Queed

und Business Reasons, to a Landlady's

es of the Post office; manifesting itself at the latter place in certain staid writings done in exchange for ten dollars, currency of the realm, paid down each and every Saturday.

stately manner of speech and his godlike indifference to all pleasures, including those of female society. Of them all, Nicolovius was the only one who seemed in the least impressed by Mr. Queed's appointment as editorial writer on the Post. With the others the exalted world he moved in was so remote from theirs that no surprises were possible th

d to leave it occasionally to earn his bread and meat. Apart from this he never left it in those days except for one reason, viz., the consumption three times a d

tically decided that it should be called "The Science of Sciences." For his book was designed to co?rdinate and unify the theories of all science into the single theory which alone gave any of them a living value, namely, the progressive evolution of a higher organized society and a higher individual type. That this work would blaze a wholly new trail for a world of men, he rarely entertained a doubt. To its co

uary, soon after the opening of the legislature; and he was alone in the office. A knock fell upon the door, and at his "Come," a girl entered who looked as pretty as a dewy May morning. Queed looked up at her with no

said Sharlee, for i

uite

as gone out. I particularly wished to see

hour. Perhaps in an

hardly wait. Would you be good en

y we

to go in to-morrow, or the next day, anyway. He'll understand perfectly; I have talked it all over with hi

about a reformatory for to-morrow

h for telling him

ed-"but one moment, if you please. You

d, having been offended by her, was deliberately cutting her. That her identity had litera

n the street one day-surely you remember the pleasure-dog?-and then that night I gave you your supper at Mrs. Paynter's an

e girl-sure enough-that Henry G. Surface

I recall

s voice, and to pay him for it, she said wit

d the ingenious machinery worked on. Presently it pushed out and laid before him the complete record, neatly ticketed and arranged,

etter from my fa

, turning at o

However, there was not

uld not have hit upon a surer one. Sharlee Weyland had a great fund of pity for this young man's worse than fatherles

all-about knowing w

. I wonder what h

miliar with the city; doubtless knew all the people; she seemed intelligent and capable, as girls went. He remembered that he had consulted her about securing remunerative work, with some results; possibly she would also have something sensible to say about his paternal problem. He might make an even shrewder stroke. As his landlady's

h. "I'll take a few minutes. Kindly sit down th

stooned around her hat, and white gloves that were quite unspotted from the world. The raw February winds had whipped roses into her cheeks; her pure ultramarine eyes made the blue of her suit look commonplace and dull. Dusk had fallen over the c

first letter-the one that

e pathos in this ready sharing of one's most intimate secrets with a stra

feather thing is

e she read with amazement the six typewritten lines whi

our residence in this city. This is the first request he has ever made of you, as it will be, if you refuse it, the la

the envelope that the twenty dollars came in-it is exactly like the other two, y

ired no urgi

le, and learn to like them. Th

fat

each of the three envelopes. You will observe that the

r the root, like the rudimentary tail anatomists find in

oubt," said she, "that all th

Well? What do the

down on the three singular exhibits. Sharlee studied

gest this because the whole thing seems so extraordinar

n earth would wis

," she said, "that you would tell m

r must be very hard up

ould speak of it in th

nal duty to him? Why should he confine his entire relations with me

uth, she thought the behavior of Que

write these curious letters, apparently seeking to make a mystery, and throwing the burden of finding him on me. Why should I become excited over the prospect? If he would promise to endow me now, to support or pension me off, if I found him, that would be one thing. But I submit to yo

Ti

Que

ed him. "And do you want t

now he palpably paused to ask himself whether it was worth his while to go more into detail. Yes; clearly it was. If it ever became necessary to ask the b

educated myself practically without instruction of any sort, and when I was fourteen I left Tim because he married at that time, and, with the quarreling and drinking that followed, the house became unbearable. Tim then told me for the first time that he had, from some source, funds equivalent to twenty-five dollars a month for my board, and that he would allow me fifteen of that, keeping ten dollars a month for his services as agen

h close and sympathetic attention. "And now that you are

thing! Haven't I done all that he asked? Haven't I given up fi

e no steps when you got

ing here and living there are all one. Do! You talk of it glibly enough, but what is there to do? There are no Queeds in this city. I looked in the directory this morning. I

with you," she said,

ng that he expects or desires me to track him down? For all that

her chin in her white-gloved

have me discus

ited an expression o

s extraordinary, to say the least of it. But of course there must be some good reason for this. Has it oc

as w

I don't

ay so plainly in

n't k

h a gesture which inquired what in th

at all disconcerted. "Have you considered tha

of w

mean? He appeals here to the natural feelings of a son, and then again he tells you to make friends and learn to like people. Evidently he is ex

ld be begun. Nor, if there were, have I the smallest inclination to begi

is, of course, one way in which

What is t

Tim Q

I was born. But he would add, and will add, not a word to these confidences; not even to assure me definitely that my father is still alive. He says that he has sworn an oath of s

t mean simply

matters to

is evidently unhappy Mr. Queed-evide

p my work to try to solve entirely superfluous enigmas. Keep all this in mind-take an

elling me about it, and I'd be so glad

y editorials?" he

on't understand

ving the just tribute of his little ones. "They are for

love was unbuttoned and she slowly fastened it. In he

about anything, I'd always think it a real pleasure. Please remember

iv

ay to the south and east. "My office is only

ce? You do

n't I t

ught you we

ittle teeth and the tip of a rosy little tongue. Probably she could have crushed him by another pointing gestur

aughing at?" he

h did you get it? Out of those laws of human

term in a loose, popular sense. I would not seriously contend that females of gentle bi

er thus with them. Once they had wealth and engaged in nothing but delicious leisure. But in 1861 some men came down here, about six to one, and took all this wealth away from them, at the same time exterminati

not unkindly and not without interest, "what is it? Are you a teacher, perhaps, a ... no!-You

I am a clerk, bookkeeper, stenographer, and office girl. My offi

What

Secretary of the State D

had no idea his face could

on earth did you g

said S

t, and she la

ecretary to whom y

the world. Mr. Dayn

ct? Is he an expert?-a trained relief worker? Do

of them at a time in his letters

d y

familiarity with

all defining sociology for you on

emem

entioned to you are not so good as they think, particularly Smathers. I

and attention. We leave no stone unturned t

edge of the many complex problems.... However," he said, a ray of brightness lightening his displeasure, "you

n that in another year or two.

itorials written about reformatories. It is a r

id you

ur State is so often held up to repro

, is it not? Of course we shall not get a penny from the present legislature. Legislatures love to say no; it dearly flatters their little vanity. We are giving them the chance to say no

here. You have been civil to me-I wi

ibution of his time. A guilty pink stole into her cheek. A reformatory article by Mr. Queed would doubtless be scientifically pluperfect, but nobody would read it. Colonel Cow

ffer to help us, but I couldn't

xation, that the public may digest what I have already written. I am therefore free to discuss other topics for a few da

t-you see, there's a lot of special detail that applies to this particular case alone-oh, a great lot of it-little facts connected wi

Colonel C

o hasty offer had not been accepted, noted with vexation that his conversation with the agent had cost him eighteen minutes of time. Vigorously

re pushing through the dim velvet round; all the world lay white with a light hard snow, crusted and sparkling under the street lights. Her private fear about the whole matte