Free The Challengers by Grace Livingston Hill Page B

do. Mother would not understand why Steve had telephoned unless she explained how he had promised to take the girl and therefore needed the money. Well, she must hurry. She would go out and get a few things for supper and get back before Rosalie came. The child must not find the house empty. She looked pale when she started off to school, and there was no use expecting Melissa so early. She had said she would stay out till she got a job or got too hungry to walk any farther.
    So Phyllis hurried over to the butcher shop. She wanted to thank Mr. Brady for his kindness again and get a bit of meat for supper.
    There was no one in the shop when Phyllis entered except the big kindly butcher himself, and he came forward smiling.
    "Everything going all right over there?" he asked anxiously. "I meant to run over this morning, but the shop kept pretty full all day till just now, and my errand boy was sick."
    "It's been quiet as ten mice all the morning," said Phyllis. "I think you settled Mrs. Barkus for another month with your wonderful thirty-five dollars. My mother says she will never be able to repay you for all you did last night, though I hope she will soon be able to give you back the actual money you loaned us. My sister is trying hard to find a job today, and, well, I think there will be a way pretty soon. I'm sure there will."
    "Of course there will," said the kindly butcher. "I'm not worrying about my money. Your mother came in this morning a minute and I told her not to worry about paying that back. It was worth thirty-five dollars to me just to see that Barkus woman's face when I handed it out to her. That woman's a pain in the neck, she is. I was glad to get it back on her, the old crook! She's bullied many a poor tenant out of more money than they owed her. Don't you trust her out of your sight. She'll get that clock yet. Say, I was thinking, after your mommy left here this morning, are you folks figuring to stay there in that apartment?"
    "Not a minute longer than we can help, Mr. Brady. Mother is out looking for a room, just a tiny room even where we can all squeeze in till things brighten up a little, and we've sold everything we just didn't have to have in order to live, so it can't take us long to move. I was hoping we could get out tonight, but unless Mother comes back pretty soon with some good news I'm afraid there isn't much chance, for all the places I went this morning were so expensive we couldn't possibly afford them."
    "Well, now," said the butcher with a pleased look on his face, "this is what I was thinking. I've got a little two-story house down the next block vacant. The man just moved out last Friday. He got transferred to Pittsburgh and had to leave it in the middle of the month. I was wondering how it would be if you folks would just step in there for a little while till you could look around. It's all warm. I didn't let the fire go out yet for I was figuring to make a few repairs evenings there. And it wouldn't cost you a cent, for it's just lying there idle. I can't rent it till I make some changes, and I wasn't figuring to make them till the weather gets a little more steady. I want to change some of the pipes, and it would mean digging outside some. So if you folks would come in, I'd be real glad. I could help you bring your things over in the truck. The man'll soon be back from the last delivery, and he'll give a hand to the heavy things. If you say so, we'll just move you over nice and easy before night, and you won't know you are moving."
    "Oh, Mr. Brady! How wonderful! It will seem just like heaven to get out of that house before another night."
    "Well, I sort of thought you weren't so keen about staying there. Here's the key; suppose you just go down and look at the place and see if you like it before you decide. It ain't any grand house, you know, just one of the row, but it's nice and clean, and it's got a dandy little gas range and a crackerjack hot-water heater. The missus, she had it all