OCR Text |
Show The Rescue "Isn't ou goln' to havo nnothor ploco of candy?" asked tho girl who had not boen long from tho land of DIxlo. Thon sho put her hand over her mouth and laughed gloefully through her flngors. "It nearly drives Slstor Mattlo crazy to havo mo say 'ain't tho way I do," sho wont on, "but somehow I don't reckon I ovor will get over doln' It "Anothor thing that Just nbout embarrasses em-barrasses Slstor Mattlo to denth Is tho way I talk to strangers. I know nearly ovorybody In tho apartment bulldln' now and sho don't know hardly hard-ly any of 'em. 8lstor Mottle's lived up north so long sho's Just llko northern pooplo. "Spcnkln of talkln' to strangors, thoro's tho sweetest lookln' young man lives In tho npartment ncross tho hall from us. I've been crazy to know him over slnco I'vo boon horo, and I know ho was nil ready to spoak to mo If I gavo him the loast llttlo bit of chance, but I was so scarod of Slstor Mattlo that I novor dared to. Every time wo'd meet In tho hall, though, or In tho olovator ho'd kind o' look ,nt mo and I'd kind o' look nt him. "I reckon wo'd V gone on llko that all summer If It hadn't boon for tho flro tho other mornlu. "Yes, Indeed, my dear, wo did havo a perfectly terrible lire It was about 2 o'clock In tho niornin', such n scandalous scan-dalous tlmo for anything to happen! "Tho first I knew about It wns when Sister Mattlo camo Into my room nnd begun poundln' mo. 'Got upl Get up!' sho wns sayln' when I opened my eyes. 'Tho houso Is on flro!" "I Jumped up out of bod nnd begun lloppln round tho room and screamln' Still, I had enough presenco of mind to go back nftor my blnck Batln slippers whon I got clear to tho top of tho Jiairs and Sister Mattlo was tuggln' at my arm nnd tryln' to mako mo hurry hur-ry down. Of coursd, tho first thing I did was to got my best hat nnd put It on and thon I put on my whtto shoos and my kimono, too, because Sister Mattlo kop' worryln' mo eo about It, runnln' around behind me with It In hor hand. "Woll, my dear, I give you my word, I was clear down on tho stroot when I suddenly had tho most awful foelln' I ovor had In my llfo. I'd como off and Isft my hair! Now, could you ovor bollovo It? My beautiful long switch that I paid $2 nn Inch fori "I Just know I'd nover In tho world got money enough to get anothor ono nnd I hnd tho most awful vision of me goln' around the rest of my life with Just tho hair that grows on my head and I nearly fnlnted. For a mlnuto I was so weak I couldn't move and then I simply tore back up tho stairs. Whon I wns about half way up I heard somebody gallopln' aftor mo. What do you think? It wns that lovoly young man across tho hall! " 'Lot mo go and got It for you, Miss Robinson,' ho said. Wasn't It sweet of him to know what my namo was? "I was Just pantln by that tlmo, I was so out of breath, nnd bcln' so kind o' crazy aud excited, I Just told him tho truth. 'It's my hair,' I said. H'm afraid you wouldn't know whoro to find It.' "Woll, for n mlnuto I thought ho'd dlo lnughln', nnd it wnsn't any laughln' mattor, I thought, so I started on up ngnln. He took hold of my arm, though, and said for mo to go on downstairs, down-stairs, and ho asked me whoro my hair was. Hy that tlmo ho'd got over laugh-In', laugh-In', so I told hlra It was on tho dresser, dress-er, and ho wont on up and I wont down to tho stroot. "I didn't have any more than tlmo to begin thtnkln" how perfectly terrlblo I'd feol whon ho came back wavln' tin, hair in his hand.I was thlnkln' maybo it'd bo hotter to hnvo gouo through llfo lookln' kind o' moth eat-on eat-on than to face such a terrlblo situation, situa-tion, when ho camo down tho stairs and camo up to mo and handod mo my hair. What do you think? He'd stopped and wrapped It up in n piece of paper! Wasn't that tho.swootost thing you over hoard of? My dear, could any girl havo holpcd fallln' In lovo with him? "No, tho ilro didn't nmount to a hill of beans. Wo all went back to our rooms In about half an hour, but Mr. Sheldon camo over the next morning to ask how wo were. Wasn't that sweot of him? And Slstor Mnttio found ho knows somo pooplo that alio knows nnd sho asked him to como to dinner, nnd ho's beon ovor overy day since. "Slstor Mnttlo's Just as crazy about him as I am, but I never did tell hor about the hair. I know sho'd think It was perfectly scandalous." |