Show Daily Short Short- Fiction Story HIS HIS' i HIS GIRL OF DREAMS DREAMS' By IZOLA FORRESTER I Copyright ht 1915 1916 by hy the re I Newspaper Syndicate I. I Mr Mr tr Broderick calling Steve heard c td the girl at the switchboard switchboard switchboard switch switch- board announce his name Ho lie turned awa away toward tho the elevators as she he nod nodded ed to him to go up Miss Meredith Mere Mere- r re- re was in Her room rooms were on t the tho e fourth floor door at the end of ot the thc corridor the bo boy told him when he stepped oil off and he passed sed along the green and gold passage pas paR sage thinking of r tho tine past ten years It had been quite that lon long since he h had seen her out at the thc ranch She had been a girl of or 16 16 fresh from the tho same school as his sister Polly He lie was 17 then a I big awkward Western youngster out her herding ln cattle week after week and anti and she had seemed like all an the girls of at romance h he had ever ever read rAd or heard of ot all in onelie one H He lie wondered if It h her r hair hall was as l curly and blonde bionde a as it had he been en then I and her e eyes H. H bl hig lustrous disturbing c eyes as blue and full of ot ml mischief chiet as RR when he lie h had d lost more sleep Ov over r them than over oyer any maverick that ever strayed cd away Sho She must have known that he loved Javed her even then even although ho he had hadnot hadnot hadnot not dared breathe a word vord to her not oven the tho usual n nonsense of a boys boy's first love tove affair He w would uld as aa soon ha have hao 0 raised his face to tho the evening star and called It Sweetheart So lne had come back East Bast tat after the summer out on the Crazy J. J He had hall often olten wondered if It she sho had married mar mar- ried ned this girl of his dreams Somehow Somehow Some Some- how low the e very memory of at her had been a a. fragrance In lila his life lite a power to hold him back from paths of ot dal- dal llanco Tf TC ho he should over happen to meet h her r again ho he wanted to be he able ablo to look In her eyes eyes and amI tell her what she had been heen to 10 him lIe He had com come Test a n. fe few days dae be- be fore foro on a quick business trip and had met Polly Polly's on the street Polly was war in Sn Virginia Jack said Mid le is I his people He was sorry but hut their place in town was closed Have you OU called rolled on on Edith 1 he asked suddenly been at the Plaza with her mother for the last week They're bound for tor Spring Glade tho the Meredith place Iowa down on tho the Jersey coast Steve had left him with every nerve of ot memory tingling He had hailed a taxi with a curious eurious sense of determination Ten years ears since he ho had seen her and there had not been beena a day that ho hG had not nol thought of or her He had made straight for tor the tho hotel and now he ho was outside her door Just for an Instant he hesitated then pressed pressel tho the electric button at nt the side Sile The door opened and Edith stood there She was all In white some summer summery dainty gown with her face rising above o it like lIko a flower There quick glad look of ot recognition recognition tion Into her dear eyes as she stretched out both hands toward him Why Vh Steve she sho cried Stevo Broderick how did you OU ever find me He tried to speak but hut the words stuck fast in his throat He wanted to t tell 11 her hr then lien and there Just all aU she had hatI been to Mm him since the old days Just what it meant to him to- to see her again and hear henr her v voice but as she ahe gave savo him her hands ho he forgot all else There were only two in tho the whole world for the moment this moment this girl and himself and himself and he loved her hen As his hiM arms caught her close she tried to struggle gle awa away to push p him back hut but he held her fa fast t and kissed her And suddenly he felt fell her stop trying to get aWa away felt her return his kiss A shyly Girl girl dear ear he said MId Ive lve waited ten years to see you OU again Dont Don't try tn to break awa away from me Dont Don't you OU care caro one bit 1 Edith laughed up at him her head bead lying back on his shoulder Steve Ste you OU big sill silly bo boy she said softly however howG did dill you ou dare daro to d dIt do doIt doit it 1 H He released her but hut h held ld both her hands close in hl his looking at her with witha a a. new expression lon In his eyes He had come with all the tho shyness and anxiety of ot the bo boy dreading almost II to look at her and feel the old spell of or her beauty and charm And Anti now thc the whole world worM was changed I dont don't know he answered tl I was afraid Id I'd lose you OU Why hy didn't you ever find me goose she sho teased I 1 thought you ou had forgotten me I 1 met Jack Jock ho said ald He told me Polls Polly's in Virginia and he wa was afraid Id I'd bo he lonely here She smiled mischievously l And it if you hadn't met mel him you ou never ne would have even taken tAke th the trouble to find out whether I was alive or oz dead 1 Sweetheart I didn't dare Jare Tm Just l that that that-l I didn't dare Ivo Ive thought of or you O b by da day and night riding the range and herding cattle un under or the stars up yonder In those mountains and Ive I've sung sting every love song I ever knew to you ou and dreamed of at you and longed for tor you but hut I didn't have the plain every day grit to come after you and get et y you u. u Maybe taybe I was afraid to risk It A mans man's naturally got to have some Borne pluck and nerve to risk every hope of ot his life lito on one throw dont don't you ou know She listened tho ho smile gone gono from her face taco and in Its Ita place a curiously tender womanly look as fis' fis if It she sho knew and understood all that tho the lonely years and tho the boyish hope had meant to him He Ho drew her nearer hungrily I And you OU forgot m me rae Edith idith 7 I 1 wrote to lo Polly always s 's ju just juat t to hear about you OU she ahe whispered Youve come East to look after the new telephone line lino over oyer the mountains mountains mountains moun moun- up to the Cr Crazy J haven't you Polly wrote that you U were were going to push it through and buy In a R. big block of the thc stock and that some somo of or the tha men up there were tr trying to tomake tomake tomake make the company switch the tIne line Une twenty miles south S So I wired Ired Uncle Un cl cle dc Dave Da to to bring It up b Coro the directors at the last meeting Saturday Saturday Satur tur da day and they voted for the Crazy J route Uncle Dave owns lots of ot it It Steve Ste Arent Aren't you you glad Z ZI I wIly why I got a a. wire telling me meto meto meto to come East 1 She Sho nodded her head at him wisely wisch I And then when hen I heard PoU Polly was In Virginia I asked Jack over the telephone to hunt you up and find tell tel you I was still on earth Do you you ou mind 7 Mind he drew in a deep breath tho And I thou thought ht the heavens had Just opened aud and handed y you u to me again I thought it was all this thing they call caU fate tate dont don't you know and H It wasn't an any such thing It was blessed woman understanding How did you yoi know that when the door opened Id I'd Idrach reach rach out and Just take you youl 1 She laughed up at him Steve right there I stopped managing managing man man- aging things It waH was all 1111 you and fate after that dear drar I |