OCR Text |
Show HIS FAtfORITfe PAPER t . . BY JOHN KANE.- ,,. Young Whitman, who ltros In a uburb.jvas standing with hi back to the approaching ''(rain one morning, peacefully gazing upon the antaataa! landscape, with a bundle of nawipa-pers nawipa-pers under his arm It v was young Whitman's habit to buy all" the newspapers news-papers In order to get what he catled a broad point of view when he felt k slight tug at the topmost paper. .In-Uactlvoly .In-Uactlvoly he tightened, his, grip. ..There wa another, tog. UiJ time a mora decided, on. It was also slightly Impatient, and It was idccessfuL Aa the newspaper slipped from under hl arm young Whitman was aware that A a coin was being pressed Into his band. He turned Just In time to catch a, glimpse of a pink, softly curved cheek under an engulfing hat, and to tee tho young woman deftly whip her spoils Into a shape convenient for car rylng as she ran. Before lib could recover his breath sufficiently to call to her his assailant had become lost In the crowd that was boarding the train. All he could be sure of was the pink cheek, a hat that looked to his bewildered masculine eye like all the other hats that were bobbing about the station and a blue serge suit. Young Whitman looked at tho coin In his hand; then he looked at the newspapers that remained under his arm. She had taken hla favorite, the one that he really depended upon tor his literary meal. Then he looked up Into the grinning countenance of a neighbor.- "Took you for a newsboy, did shst" chortled the notghbor. Once more young Whitman looked down at the money In his band. He held It out helplessly. "Can you beat that?" he said, dazedly. In spite of his loss, the memory ol that pink cheek remained pleasantly with young Whitman for some time. For Its sake he took a decided Interest Inter-est in nondescript hats and blu serge suits for savsral weeks afterward. after-ward. Probably It was this newly developed de-veloped Interest that mado him notice one evening In the street car whleb waa bearing htm and a number ol others over to his station that directly in front ot him sat a pink-cheeked woarer ot a blue serge suit and a hat ot the kind alrendy Inadequately described. de-scribed. He was some little dlstanco behind the young woman and when on getting out ho passed the seat In wbloh aha bad been sitting he saw that she had left a parcel lying there. Ho seized the parcel and made after the owner. "I beg your pardon," ho said, raising his hat, "but I think you left this In tho car." Tbo girl looked down at the parcel, "It is mine," she bald. "Thank yott over so much." Sho moved to the slduwalk and a lit-tie lit-tie way out of tho crowd without ta- M king tho parcel. Then sho opened and plunged her hand Into the recesses of nn enormous handbag. After a more or less prolonged "scrabble" among Its contents sho brought forth a small purse. She scanned Its contents eagerly. "Dear mo," young Whitman heard her murmur. "I haven't n thing but a quarter. I suppose I'll have to give him that." Tho parcel was taken from him with hasty courtesy. Once moro ho felt a coin pressed Into his hand. A vaguely Impersonal volco breathed, "Thank you ever so much," nnd the owner ol tho parcel had disappeared tralnwnrd Young Whitman stood still, pondering. ponder-ing. "I bet you anything," ho remarked, presently, to homBolf, "that that Is the very same girl. It Is fato!" Nimbly and shamelessly he rushed Into tho train, searched until ho found tho girl In the blue sergo suit, anil then seated himself directly bohlnd her. He wns determined that In would at least know her next tlm thoy met. He wns so confident that anothei meeting hnd been arranged by fat that he felt no surprlso when upon going go-ing over to call somo evonlngs latoi upon his friends tho Parkinsons he found there tho girl of tho tips. Mrs. Pnrklnson presented him to her, Informing In-forming him thnt tho girl waa Parkin-sno's Parkin-sno's sister, nnd that bIio was golii8 to pass the winter with them. Tho rest followed naturally enough Thoy nro married now. "My dear," young Mrs. Whitman says whenever hor husband starts ta tell the btory of their nrly encounters, encoun-ters, "really, tho only thing I noticed about him each tlmo wns Ills shoes thoy wero ahocklngly rusty and wont If you could hnvo seon them! Ho Insists that I said n quarter was too muoh for him, but, ns n mattor of fact, I would havo gladly glvon him moro, for his shoes looked as If ho must bo hungry. I'm glad I married him anyway, any-way, for now I make him koop his shoes looking respectnble." Chicago Dally News. |