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Show I A GENTLEMAN : - i:i ji! By GRACE O. WEATHERBY. ; ((5. 10. by McCluro Newspaper Byndlcnte.) With n last furtive look around tho stiitlon, Bessie, only daughter of O. A. Davis, millionaire, climbed up the steps of the express to Boston, nnd disappeared with the train. She sank Into the first vacant seat she enmo to, and opened her purso for the ticket. tick-et. A goodly roll of fresh, crisp yellowbacks yel-lowbacks gleamed from within, indicating indi-cating that Bessie's stolen pleasure trip was very gcneroti3. It was only that they were too careful of her. Goodness, couldn't sho take cure of herself? She smiled complnccntly. "I guess so 1" She wondered If they bad found her note yet. She'd bo back on the 0:30 train so no one should worry. Bessie looked about her. The train was quite full as It was only 0 o'clock. She glanced at tho man beside her. He was young and good looking! In fact ho looked tho "perfect gentleman." gentle-man." Such a picture Bessie had cherished In her heart for years. He was her Ideal! She had found him I He was returning her stare, and finding find-ing her very lovely. Then, perhaps because they wcro both very young, and happy they smiled at each other. Tho man straightened himself slightly. slight-ly. "Bound for Boston?" ho queried, his voice rich, and well cultivated. "Yes," shyly answered the girl, while an unbidden flush mounted to her checks nt her own unaccustomed boldness. bold-ness. "Are you?" Ho nodded. "It wns getting mighty dull down nt the house. Mother la sick of compnny anil won't have any, so I decided to take n trip to Bos'-ton Bos'-ton to see n jjame." Before Boston wns reached, Bessie had told him of her escnpade. Ho laughed heartily. When they reached the gate at the station, Bessie looked up at her new acquaintance. "Goodhy, I hope you enjoy tho game." Sho turned nway, but the boy hurried nfter her. "Oh, I say, don't go off that way. Listen, you've got n whole day to spend here, und so have I. Can we won't you what I mean Is will you spend It with me? Please. We'll go to Nantnsket beach. Come on, will you?" The girl glanced up at him. "No, I can't really. It Isn't right. I couldn't 1 Please don't nsk mo. I don't know you." She stnmmered, and then lnughed helplessly. "I'd love to I" i-he finished. "Goodl" ho exclaimed. He was nil hoy. Then followed n wondrous day to the "poor little rich girl." With a perfect gentleman nt her side she "did" all tho things she had wanted to do since she was n child. They lunched extensively and expensively, expen-sively, the boy laughingly refusing to allow tlio girl to pay her own bills. They thrlfled over tho roller coaster, they sailed In the captive airplanes. At 4 o'clock they sailed for home, and on arriving nt Boston found they had time for mora Ice cream. Between Be-tween spoonfuls the Perfect Gentle-mini Gentle-mini cried, "Hold still 1 there's n bug on your neck. Wult, I'll get him I" Bessie "held still." and presently the "bug" wns gone. They dawdled so long after their Ice cream that they narrowly missed the six o'clock train. Tho boy caught her wrist. "Come on, this way 1" and presently, panting, they found themselves once more In a train sent homewurd bound. They chut-tercd chut-tercd nil the way, tho boy rather nervously. ner-vously. When Bessie's stntlon was reoched she turned to hlra. "Goodby, I've had u simply glorious time, nnd thank you ever so much." "Not goodhy, but so long," the Perfect Per-fect Gentleman nnswered. "I'm coming com-ing to see you next week." "So you nre. So long, then I" And she was gone. Sho found her father waiting for her In the roadster. Ho was plainly plain-ly worried at his daughter's latest escapade, and he greeted her nono too graciously. "You scampi Do you realize what time It Is? Where on earth have you been?" Bessie snuggled close to her father, coaxlngly. "Oh, Daddy, darling, I've hnd a perfectly wonderful time I" She proceeded to tell him nil about It. He listened stoically, with only an occasional occa-sional "humph I" to show ho was listening. lis-tening. "Am I In tlmo for supper?" nsked Bebsle, as sho finished, glancing nt her wrist. Then sho gasped." Where her dainty platinum watch had been now only n light streak In tho tan of hor ann nppeared. It was gono I "Oh, Doddy," she mooned. "My watch Is gono." "Eh, what's that?" asked her father. "Lost It, did you? Shouldn't wonder, nfter all that I" "Oh, dear!" Bcsslo'a hand went to her "throot, and sho gasped anew. Her Involllcre was gono! Where . . .how on earth? Then In a flash Bessie remembered tho "bug," remembered how tho boy had snatched her wrist and pulled her through tho crowds to tho train. Clever boy I More calmly calm-ly now sho opened her purse. Of course tho roll of yellowlwcks wns gone. "Doddy, everything's gono I" "So ho 'fished' you, did ho? Tough luck I" nnd ho wisely refrained from scolding her further, Sho woh nlready sufficiently punished for hor stolen trip. Of course money could buy another watdi, another lovolliere, and another roll of yellowbacks, but no money on earth could bring hack her dreum of tho "Perfect Gentleman." Ho wus gono forever. |