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Show HIS FAVORITE PAPER BY JOHN KANE. Young Whitman, who lives In a suburb, was standing with hli back to the approaching train one morning, peacefully gating upon the nataMia! landscapo, with a bundle of nawipa-pors nawipa-pors under bis ana it was young Whitman's bablt to buy all the newspapers news-papers In order to get what he called a broad point of view whon he felt a slight tug at the topmost paper. Instinctively In-stinctively ho tightened his grip. Thero was another tug, this tlmo a moro decided one. It was also slightly Impatient, and it was successful. As tho newspaper slipped from under his arm young Whitman was awaro that a coin was being pressed Into his hand, Ho turned Just In tlmo to catch a gllmpso of a pink, softly curved cheek under an engulfing hat, and to soo tho young woman deftly whip her spoils Into a shape convenient for carrying car-rying as alio ran. Dcforo he could recover his breath sufficiently to call to her his assailant had becomo lost In tho crowd that was boarding tho train. Alt ho could ba sure of was tho pink cheek, n hat that looked to his bewildered masculina oyo Ilka nil tho othor hats that were bobbing nbout the station ami ti bluo ecrga suit. loung vni;inan looued ut the coin In his hand; then ho looked at the newspapers that remained undor his urm. Sho had taken his favorlto, the ono that ho really depended upon for his literary mcnl. Than ho looked up Into tho grinning countenance of a neighbor. "Took jou for n newsboy, did sho?" chortled tho neighbor. Onco moro young Whitman looked down nt tho money In his hand. He held It out helplessly. "Can you beat that?" ho Bald, dazedly. In splto of Ills loss, tho memory ol that pink check romalnod pleasantly with young Whitman for some time. For Its sako he took a decided interest inter-est in nondescript hats nnd blus sorgo suits for several weeks afterward. after-ward. Probably it wns this newly do-voloped do-voloped Interest thnt mado him notice ono evening In tho street car which was bearing him and a numbor ol others over to his station that directly In front of him snt a plnk-cheoked J wearer of a bluo sergo suit and a hat l of tho kind ntready Inadequately do- j scribed. i Ho was somo little, distance behind the young woman aud whon on getting out ho passed the seat In which sha bad been sitting he saw that sho had loft a parcel lying there. Ho seized tho parcel nnd made after tho owner. "I beg your pardon," ho said, raising his hat, "but I think you left this In tho car." Tho girl looked down at tho parcel. "It Is mluo," sho Bald. "Thank yo over bo much." Sho moved to tho sidewalk and a lit, tlo way out of tho crowd without taking ta-king tho parcel. Then sho opened and plunged her hand Into tho recesses of nn enormous handbag. After a more or less prolonged "scrabblo" among Its contents she brought forth a small purse. Sho scanned Its contents eagerly. "Dear me," young Whitman heard her murmur. "I haven't a thing but a quarter. I suppose I'll havo to give him that." Tho parcel was taken from him with hasty courtesy. Once moro he felt a coin pressed into his hand. A vaguely Impersonal volco breathed, "Thank you ever so much," and tho owner ol tho parcel had disappeared tralnward. Young Whitman stood still, pondering. ponder-ing. "I bet you anything," he remarked, presently, to homself. "that that la th very'snmo girl. It Is fate I" Nimbly and shamelessly he rushed Into the train, searched vntll he found the girl in the blue set go suit, and then, seated himself dlnctly behind her. He was determlnid that hi would at least know her next tlmi they met. Ho was so confident that anothei meeting had been arranged by fats that he felt no surprise when upon going go-ing over to call some evenings lalei upon his friends the Parkinsons hi found thero tho girl of the tips. Mrs. Parkinson presented him to her, informing in-forming him that the girl was Parkin-Bno's Parkin-Bno's Bister, nnd that she was going to pass the winter with them. Tho rest followed naturally enough. They aro married now. iy near,- young Mrs. Whitman says whenovor her husband starts to toll tho story of their oarly encounters, encoun-ters, "really, tho only thing I noticed nbout him ench tlmo was his shoes they wero shockingly rusty and worn. If you could have seen them! Ha Insists that I said a quartor wns too much for him, but, as a matter of fact, I would have gladly given him moro, for his shoes looked as If ho muBt ba hungry. I'm glad I married him any-way, any-way, for now I make him koop hli Bhoos looking respectable," Chicago Dally News. |