Show 11 ll THE GIRL by MICHAEL J PORTER cop adl by Ute rury press pre gideon rush noticed the girl before they reached chicago though he be was wan a shy hard working young man who had really noticed few women in his hl day jut even gideon could be pardoned for looking again at the scho schoolman olma am girl as he quaintly nicknamed her none but a school teacher would have that air and that pencil and she bhe was so young and so good to look at that gideon was as reminded of little girls who played at vailous games like keeping house and going visiting and teaching school she was a school teacher and yet the title wasn gasn t distinctive enough it did not classify he be abe was all girl too young and sweet and happy so school ma am sirl girl it was gideon who ho was going out to ore go gon n to grow apples saw that the school maam girl had a ticket much like his own a green one as long as his fals arm was she going west too maybe to oregon but no that was ble ile he would lose her at chicago where she would change to one of the other hundred bundred trains that shuttled away in every direction it was dark when they rumbled into the bedlam called chicago she seemed so little and alone and grave some of her bright cheerfulness had departed that gideon said a regretful farewell with his eyes and she he answered the same way gideon hurried into the sticky mid summer cummer night because everyone else was hurrying found a modest res caurant in the glare and clatter hur bur ried through a meat meal and trotted back to the great station as the uniformed man at the gate was bawling his bis train he found his tourist sleeper half way down the aisle he be paused de 51 rebelled against dining car charges spite the pushing procession behind 0 him his eyes wide open and hla his heart thumping for there comfortably disposed in her seat was the girl next morning gideon and the chool maam girl had bad spoken to each other almost before they knew it by noon moon they had decided to make common cause against the frightful charges of the dining car with their united lunch boxes by evening ald eon had told her the story of his life and confided that he be had bad 2200 2 with which to buy an apple orchard the girl was equally frank she told him that her real name was waa serena blythe but that all her friends called her bun she had come into a heritage of school teaching leaching in a new england town at sixteen she had expected to stay there always but her fathers health had made a change imperative and he ind and her mother had bad gone west the previous year now they had made il home in northern california and had written her to come together gideon and the girl discovered that GlI esburg oregon and Edens vIlIe california were really not far apart why we shall be neigh borst said gideon 1 I 1 ran run over after kuppr most any evening they both laughed at this slender joke but it did seem beem cheering that the two little black dots were separated only by a few score scare miles of mountain ranges ind and rivers N Edens ville to Is gi owing growing wonderful ly said raid the school nia ma ana am girl with new but genuine western enthusiasm for ler her own town mamma says bays it its a half its as targe large again as when they moved there papa has all the work he be can do he Is a carpenter you know and carpenters are scarce so BO Is capital A man with some rome money Is sure to make a success you could do well there I 1 can do well at Gi lesburg returned adeon sturdily loyal 1 I alln lie finest apples in the state are raised in that district its a good shipping point ton I 1 but see ece here anat nat mamma sacs sab about a young man from home who has only been in Edens ville two gears ears she unfolded a letter and read abram howitt howatt Is 18 doing splendidly he Is the only money lender in town and Is one of the r rich ich men now ile he Is building a beautiful home and is very helpful to our father and me you would not know him for the same abram pt n quires every day when you she broke off abruptly gideon winced inwardly 1 I 1 wouldn t do as a money tender lender I 1 e replied too much sympathy for the other fellow I 1 vo ve had to borrow myself constraint fell with that anil old eon went to the smoking compartment and sat himself down gloomily in a corner of course he chided 1 I mient have bae known some rich man would want ant her im I 1 m surprised she ever got go away from new england without being married with that he be watch ed a vague and delightful dream which had come into his life in the past 48 hours fade as the light of evening balled on the distant moun bains the rich mr howitt stalked into their conversation and spread himself around like a wet blanket frequently quent ly after that gideon tried to avoid him and so did the school ma am girl but he be was evidently a character not accustomed to being ignored it was patent to gideon he had ad nominated himself to be the husband of little miss serena next morning he recalled with a start that they were but 14 hours from Gl Gi lesburg he sought serena the girl was encased in the manner which he be knew strange teachers adopt at an institute she was painstakingly polite and pain fully friendly and as impersonal as the multiplication table for once mr huwitt lu did not get into the con vers atlon even at dinner a dining car extras acance on gideon insisted be cause it was to be their last las meal together the girl a armor remained in place the hours passed inexorably at al most before he could believe it the whistle screamed the brakeman cried Gi lesburg and gideon was standing in the aisle saying goodbye so with a heart sore and rebellious be descended into the soft dankness dai kness of the little town suitcase in hand mechanically he fumbled in his bis pock ets for his bis trunk check the engine was taking water gid eon walked forward for one more look at the schooling am girl her seat was toward the middle of the car on the other side the platform was high and by standing on tiptoe he could just see her her head was turned away chin on hand she was looking out into the darkness there was a droop to her not at all like the young woman wh who 0 had bidden him a cheerful goodbye a few moments before stealthily she ebe dabbed her eyes with her chandker chief just then the train started so did gideon lie he rushed up the steps of the car treading en cn the toes of the conductor and nearly knocking over the porter dropped his suitcase in the vestibule and marched up the aisle bus he be said quietly and sat down beside her she turned with a sudden catch ing of breath there was joy in her dewy eyes unconsciously she stretched out her hand and gideon took it in his own ohl she sighed with a tremulous ous smile it seemed so BO lonesome but the train were leaving lesburg galesburg Gi where are you ming going with you he be replied simply but she struggled to release her hand you can tl tier her eyes fell on the trunk check between him fingers your trunks back there your orchard why gid 1 we will come back to them lit tie schoolman scho olma am girl he be said when the honeymoons over blushing the ebe lot her bar hand band lie he in taa bi |