k wave of red swept over his face.

"Why!" he began; "why! Well!"

She looked down at her skirt with a woman's quick consciousness of self.

"I told you," she said, with her words falling one over the other; "I
told you it wasn't mournin'! I--I--"

She followed his gaze to her coat-lapel and to the magenta bow. A hot
pink flowed under her skin.

"Oh!" she cried. "Ain't I the limit? That--that bow was on, and I
forgot--me wearin' a red bow on poor Angie's funeral day! Me--oh--"

Her fingers fumbled at the bow, and smarting tears stung her eyes. But
Mr. Lux stepped to the blue-glass vase on the table, snapped a white
carnation at the neck, and stuck it in his left coat-lapel; then he tore
off a bit of fern and added it as a lacy background. His deep-set eyes
were as mellow as sunlight.

"Hello!" he whispered, extending both hands and smiling at her until all
his teeth showed. "Hello!"

"Hello!" she said, like one in a dream.

[Illustration: "HELLO!" HE WHISPERED, EXTENDING BOTH HANDS AND SMILING
AT HER UNTIL ALL HIS TEETH SHOWED]

THE SQUALL

Lilly raised the gas-flame beneath the coffee-pot and poked with a large
three-pronged fork at the snapping chops in the skillet. The spark-spark
of frying and the purl of boiling water grew madder and merrier, and a
haze of blue smoke and steam rose from the little stove.

"I don't see why you can't stay for supper, Loo."

Miss Lulu Tracy opened her arms wide--like Juliet greeting the lark--and
yawned.

"What's the use stickin' round?" she said, in gapey tones. "What's the
use stickin' round where I ain't wanted? Charley ain't got no use for
me, and you know it. I'll go over to the room and wait for you."

"Well, I like that! I guess I can have who I want in my own flat; he
isn't bossin' me round--let me tell you that much." But she did not urge
further.

"Oh, my feelin's ain't hurt, Lil. I jest dropped in on my way home from
the store to see how things was comin' with you."

Lilly banged the little oven door shut with the toe of her shoe and,
holding her brown-checked apron against her hand for protection, drained
hot water from off a pan of jacketed potatoes--a billow of steam mounted
to the ceiling, enveloping her.

"I've made up my mind, Loo. There's a whole lot of sense in what you've
been saying--an' I'm going to do it."

"Now remember, Lil, I ain't buttin' in--I ain't the kind that butts into
other people's business; but, when you come down to