| Show el SUBWAY LOCHINVAR by PAT HILKER eo j EFF had a pocketful of nickels JEFF 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 n ckel she left in the worn wooden cup in the shelf hey lady the money changer yelled after her you left your change she must not have heard the man tor for she he was already through the turn stile and was disappearing down the stairs to the platform jeff tried to make his voice sound casual as he told the man give it to her the man grinned sure don dont t blame you jeff fumbled in his haste to get through the turnstile he fo followed llod her downstairs and spotted her to in the middle of the crowd on the plat form watching the P F tram roll in your change he panted you left your change at the booth she stared up at him and the lin pact of the incredibly dark velvety eyes tossed his heart into some rosy world far tar far away desper abely he searched for the smooth brilliant exactly right thing he never could think to say until it was too late bat 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 mel oh that a all right he said 61 I 1 1 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 any thing else to say wait please he shouted at her he didn dian t need to shout he was right beside her so close that the crowd rushing out of the train tram threw r her against him for a breathless moment he saw her tiny hand clutch at his coat smelled the wonderful sweetness of her perfume as she laughed up at hii hi i he supported her elbows and helped hr her catch her balance this seems to be your day tor for rescuing me she said thanks again before he could say another word she was inside the car and the door was clos ng then he realized he hadn haan t found out her name or 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 dian t help much to know that he was on the same tram with her one that he had no bus ness on it was jammed and he struggled hope lessly to get back to her car he died a thousand deaths at street and afraid she would get off and he would miss her in the mob it happened at west ath street but he saw her in time and bounded after her down the stairs to the sixth 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 even see me he i chased back up the stairs to find that she was not on the downtown platform he looked beh nd the news stand at both ends of the long plat form she was not in sight it dawned on him to look across the tracks at the uptown platform where he saw her just before the tram train pulled in he skidded all the way down the stairs lancing land ng in an ungraceful and thoroughly d 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 have the remotest chance of catching her of f anding out what any half wit should have asked her before he returned the precious the guard looked at her with un der ferstanding standing looked grimly at jeff and had a firm grip on jeff jeffs s collar an instant later bothering the lady eh why you I 1 ought to have you thrown in the jugl in about 40 seconds je jeff was standing dazed and furious out outside wae id i the subway station back where he had first maneuvered to walk ak close to the lobely attle littler black haired stranger why had she raised such a rum pus pusa she must have seen him be fore when she doubled back at west ath she must have run away from ah xh A it 4 x 9 s jeff spotted her in the middle of the crowd on the platform wat watching clung the F train roll in your change I 1 he panted I 1 yon you left your change at the booth nickel who was ras she where did she live did she travel the same route every day did she work did she he didn dian t have the slightest clue as to how to find her again ever cursing himself tor for a blithering idiot he stepped on the next train trat that came along might as well go 30 back to street and ride his usual tram 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 be found her again he pondered an ad to run in the times will the beau beatt ticul lady with the dark eyes who for got a nickel at the change booth at street on the night of back at street he stood gloomily staring at her for several minutes before he realized it she was standing on the downtown platform again right where be he bad had first muffed bis his chances with this girl he had dreamed all of bis his life of some day meeting she was talking to a man so absorbed that she didn dian t even glance in his di III once more jeff dashed upstairs downstairs and along the platform I 1 at last he could reach out and grasp her arm she looked up then surprise widen ing her dark eyes and let out a blood curdling scream help police help I 1 she backed away from him still screaming and started toward a blue uniformed subway guard him himl what was so frightening about him he puzzled and groused over that problem while he drank two cups ot of coffee in a little place across the street he t get the answer until be he reached into his pocket tor for his wallet to pay his check the 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 |
