OCR Text |
Show FICTION SUBWAY LOCHINVAR M lclzre? 'pri ,:IBI The guard looked at her with understanding, un-derstanding, looked grimly at Jeff and had a firm grip on Jeff i collar an instant later. "Bothering the lady, eh? Why you I ought to have JEFF had a pocketful of nickels, but he followed her to the change booth. He stood behind her in the line, his eyes noting every detail from her soft, short black curls to her doll-size suede shoes. He even approved of her hat, a warm plum color the exact shade of coat and shoes. He was so busy with his survey that he failed to notice the nickel she left in the worn wooden cup In the shelf. "Hey, Lady," the money-changer yelled after her, "You left your chancel" the tracks at the uptown platform where he saw her, Just before the train pulled in. He skidded all the way down the stairs, landing in an ungraceful and thoroughly disgruntled heap at the bottom. By the time he untangled his long arms and legs and got across the mezzanine floor and back up the uptown stairs, the train was pulling out and she was gone. He was sunk, stymied, and he didn't have the remotest chance of catching her of finding out what any half-wit should have asked her before he returned the precious you thrown In the Jug!" In about 40 seconds, Jeff was standing dazed and furious outside the subway station, back where he had first maneuvered to walk close to the lovely little black-haired stranger. Why had she raised such a rumpus? rum-pus? She must have seen him before, be-fore, when she doubled back at West 4th she must have run nwnv from f fff'". Hi I """"" "', She must not have heard the man, for she was already through the turnstile turn-stile end was disappearing down the stairs o the platform. Jeff tried to make his voice sound casual as he told the man, "I'll give it to her." The man grinned. "Sure don't blame you." Jeff fumbled In his haste to get through the turnstile. He followed her downstairs and spotted her in the middle of the crowd on the platform, plat-form, watching the F train roll in. "Your change," he panted, "You left your change at the booth." She stared up at him, and the Impact Im-pact of the Incredibly dark velvety eyes tossed his heart Into tome rosy world far, far away. Desper- atcly be searched for the smooth, brilliant, exactly right thing he never could think to say until It was too late. But, "You left your change," he repeated Inanely, and held out the nickel. "Why, thank you very much," she said, and her voice was Just what it should have been low and soft and sweet. "How nice of you to chase after me!" "Oh, that's all right," he said. "I . . . I . . ." and there he stuck. She smiled rather vaguely at him, waited a minute, and started to turn away when he failed to think of anything any-thing else to say. "Wait, please"!" he shouted at her. He didn't need to shout he was right beside her so close that the crowd rushing out of the train threw her against him. For a breathless moment, he saw her tiny hand clutch at Vila mat implied the wonderful Jeff spotted her In the middle of the crowd on the platform, watching the F train roll In. "Your change," he panted, "yon left your change at the booth." nickel. Who was she? Where did she live? Did she travel the same route every day? Did she work-did work-did she he didn't have the slightest clue as to how to find her again ever. Cursing himself for a blithering idiot, he stepped on the next train that came along. Might as well go back to 42nd street and ride his usual train back to his lonely room and his lonelier thoughts. Of course he decided to be at that change booth every day for the rest of his life, if necessary, until he found her again. He pondered an ad to run in the Times: "Will the beautiful beau-tiful lnrlv wntVi tVi rfnrlr vi tt'hn fnr. him! What was so frightening about him? He puzzled and groused over that problem while he drank two cups of coffee In a little place across the street. He didn't get the answer until he reached into his pocket for his wallet to pay his check. The wallet wal-let was gone. Jeff remembered the appealing way her dark eyes had held his when she was thrown on his chest on the platform remembered those pretty little white hands as they clung to his lapel tugging at his heart strings and his wallet sweetness of her perfume as she laughed up at him. Ht supported her elbows and helped her catch her balance. ; "This seems to be your day for rescuing me," she said, "Thanks again." Before he could say another word, she was inside the car and the door was closing. Then he realized he hadn't found out her name or anything any-thing about her except that her left hand was innocent of rings wedding or otherwise. He darted down the platform and found a last late-closing door. It didn't help much to know that he was on the same train with ner one that he had no business on. It was Jammed and he struggled hopelessly hope-lessly to get back to her car. He died a thousand deaths at 34th street, 23rd and 14th, afraid she would get off and he would miss her in the mob. It happened at West 4th street, but he saw her in time and bounded after her, down the stairs to the Sixth avenue ave-nue platform, barely keeping her in sight. He thought she looked right at him, Just before she wheeled and ran back up the stairs. "Hope she isn't afraid of me might peg me for a wolf," he told himself. "No that's silly! Probably didn't even see me." He chased back up the stairs to find that she was not on the downtown platform. He looked behind the news stand, at both ends of the long platformshe plat-formshe was not in sight It dawned on him to look across got a nickel at the change booth at 42nd street on the night of. . ." Back at 42nd street, he stood gloomily staring at her for several minutes before he realized It. She was standing on the downtown platform again, right where he had first muffed his chances with this girl he had dreamed all of his life of some day meeting. She was talking to a man, so absorbed that she didn't eren glance in his direction. di-rection. Once more Jeff dashed upstairs, downstairs and along the platform until at last he could reach out and grasp her arm. She looked up then, surprise widening widen-ing her dark eyes, and let out a blood-curdling scream. "Help! Police Po-lice Help!" She backed away from him, still screaming and started toward a blue-uniformed subway guard. |