Show y V I 1 t ACROSS THE STREET 4 04 04 by ISABEL FROST i J W ha UM CJ one of the joys of living in a city Is not knowing or caring who villo your next door neighbor is and equal indifference on his or her side jean poured ten tea with her customary air clr of absorbed nonchalance now where I 1 came from everyone knows nil all about you its simply terrible you never feel grown up ryn im nineteen and nobody called me miss ashton not a single person they just said bab or that ashton girl and because I 1 wanted to break away by myself and do something in the world they well they approve hartley eyed her curiously from his place on the high window seat what a queer self sufficient little wanderer S she he was it was quite as it if a very young adventurous kitten had started off to see the world by itself it was mighty nice of jean to get her under her wing lie thought jean was always doing that sort of thing opening the doors of her ninth street studio wide to all heart wayfarers wayfare rs who needed cheering up lie ile could riot not measure up all that her faith and comradeship had meant to him during his own uphill hill light fight in new york perhaps tile the only tiling thing about jean he did not like was that she herself never seemed to need help from anyone he would have loved to know she needed him that his presence and companionship were a strength to her that she even missed him when he failed to show up for a few days As it was she merely gave bilm him the usual smile and happy greeting and went on with her work it was a week later when he got the tickets to Sa Savell vellis ls musicale cale there was a splendid cellist and a good soloist a young soprano who sank folk ile he thought jean might like to go but instead she told him over the phone that she was too busy and asked if he would mind taking bab the kiddie kiddle was lonely and ratler at sea said jean that was the and he went on sullenly at first indignantly bel believing leving it was all jeans fault bab enjoyed going arouni around with him to the exhibitions and little studio teas immensely men sely she was pretty and exuberant tantalizing and whimsical one day she came up op to jeans studio rather white and dikou di raged you know im not earning anything at all not a cent she abe said suddenly its funny how little one can live on here it I 1 bate spaghetti and cereals mother was the most wonderful cook you ever saw I 1 dont see liow how people starve in garrets and paint or write masterpieces jean did not tal re ce lier her seriously it was so usual to sity you are not making in money and only meant you were not earning the hundreds you had hoped to the morning bf fcc the fourth day a phone call came cam B from miss I 1 gan the landlady across the street youre lItt littlee lej miss Ash tons friend arent you larell avem ashes pretty sick ind and if something done the doctor says ashes got to go to a hospital right away its an amonia um onla onia he says and she been tating regular jean stood in the middle of the floor thinking qui ekly then in five minutes slie had bad ca cled up a good nurse her own doctor and had made arrange arranga ments for bringing bab over to her own cozy suite of rooms when hartley came down at noon she met him at the door with her finger to her lips lie listened in silent wonder as she told him what she had done but four work v nev er mind my work weve got to feed her ber up and put her on her feet again go and send a telegram to her mothes for me answer that phone will jou iou while I 1 write this H artley obeyed and turned from it to aier ier with a curious smile theres somebody downstairs from IT nines falls lie he said sat ile he wants to I 1 now jiow if you know where aless ashton is slie she from haines falls ill see sec him jean went down the ix lading staircase quickly and met the tull tall anxious faced youngster walting waiting I 1 there here 1 I got gat a letter from bab from miss ashton last night lie he said brokenly we were engaged you know and she broke it but she wrote me she N was as on ibe last lap and she care what bap pene I 1 she was war so hungry and sick so I 1 cilin cam e at once to take her home I 1 wondered if fix it so we could be married fl fi halt half an how hour later jean left the two together lit ili the darkened room bab her eyes bright with fever but conscious and 9 fast to the big boys liand rat i at la in the studio on the window beai seat waiting for her she went to him her bt r eyes rather tired now thatch that th nerves i strain was over im gr filing ing to let him take her home as as she clu I 1 travel you dont know now how allty alty I 1 iveel feel wade to have let her live right across the street and get into such a state I 1 thought of caf arse you were leaking after her if yav 1 u were in love with her I 1 who said I 1 was you did over oler in the square 1 I said I 1 in love well I 1 jean jeal a lie imald softly despairingly jenn jean cant can canthon you see sec anything cant rou under strind anything at all the nurse stepped to the door for something bi but it after one glance retreated noiselessly there Is such a thing us as professional profession til discretion copyrights 1917 2917 ty by 0 tile o mcclure E D V T 1 r |