voice pitched high in argument. "When you came to work here It was on the understanding un-derstanding that you were to come regularly from one to five every day nnd for dinner any time we wanted you to. And we pay you more an hour than is usual." "Yes, Miss Phillis, but I've got them socks to mend for one of my young J men, and he's only got just enough and I've got to mend them." "But I tell you that everything depends de-pends on this little dinner. My brother didn't let me know until this noon that be was bringing this gentleman home, and 1 can't get anyone else now. and besides no one else would do." So Ihey argued until, at last, Phillis learned that the socks and other apparel ap-parel in need of mending were now resting in a large bag that hung in the back hall. Minerva had done her usual round of work for her young men, as she called the three or four bachelors whose apartments she kept . in order during her morning hours. She would take the things home with her, mend them that evening and leave them at his apartment the next morning. morn-ing. "Let me have the socks and things. I'll mend them," said Phillis. "And you stay and finish dinner and serve it." Phillis made very neat patches on three pairs of pajamas, sewed missing buttons on shirts and underwear and .then turned her attention to a half a dozen pairs of socks. And then it occurred oc-curred to Phillis that she had better be dressed and ready, and might then go on with her darning until her brother broth-er and his guest arrived. It was fortunate, for-tunate, too, because instead of arriving arriv-ing at half-past six, as she had expected, ex-pected, they arrived before six. She met Martin Gates and rather liked him, despite her brother's warnings warn-ings that he was bullet proof as far as girls were concerned. "He's all for business," Rodney had said. "So don't waste your pretty tricks on him. Anyway, Any-way, you're not his sort. He likes 'em simple and domestic." Rodney excused himself and his friend and took him to his study adjoining ad-joining the living room where he had some plans he wanted to show him. So Phillis drew a sock from the work basket a rather vivid, striped golf sock much in need of repair. With feverish haste she worked over it, weaving evenly back and forth over her darning ball. But Rodney and Martin Gates returned from the study and were standing beside her before she had had time to finish the sock and tuck it out of sight. vPretty domestic scene," grinned Rodney. "But really she isn't like that, Martin. I told her you liked old-fashioned girls so she's doing this for effect." "Rodney always tries to say some-think some-think that he thinks is funuy," said Phillis, flashing a dark glance to Rodney Rod-ney and smiling up to Martin. "I always al-ways mend Rodney's socks," she said, "but 1 am afraid he doesn't appreciate appre-ciate it." "Was that one of Rodney's socks?" asked Martin abruptly. "It must have been," was the way Phillis answered his impertinence. After dinner Phillis excused herself said she wanted to help Minerva in the kitchen. But she took her mending mend-ing basket with her and worked furiously furi-ously away to get the darning done before Minerva wanted to leave. Phillis never helped Minerva in the kitchen, Rodney knew perfectly well. He suggested making a tour of inspection. inspec-tion. They entered the kitchen Just as Phillis had begun to worl? on the last sock and had the others all laid neatly out on the kitchen table. Martin Mar-tin saw them as they lay there saw and noticed, before Phillis had time to ram them into Minerva's ample hag. Much to Rodney's surprise his friend Martin Gates became decidedly attentive atten-tive to his sister when they returned to the living room. And when be left he asked permission to make his party call very soon and said that after that he would beg her to dine with him nnd go to the theater. When Rodney saw Martin the next day in the course of their business activities, Rodney spoke with big brotherly lightness of his sister's charms. "She's kidding you, Martin." he warned. "Trying to make you think she's the sweet, simple, old-fash ioned sort of girl" "But the amazing tiling." said Martin, Mar-tin, "is that she was darning my socks You'll have to admit that If you met a very pretty girl and the first time you saw her you found her mending your old socks you would be well, rather touched. Do you think I could drop around tonight for a few minutes-just minutes-just to finish solving the mystery." "Solve ahead." said Martin. "I'm going out myself." The mystery was, of course, very easily solved, and so more time was left for a discussion of personal tastes and likes and dislikes and other preliminaries pre-liminaries of the courtship for which Martin was already making plans. Then when they came to make plans for the wedding Martin chose Rodney for his best num. "And I suppose I -uht to Wave Minerva for the maid of aonor," said rhillla |