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Show Ttia Ransom tf an Overcoat. PY JAivS BI.'fllANAM. 'opvrlht. l Lrlnilv Hlori- I'uh Cnt U. K. WllOcit klarsh sallied forth one morning, wiut brand new light overcoat tbrorn kuntlly over hla left arm. About 'halt way between hla lodglrrg' housa ami the station where he was wont U climb up to that nbomlnalilo lm anenience. the "elevated." "ele-vated." he absmed a young lady dart down Hie h,t steps of one of the most InipiHUii and least flaked of the veneer. brown-fronia. She carrlid a letter t her hand. On her head was nollini hut , great glorious glo-rious mass of )lieil up saffrou hair. She was strlklajiy pretty and ttrlk-Ingly ttrlk-Ingly conacloui of Ilia fact, If one might Judge ftej her mako-up and manner. It anierldent that alio a! bound rnr the nareat letter Imi. Hardly, tiowwer had the little kid allppere of thlt (.leasing damsel tripped trip-ped along tin! pavenipnt a doten yarda when, win the exasperating unexpectedness un-expectedness wlli-h nature sometimes display. In heraost perverse moods. It began to ruli The attractive figure fig-ure stopped nrt, wavered a moment mo-ment aud then turned back Just In time to meet yng Marsh, struggling to raise hla ualirella over hla ii overcoat. V. Ith a allrerj laugh and, apparently apparent-ly tli! most pefect unconsciousness of sny Impropriety In thus accosting a stranger, thirlrl exclaimed: "How sudden" K. Wllbert !rsh smiled, and raised rais-ed his hat wllht gratified blush. "Would you asve the kindness to drop aiy i.iuv in.Oie Heal aoa yo pass?" allied, the girl. puttlt., the little aquare mlsIH Into the young tnnn's hand, an gtiherlng her aklrts preparatory to lgtt, Tho next In-atant In-atant she lied, nulling and laughing, back to the shelter of uj, brown atone front, and K. Wllhnrt Marsh found hlmaell saying "With pleasure!" to the empty air. The rounir ln.lv tnu. ed hack aa aha was vanishing and nodded. "I wonder It she would ree ognlse me. If she mot m agaluT" muaed llaiah. Then he walked briskly brisk-ly on. Tho rattla of an approarhlag train fell on hi, ear. Ho had Just time to reach the station and catch It There would not he another train for Ave minutes, and It hvppencd that h, was somewhat lata that morning. With an Inward vow that he would mall the young lady'a letter Immediately 00 leaving the rr, bs n id a wild dash for the stairway and rushed upon the platform of the nearest car Just as the guard was closing the gata. Vhsn b! Hipped tho letter Into hli over-coit over-coit pocket, and :.alghtway did what all men do under such circumstances forgot It. Presently another .,n .... t., bis seat, rama up the alalo, and stood amiling down upon Marsh, "doing to tho ball game, this afternoon?" ho asked. "Why, hello!" ropliej Marsh, recognising recog-nising a chum In whose company he had aforotltna done his part toward hoarsely euloglimg the national ....... ica. 1 .ni to ko. Shall, If 1 can get away. You going?" "Not much cham j of It. Two bun. drod and fifty piece, iaBt night's mail! Pon t know bow much largur f M mm zf-r SJ "How SUiMeo!" this morning's mall will be, rtnt say Will, If you can go. you wlUit to It's going 10 be greut bnli. Ilutchi,,, lll pitch for our felloes. Tl. champion! p.ay us. aud are only jUllt a ,,. ahead, you know." I.y the time K. Wllbert Mlir,h the car his head was completely full of tho great game whin, WM to ccino off that arternoou. ja maB planning how he could get away. He I fcjpt planning all the morning. In the early afternoon he got away. Ho Just went. . It was a glorious day and a glorious game. The rain had let up. Kvery-body Kvery-body was there. The grand aland wns Jammiil. The bleachers groaned. The entire field was shut In by black parentheses of humanity. The visitors began In score briskly In the tlrst Inning. They msde four runs In succession, will, out a man out. At the end of the fifth Inning tho score stood sis to two In favor of tho champions. Walked away agulust a Urlnllng'raln. Then It was that an eager face was upturned lo 10. Wllbert Marh from the tier of aeata below. "Throo to one that the Cnlcagos win!" "I'll take you," replied Marsh, with a fierce, desperate thrill or pride and confidence In the home team. They would win yet! Anywav. It would i, cowardly to go back on them In their extremity. He would try to turn their lurk by betting beyond his usual figure. "I.et It be X'a!" he exclaimed. "All right!" responded the ougor tolce below. The Chicago! won. "I'll trouble you for that X." said the young man silting at Marsh's feet, as the bleachers rose with a howl, at the completion of tha last Inning. The champion of the boms team began be-gan to search In hla pockets in a dared way. Ho finally gathered together to-gether a handful of rotna and two bllla. "I'm ituck at It. 75," ha said, ruefully. "Didn't auppose I wss so short Ought not to hsve bet Hut-say." Hut-say." He looked desperately at tha resplendent overcoat lying across hla arm. "You'll taka thli coat In pledge, won't you? I'll moot you hero to-morrow aftem.Kin right hero on tho bleacheri with ths cash to redeem It" Tha other young msn nesltatod. Then ho took tho garment which E. V.'llbert Marsh tragically handed to hltn, anil disappeared In tho crowd. A few hour! later, the temporary owner of the new ovorcoat pulled a letter out of a pocket or the garment, and atarod at the envelope with startled and flashing eyes. "I'd know her writing sny where!" he muttered. "And addressed lo my rival, Bain Nle-baum. Nle-baum. Confound It! I'll open HI" Ho Impetuuualy tore open the envelope en-velope and read: , bearcat Sain What a shame that your Invitation to tho theater, tonight, to-night, came Just after I hail accepted aa a dernier reason, one from that odloua Fred Crombiii, who has been persecuting me with attentions of late! 1 anuuld not have accepted bis Invitation, anyway, If I had nut been Just dying to hear that particular play. And then came your welcome but tantalizing note. What a con-tniteinps! con-tniteinps! Hut, Ham, 1 will gu wllh you, and I will tell you how we will outwit Fred and give him the !llp. Ho uu bo at, or near, the head of the atalrway at the Ilmoklyn entrance or the brlilgn at 7:31) aharp, tonlgat I will drop my ran over tho stulrwny, as Fred and I are going up. liu will, of course, ruu back to get It. I will then aeiun to be pushed upward by the crowd. Meet me at the bead of the stulrs. Then, adieu. Mr. Frod. Lovingly yours, OI.I.IB. Mr. Fre.l Cromblo dl.1 Indeed run dutifully back tor tlm ran that evening even-ing when Miss olllo iliopped It from the bridge stairs. Hut instead of returning, re-turning, he buttoned his coat, raised bis umbrella against tho dlillug rain which had begun to full, and walked away to a street car. Of course, Miss olllo tounil no "dearest Mum" awaiting her at the head of the stairs, since he had never received b her letter. She rushed frantically about, got Into a Jam, htid her opera j. hat crushed out of shape, her pursei ! stolen, and the better part of her , y Indignant wind squeezed Into gasping ' protests. Finally, she got free, but ' having nPlthpr umbrella nor money. ' had. to walk homo unsheltered from j '. the rain. Hho arrived In a drenched, j r disgusted and hysterical condition, j and sneaked up to her room Ilk! ( truant child. t . Next day. K. Wllbert Marsh are. j aented himself at the bleacher!, aa hj ' had agreed, with the ransom money for tho overcoat. After the gamo ho found precisely tho same sum In the) pocket or that garment, together wllh six of the choicest nrty-cent clgara ever awaddlcd In lln-foll. No wonder he thought tho world must be growing better! He had totally forgotten for-gotten that ho did not mall a certain letter that was handed to him b7 a yonng lady. He will never think of It again, for the evidence necessary ! to recall the matter to the masculine ' mind had. In his case, entirely disappeared. |
