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‘ll.
ILA x’ S. 1009.
' THE GIRLS’
C0.V1l’rAN ION.
‘ - . ’"'”"‘.""”"-Ii
3
Gioria And e'ie.s;.5‘ 527-e
HAMILTON DONIVEL L ’ ’ cm’
axon e 6’llz1,0L‘6I‘.5‘ s r‘
BY ANNIE
cl
CIIAPTER VI..
T WAS on the day of Gloria's visit
I with the District Nurse that Mr. Mc-
Andrew came home to luncheon, which
was rather an unusual proceeding for the
busy attorney during hot weather. Mrs.
hit-Anilrew, seated with her mending on
the shady piazza, could see a worried ex-
pression upon her husband's face even be-
fore he reached the steps. '
“Something is the matter," she said,
rising hastily, while spools and scissors
fell upon the cat dozing near. “ Somethin
is the matter or he would never have come
'hoiiie in this boiling sun.”
“ What is, dear?” she asked. as the mid-
dle-aged. slightly bent figure toiled up the
steps exhaustedly.
“Where is Gloria?” was Mr. McAn-
drew's reply, as he dropped with a. sigh
of relief into one of the piazza chairs. ,
“ lane with Missel can't think of her
nam%the District Nurse.
syou mustn't blame me.
if she wasn't the settest little thing!"
“I was afraid so-felt it in my bones.
Now, groaned the lawyer, “must
she have selected to-day?‘ And here I've
come up home at the risk of my life all
to no end! I wanted to make sure she
oking round in that miserable
street today, of all tlays+and you have to
tell me she is!“
“ You mustn't blame me,” his wife re-
peated mildly. “ You knowayourself when
GIory's set-”
“Yes, but you ought to have been set,
too! Why didn't you put your foot down
that she shouldn't go off to such a foolish
place? No knowing what mischief it has
done!"
Mrs. McAndrew leaned down and
stroked the big cat with lingers that longed
to stroke away the worries from her hus-
band's brow.
“ Your uncle is so tired and hot, Abou
Bcn,” she might have been heard whisper-
ing in the silky ear. -
“Why don‘t you ask what mischief?"
pursued Mr. i‘IcAndrew shortly. “ Emmy,
I'm out and out worried, I tell you!" -
“Yes, do tell me, dear,” purred Aunt
Em soothingly. “I was waiting for you
to get ready to. IIer%fan yourself while
you talk."
“Well, Richards was in the office an
hour ago with a story about some accident
down at No. 80. Some-lio:ly‘s fallen down-
stairs and got badly hurtaarried to the
hospital. lichards says they told him the
mother was red-hot angry."
“Angry?" questioned Aunt Em in won-
der. It seemed a strange mood
mother of someone who had been
hurt.
“Yes, because she would have it the
landlord was entirely to blame; those peo-
ple always luy everything to their land-
lords. But Richards owned up that-well,
the stair railing gave way, or something
of that sort. And on say Gloria's down
in that neighborhood It:-ally, it does put
me at my wit‘s end"
“Yes,” agreed his wife ahsently. Iler
thoughts were still with the angry mother.
Suddenly a new thought obtruded its un-
pleasant head.
“ What house is it? Note” A look of
disniny came into Aunt Em's eyes.
“Yes, exactly," answered her husband.
“Yuu’re got on to it, have you? And
GIoria‘s down there. She's just one of
the kind that think they can help things
that can't be helped.”
' ““'ell, you know I advised telling her
at the very start,” answered Aunt Em. And
now her face wore as worried a look as did
-her hnsbiind‘s. Then she added. “If we
had explained the yvhole thing to her at
the start, it would not have been so dif-
hcult. But how is anyone to tell her now?
She is so intense, and she's hardly
more than it child to reason with. And in
the meantime she's gotten so many ideas
into her head that she wouldntharc had,
maybe, if she had known the situation
from the first. and grown up.with it.”
“I acted for the best," her husband
grumbled. “Such things are coming up
in life all the time. lint when women are
mixed up in 'em, there's no making them
=
for
badly
x‘
Q
see straight. It wasn’t fitting that Gloria
should have everything explained to her at
the start. It wasn’t businesslike. When she
comes into full control of things herself.
it will be diderent. I am afraid
Kit-hards is not quite the man to have
charge of things down there. I have given
him his own way too much. But one has
to with Richards. He‘s a good collector."
.“ But the stair-rail, dear," interposed his
wife. “Stair railings should be secure,
above all thin;.'s."
“ Yes, Richards ought to have seen that
everything was safe. I cannot understand
:1 glaring negligence like that. He's al-
ways given me the impression that things
were kept very fairly shipsliape.” IIav-
ing said this, Mr. McAndrew rose and be-
gan pacing the veranda.
“Richards said it was a poor, half-wit-
ted creature,” he murmured, as though
thinking aloud.
“But, dear," interposed his wife, “half-
wittcd creatures can be ' led!“
Aunt Em's thoughts seemed to he keep-
ing pace with those of the man marching
up and down the piazza floor.
“Oh, she won’t die. That sort 0’ folks
don't," her husband answere .
And at that moment Gloria was standing
in Itose’s room in No. 30, listening to the
dying away of the footsteps of the angry
mother of Sal, the woman vowing ven-
geance on the one who could leave 21 house
to tumble down over people's heads.
in with the angry tones were the protest-
ing ones of the District Nurse.
>
:2
n.
A few moments later Ros‘-.“'s door opened. t
and the District Nurse, flushed and wor-
ried. entered.
“Sal's mother has been drinking: and
she's wild over the accident," she said in
tones as steady as she could make them.
But Gloria saw that she was strangely
wrought up. .
“ Drink or no drink,” said Gloria, with
a. bridling of her head, "I should think
a mother had cause to he worked up Over
an accident like that." A look of hauteur
was on the young girl’: face. “That such
things can he, and no note ,
taken of them, is a disgrace (0
the century."
The nurse's face P511913.
she looked into GIoria’s eyes.
“ Don't, Gloria, don’t!” she
said pleadingly. “It is pitiful
enough. Don't e" she stopped.
“ And may not one even utter
a protest against the existence
of such a thing?" said Gloria.
“Well, I shall go to the hos-
pital and see Sal. can a
least do that."
“It can hardly do any good,“
said the nurse in a discouraged
D3
tone. “But if you really wish
to go,-Gloria, I will go with
you." ' ‘
“"ery well," said Gloria.
f‘ we will go just assoon as we
get rested aft:-r luncheon."
At the corner near Gloria’s
home, the District Nurse bade
Gloria good-by, as She had an
errand to do on her way home.
Gloria watched her to a car. ,
Then she turned and made her ,-
own way back to Treeless Street. .
It was on the corner near N0. '
80 that she came upon the very
one she was wishing for.
“Oh, Dinney, I am so glad
to find you! I want your help.
You are a good business man,
and I want you to do some- -
thing for me."
“I a good business man?"
said Dinney, grinning from ear
to ear. “ I should say! wh.-.1‘:
your business, Miss?“ And
having said this. be doubled up
with droll laughter.
“Don’t!" said Gloria, laying her hand
best-echingly upon him. “I am really in
earnest."
Dinney straightened, and then in as
(lccorous a manner as he could command,
at
a
ll :
“I'm your man for husincss."
“Very well. Now, Dinney. you're lis-
tening. I want y0I]:t0‘llD(.l:0llC," said
Gloria, impressively speaking each word
distinctly, “who it is that owns No. 80.
I want you to find it out, and I want you
to tell me and no one else. If you will find
out and promise not to tell anyone else, and
will come to me with the name, then I will
TWII)‘, Dinney, I will give you 8. five-dollar
gold piece."
I)inney‘s breath was fairly taken away.
He stood there on the sidewalk stock still,
looking into the face of the girl before him.
At last he said in an awed voice: '
“ Ilonest?"
“ Honest,” answered Gloria.
The boy drew a long breath. Five dol-
lars! Instantly there came before him
some little red shoes for Ilnnkie, and some
stockings, and maybe a little red cap. But‘
there was not time to go further into the,
matter as to what five dollars might stand:
for. Gloria's hand was grasping his shoul-
dcr ‘with a firm grip,
““'ill you find it out, Dinney? “'ill
you? Will you come to me straight with
the name and to nobody else?" ‘Vhat she
saw of honesty and truth in Dinney's face
so satisfied the girl that her hands fell from
the thin shoulders, and she in turn drew
a long breath as though she had found at
last something she ha long been seeking.
Then she looked down at Dinney. “ I am
going to tell you, Dinncyhjust why I am
wanting to had out. You would like to
know a nice secret: something we can keep
to ourselves-a wonderful secret!" -
inney was all expectation. At last he
said, “Ma used to tell me things. She
told me lots the rest of the folks didn't
know. All about pa and how it was when
they first married and lots more. I never
told anyone else around, as she said not
0 ..
“ And you won't tell this? We will have
it all to ourselves, and it will make you
want to help me. Sometimesboys can dud
out things big folks can't. It came to me
when I was walking along with the Dis-
trict Nurse that you were just the one to
help me. You're so-well, so sharp yet
If they suspect they would not let
us know, maybe."
The two were now walking along in n
companionahle way back in the direction
Gloria had come.
“i win. uizrfriin tuosnr son rotv, DISNEY."
“Dinney, if you find out who owns that]
house I will' buy it. I've got money:
Uncle Em says I have.
we'll fix it up good." Dinney's face was
ceilings and new window panes if you
bought that house?”
“Yes, I would,” said Gloria. “At first
I thought I'd tear it down. But I don't
believe now I‘ would, it's been home for so
many. I'd just like to see it fixed up the
way it should have been years and yours
and years ago.”
“And you'd (ix the hole in the ceiling?"
asked the boy. Evidently that break in
the ceiling over the bed that had been
his mother's had left a deep impression on
in.
“Wouldn‘t I, Dinney!" And now the
girl's eyes shone. “It is a secret worth
she said.
should say!” answered Dinney.
“And I'll find out ifeif-it takes my life,
I will.”
Dinney was young in years, but old
in experience. IIis small figure now
straightened with determination, and
over his face swept a look of honest manil-
ness far beyond his years. Gloria, looking
down upon him. felt glad she had taken
him for a helper.
“I wish mother had waited," Dinney
said quietly, and then the two parted.
After her late luncheon, eaten alone, her
uncle having returned to the office, Gloria
was ready for the District Nurse, who had
promised to go with her to the hospital.
unt Em was taking a nap, so Gloria did
not disturb her. As the two walked along,
Gloria's impatience broke forth afresh.
“A coat of tar and feathers would serve
the one right that allows such things to
exist!” she said.
“Don’t, Gloria!“ cried the nurse, in the
same tone of terror she had used in the
hallway when trying to quiet Sal's
mother. .
“ But I meant it!” said Gloria. “ I
don't see how the owner of that building
with all those trippy places can sleep
nights. Think of anyone taking rent for
a house like that! I never knew such
]Jll1(‘QS were allowed in the market."
“I don’t believe I would be so hard,
Gloria, if I were you. Let it rest."
There was a strange note of wistful plead-
ing in the nurse‘s voice. But Gloria did
not heed it.
“ Let it rest? Never!" she answered.
The hospital reached, the neazly-uni-
formed interne who came down to answer
the District Nurse's inquiry.
assured them that their pa-
Iient was resting quietly. He
even went so far as to say
that possibly the fall might
work good in the end.
“ I only say might in a gen-
eral way. If the poor crea-
tn'iX>'s mental apathy has been
due to an injury of the head,
it may possibly be. Do you
know the cause of her mental
condition?” he inquired of the
nurse.
The nurse gave the informa-
tion desired.
“ If that is so, then the sec-
ond hlow may neutralize the
first. It is certainly an inter-
(‘sting case." But at the end
he assured his visitors that
time only could prove what
the outcome might be.
“ I’oor Sal!" said the nurse,
as they left the large building,
and went quietly down the
stone steps. “I wonder if it
would be coniforling to her to
know she is an ‘interesting
case.’ Sal was never interest-
in: before."
“But just think if he
should be right," said Gloria,
quivering with excitement.
““'ouldn’t it be beauti-
ful, just beautiful. If it
should come true! It would
almost make me forgive that
awful man who did not mend
the railing."
‘ " But then," said the nurse.
“unless life changes all
through for Sal, it might be
worse to be beaten and starved and feel
conscious of it. than to be beaten and
I will buy it and starved in a lialf-demented condition."
“Oh, don't put it that way!" said
aglow, his eycs shone, his breath was Gloria.
drawn sharp and quick.
“I could not help thinking how little
“ Would you put in new stairs and newlyou can see of what her life all these years
.x..... as
Mm...-a , .. .
I
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