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Show (CupyrlRlit. IWi. by Dally Story Pub. Co ) Miss Gilchrist bad boarded an elevated ele-vated trnln on her way to the shopping shop-ping district. It was crowded with men nnd women going to business, but sho was fortunato enough to got a cornor scat, next to thoso running crosswise It wns not yet nlno o'clock, but Miss Gilchrist was nnxlous to get to tho shops early and bavo her purchases sent homo boforo night. Thoro wcro sovcrnl things, nn evening wnlsl or two, a fashlonablo wrap and a stylish hat, that sho must havo before sho could lot herself bo seen by anybody. "Anybody" meant Hornco Whiting, tho dashing New Yorker whom sho had mot tho summer heforo at hor homo In Plnovlllo. His advent hnd mndo her extremely critical of the men sho tiWrw-rmxl.iTm tlculnrly of Oliver lyclghton, the greatest catch In Plnovlllo. At nuy tlmo previous sho Joyfully would have taken Oliver for bettor or worse, had ho boon nhlo to bring him to tho point of asking her to. but now sho began to keep him nt bay with n discreet dis-creet mixture of coynesn nnd coquetry that bewildered him, and naturally bis ardor grow as sho becamo Indifferent Whiting wns certainly no bottor looking look-ing than her Plnovlllo ndmlror, nnd not half as well bred, but his air of knowing It nil, bis clothes and tbo way ho woro thorn qulto dazzled her. Sho began to hnvo brilliant visions of life In Now York that mndo Plnovlllo soem unondurnbly dull and tnmo. Sho couldn't say that Whiting had mado lovo to her, but ho bad taken her driving, singled her out on ovcry occasion, paid her many florid compliments, compli-ments, nnd mndo her promlso again and again thai sho would lot him know tho minute sho emtio to Now York. So she could easily plcturo his delight at learning Hint sho was hero, and that ho would bavo an opportunity opportun-ity to cntprtnln hor ns ho had so often assured her ho longed to do. Whether anything serious would follow she. of course could not toll, but sho bad no Intention of binding herself to nny ono olse until sho hnd given Whiting n chnnco to moot hor again. Mean-whllo Mean-whllo alio hnd obtained a refusal on Lelgbton, to whom sho hnd promised nn nnswer within a couplo of weeks. Tho Intervening time she would spend In Now York, nnd thus nt herself ,to como to n proper decision. Miss Gilchrist's pleasing meditations on now frocks and bats, and tho theaters thea-ters and operas to which she would wear them, wero rudely broken In upon by somo one's trampling on her toes. Two men were pushing roughly by several women In their eagerness to get possession of tho cross seat next her, which wns Just being vacated Indignant at their Indecent manner, sho enst n look of contumpt nt their backs as thoy settled themselves comfortably. com-fortably. "Woll, this Is luck!" said ono. "I've boon out overy night this week, and dead tired." Tho volco mado Miss Gilchrist start and shrink back Into her corner In dlsmny, l'or nn Instant sho was conscious con-scious of nothing but tho danger of Fortunate enough to get a corner seat. her bolug dlsco. red in her out-of-date attire by the man who had spoken, tho vory ono on whoso approval hung in many of her plans. Her heart beat bard and fast, but as sho rcmoiubored the thick veil sho woro ber mind grow easier, and she began to study furtlvelj tho protllo that was so familiar, famil-iar, nnd yet so different from her recollection rec-ollection of It. Somo way Whiting did not look nt nil ns ho hnd In Plno-rllle. Plno-rllle. He had pust'id his bnt ba H on bis bond, which gavo him a boor lsh air, and as for bis clothes, they wero not conspicuous here; Indeed, thoro woro half n dozen men In tho car who surpassed him on tbts ground. "How's business?" nsked tho companion com-panion of tho man sho was scrutinizing. scrutiniz-ing. "Slow!" growled tho latter. "I'm dead sick of It! Makes mo feel Ilko crawling Into a bolo and staying there. Hut no matter whnt happens, people seem to think you've got monoy to burn. Girls nro the worst. Pay tbom tho slightest attention nnd thoy think you aro bound to keep It up. There's never a let-up with them. That reminds mo," feeling In his pockets, pock-ets, "of a letter I had this morning KWa girl Just In from tho country. Mot hor last summer. Not a bad llttlo llt-tlo thing at nil; tho best there was In "Not a bad little thing, at all." the place. Not a bad note, cither. Is It." handing it to bis friend. "Not at all," replied tho latter, glancing oer It nnd handing It back. "Quito clover, In fnct." "Just so. Means, of course, that sho wants mo to take her to tho theater thea-ter and so on. So 1 would If things woro a llttlo easier, but I ain't In sbapo to do it now. When you come to figure It out, It don't pay. Thoro's flvo dollars for scats, flowers five, carriage car-riage five, supper ten twonty-tlvc In all. Tako tho girl home, press her hand at tho door, bid hor good night. Tain't worth it! I'll Jtibt wait a fow days 'til sho's gono back, then write hor n nice letter, telling her I'vo been out of town, awfully sorry to miss ber. and all that kind or thing. It's too bad, but a fellow must draw the line some-whore." some-whore." Tbo speaker wound up with a great yawn, and throw his bend back with such a Jerk that his hat tumbled Into the lap of tho girl behind him. "I beg your pardon, madam!" ho cried, waving his arm wildly behind him tn anntlempt to regain his fedora. I "Why. she's carrying It along with ber. Confound It, she's trod nil over it. What's tho matter with tbo woman, wom-an, unywny?" Tho other passengers grlnnod. but tbo object of his remarks was already out of tho cnr. They were still a long wny from the shopping district, but Miss Gilchrist hnd lost nil Interest In her purchases. Hor only doslro was to get back to Plnovllle, nnd to dear, dear Ollvor. Their wedding enrao off three months later. |