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Show , 1 1 THE MISTRESS OF I I A FANCY i By ZCLIA M. WALTERS o ,, B (Copyright, by Dally Story Pub. Co.) W 'I'lio foroinnn of the rubber spc cinlty department paused for n uio-11 uio-11 ion( beside bis (leak to survey his 1. ' domain. lie was yet bo new to bis R position that it gave him a pleasant thrill. I There was to bo n dance at Ham- I lin's hall that night,, n great social 1 cvont for the rubber workers, be- I cause it was given to swell the funds 1 for their relief association. Prom 1 that thought to Sadie Wagoner, the 1 bollo of I ho room, was a natural I transition. But from her his I thoughts went to the serious prob- I lorn that had occupied him during I the two months that ho had held I his now position. Jim's income was I "' now $25 a week, and ho felt that Iip I . might indulgo in the luxury of mar- 1 riage. What pleasant visions this I , called up for him 1 A .house of his '"J own, a Brussels carpet on tho parlor jj ' floor, plants in tho, window, a pretty I 'wife who would always wear neat H - gowns, and never, naver red calico 1 M ones such as were favored by the fat kJ landlady of tho boarding house, and M lust in his dreams canio the picture H of a whito-robed baby. Usually Jim 1 1 wanted it to be a baby girl with I golden curls, though he wavered be- I tween that and it bpy brave in dimin- I ulivo knickerbockers. B ' Thojiouso was a reality. Ho had f begun to save for it two years be- .fj fore, and in the last week he had J found just tho right one, and made I his first payment. Now ho must 'I find a wifo to make it homo for him. 1 lie had thought of Sadie many l tinios, and modest fellow as he was -41! ho yet could not doubt that she 1 would take tho place if ho asked her I to. But a secret faint hope always I Raid, "Wait." He had walked home one dark rainy night behind two girls and he . had overheard a 6crap of their con- versa! ion. Tho slender girl with a long braid of hair had walkpd wearily, and at length sho had exclaimed ex-claimed bitterly, "Oh I I wish I never had to go back again." "You ought to'get married," said 4 M her companion promptly ami amia- m u wish I was married," sho ut- t! tcred this unlawful wish in a vchc- X moht voice. "I went to sec my j Cousin Jenny last Sunday. She al- ways had all tho luck. She went n to wlio'ol and graduated, and I had B to go to tho shop when I was 14. E Now sho'H married and got a good .,J8 ' husband and n 'lovely baby. When he I wont out Sunday he kissed her good- 1 . by and they've been married two A years! And ho never scolds her, 1 and he's so nice and jollv around the house. 1 wish 1 had a husband like that. Oh! I'd bo good to him! When he camo home at night I'd ' i have tho houso clean and warm and bright, and thcro'd bo a nico supper ready, and I'd have on a pretty dress, and he'd kiss me, and then we'd sit down just we two just we two" Hur voice was trembling with emotion, and Jim noticed that it was a sweet low voice. "Thcro might bo more than two," . tho other reminded her with a ," ' facetious giggle. - "Yes," sho said seriously, "A lit- tlo baby with a white dress on in a v high chair laughing and playing at N tho table." ' , Something new came info Jim's careless boyish heart at that. Home and wife and child, seemed suddenly the only things worth thinking about. As soon as ha could ho passed the two girls and tried to s,eo tho faco of tho ono who had spoken. But tho rain and darkness J- obscured everything and he wont on ,, not sure that ho would know her ; again. When ho was promoted ho tried to find her. Thcro were a ' (1o7en girls with long braids in tho shop, but this ono had disappeared as though sho woro indeed a ihaid of drpaiiiB. Yet whenever Jim was on tho vcrgo of speaking seriously to Sndio the dream girl's vnico camo in between, and he was willing to wait yet a littlo while. Sadie pressed to his side going downstairs. "Do como early tonight," to-night," sho said. "Us girls havo a joko that will mako you die laughing' laugh-ing' "All right," ho said as they separated sep-arated at tho door. ,Whon. Jim entered tho parlor of sssHLtssssslssssssssssBssBisHssKissl ) tho bonrding houso that night a group of girls, muting to go to tho fiance was gathered about Sadie. Then- was a ripplo of suppressed laughter. Jim's gratified pride acknowledged that Sadie was the prettiest girl in tho room, and her tlri'ss of diaphanous pink was most becoming. Perhaps after all "You tell him Sadie," cried one of the girls. So Sadie, who wan also bubbling over with laughter, told him. "Wo sent an invitation to Mary Wheeler to go to the danco and she thinks it's from you. Sho's all ready to go. She's always been such a stuck up thing, but won't she bo mad when sho finds out. The girls want, me to call her down and tell bur before tho crowd so's we can bee how sho takes "I'm Going to Take You, My Sweet heart, Whether You Are Rsady or Not." it. I guess I'll send for her .now, you're here." No ono in the room had evep seen kind hearted Jim Henderson in a rage before. . "Since you wanted to dispone of me I'll stand by the word. You con go and tell her I'm ready ," ho said sternly. Sadie was on her feet too. The astonished anger of a stoilcd favorite fa-vorite showed in her facci "Do you mean that Jim Ilendrraon ?'' she shrilled. J "Yes, I mean it. l'it going" to take her." ( "Well, take her if yu want to, but you've seen tho last nf me. And you just see if you like ler better." He left tho room without answering, answer-ing, and sont the landladA to tell Mary Wheeler that her ccort was waiting. Ho know her asYsoon ns ho saw her on the stonV. The wrath faded from his facc,and a wonder at the gracious ordcrlof the world took possession of hint. He was smiling when sho raisAl her eyes. It was the girl uhol bad walked before him that rainy uigbt. She was in white, and the lieavy hair shaded a face that he lovi'd at once. It was just the sort of face ho had dreamed of as smiling nit a welcome to him when he came ionic at night. It was only a short distan e to the hall, and outside the iIoojJ he said, "Would you mind walkyig. 1 want to talk to you, and it's Wo important im-portant to wait." "I should like to walk," sjie answered. an-swered. Then ho told her something of his dreams, of the new houso waiting for a mistress, how ho had walked behind her and listened to her voice that rainy night, how ho had beon looking for her ever since. Tho small rough hand on his arm trembled moro and moro. Then in the shadow of a building in o lonely spot ho stopped and kissed her and told her of his hope. When they got to tho door of the hall sho pulled him back a moment. "I'm afraid to go in," sho whisporcd "Every ono will know becauso I look so happy. And I'vo been sort of (lis-couratred (lis-couratred -md sad lately." "What wo care if they do know?" In I proudly. "Tho nth-er nth-er fellows will ust wish they wore in my place. We're not going to stay long at the danco. I just want one or two turns with you, and then wo'ro going whoro wo can talk to each other. Thcro are some thing to bo arranged becauso you see ovort ono will havo to know in two weeks.' And the answer to her whispered protests that two weeks was too soon he suid firmly, "In just two weeks I'll bo thcro with tho ring and tho license and I'm going to tnko you, my sweetheart, whethor you are ready or not." |