Show I Dorot Dorothys Dorothy's ys y's Dime I Orn Grayee c looked grim as ns he threw open Olen khe he door and mill then stumbled over the roll toll of rugs rues that thal lay Just t within Another night ht has hils come and that landlord still lives his evil en life he palled Called and from the dimly lighted parlor parlor par par- lor came an answering snit sniff Bert Gruy Grayee hung up his coat on the shrouded half and nUll entered the room Th The furniture was swathed In an and excelsior tIll the piano was Covered with old blankets and nUll other soft toft oft wrappings and trunks and boxes Were Wore plied piled with some attempt at order along Jlong the bare walls and upon the equally bare bara floor On top of the upturned soap box bor a group of candles sputtered dismally their feeble rays serving to accentuate the c absence of ot gas Desolation Desolation the the desolation of an exodus brooded exodus brooded everywhere ev ev- ev- ev even upon the face of ot the woman troman who sat in a n low rocker beside the candles candies and Vainly made pretense pf reading Hers Her's was a lovable race fact framed 1 in ID misses masses of silver hair and Grayce's untie faille softened and grew more tender tenders as s he bent to kiss the still smooth forehead Cheer up mother mine he said laughingly All AlJ Is not yet lost though the the painters remain on strike Tomorrow To To- morrow the new home will be he painted By Satur Saturday ay we shall be comfortably Settled Are you sure demanded Mrs Irs Grayce Grayee wistfully I If you are we will not not hot have the gas turned on again There ar are electric lights In the new horne home he he reminded You will ill forget these nights of Egyptian darkness and land the next time we move we shall not order the current turned of off until we weare weare weare C are safely o out t of ot the house To think that at the last moment with all packed and ready to move this strike should hould have come up I P said Mrs Grayce with a groan Are you positive Bert that the painter you have engaged will not be won over oer by bythe bythe bythe the strikers Never more certain of anything in my IDY life life was the laughing response The painter Is no less a person than your accomplished son I stopped Inand in inand inand and ordered the paint sent over this morning Tomorrow I Ishall shall go up and wield the brush so you must wako wake fend nd call me early I must put In a full dayBert day Bert passed on to his own room his wa way with matches and his 13 mother heaved a sigh of ot relief F For Fr r eight days das they had virtually camped In the apartment they had given up waiting for their ther new quarters to be finished hed The packers had done their work the man had come to cut oft off the gas and und the moving vans were backed up to the door wh when n a telephone message came to the effect that owing to a astrike astrike astrike strike of ot the painters the new rooms were not yet ready for occupancy From brow day to day the landlord had promised that something ng would be bedone bedone bedone done at once but now a full week had passed d and hope had commenced to taU fall until Bert decided to do the work himself He made an early start and eight o'clock found him in a suit of jeans applying applying applying ap ap- ap- ap plying the paint with as skill skillful CuI a abrush brush hrush as though painting were his occupation He worked rapidly rapid ly 11 and well and the Ule rooms had begun to assume a 8 habitable aspect when he heard the hall door open and close and looked up expecting to see the laud land lord Instead he faced about to encounter the gaze of a u pall pale of or brown eyes which seemed to pierce his stained paint-stained Jacket Jack jack- et and give him an oddly queer sensation sensa- sensa Lion tion about the heart The possessor o of the eyes was a fragile slip of a girl whose pure oval face was oddly like a picture by some old master The Tho slender Blender form was wholly concealed by bya a brown Holland pinafore and this was splashed with blue So you have come she said at length I was beginning to think that you would be out on strike all winter T I 1 was promised j that hat my floors should be shellacked first I Yes but but but- began Bert BertI I I want no answers said the girl with a stamp of her tin tiny foot toot I am to have an exhibition day tomorrow and the floors must be done by then do you hear Yes maam ma'am said Bert meekly Then pick up your pall pan and brush and c come me along was the quiet com com- mat If Il I had not smelled smelted the paint in la the hall you would have spent the day luy here when I ne need d you so 80 much more Come on please r She turned to lead lead the way a aft as though thought there were no argument to be m made de and Bert grinning over The rl- rl of the tle affair followed after atter He saw with pleasure that theother theother the theother other apartment was only across th hall from his hs own It was vas a much smaller lla place and und it did not take Bert long to paint the floors The girl stood in the doorway superintending the i i work and Bert was sorry when at last The hI rose from his knees and announced i she tho completion of the Job i You will have have- to finish the o other her herIt It said the girl girls severely I I. I I I 11 n Next Nei t time do as you are arc told and you yon ou will have less trouble You know very well wen that the agent told you to do this thIB apartment first He Be promised m me that he would Hell promise anything began Bert grimly but the tin tiny foot o t stamped a warning The Th girl pirl did dill not care to argue the point with a workman ana una she dl dismissed him with a n nod Come in tomorrow and anel give lve It a 1 second coat coat she commanded Walt Wait Walta Waita a moment she Bhe added as Bert turned to go Buy yourself a n good cigar she finished as she sho handed him n a c coin ln Bert dropped the dime In his biM pocket with a n murmured word of thanks and amI backed out of ot the door Once on the theother other side his embarrassment died down and he paused long enough to ascertain from the card on the door that it was Dorothy Remsen who occupied occupied oc oco- the apartment That she was wasa a china decorator he ho already knew and vaguely he remembered having heard of ot her skin i He was tired when he sought his home that night but the thought that he would s see e the tho girl again on the morrow gave him a n feeling that the day had been well spent He lie carefully careful careful- ly slipped the dime in a lo locket ket which he be wore on ou his watch fob and smiled I as he thought of ot his tip Up lie He painted the studio doors the first thing next morning and then turned his attention to his own apartment It was late lute In the afternoon when he had finished and was cleaning up There came a n ring at the door and he opened it to confront a young woman who radiated confusion and penitence I have come to apologize she said blushing I stopped In n to thank the agent for sending me a painter and he did not know that my floors floor had been done Then he recalled that t you were painting your own place and ami explained my error Its Us a very natural one he said with a laugh If you were half as desperate as my mother I should not blame you for me with a full knowledge of the tho facts I am only only- glad that I have been of ot service to you You dont don't know how greatly you ha have ve aided me she he said I X can never repay yoU your kindness I am so sorry that I was abrupt yesterday Win Will you pardon me The long slender hand was clasped In Berts Bert's own and he smiled down into the brown eyes that dropped shyly before before before be be- fore his gaze Dorothy slipped sUpped back into her own apartment and Bert closing his door drew the dIme clime she had given him from his pocket The Jobs Job's going to cost you more than that little woman he said MId as he smiled to himself Its going to cost you your heart and hand and they are worth millions of ot dimes Philadel Philadelphia phi phia a Bulletin |