Show HUNTS THE SHOE by H M EGBERT all the way over nicholson had tried to make the acquaintance of the girl in brown but try as hard as he could he tailed failed to elicit anything more than a parting greeting from her she was named mary blary martin and he overheard her telling the steward that she was a school teacher and spending her vacation on atour of the british cities nicholson was making a pleasure tour he was one of those fortunate young men who have sufficient income to make work unnecessary i not that he was an idler he meant to take up sociology seriously was in tact fact on en his way to england at the invitation of a friend to attend some crowd il political meetings in the black auntry country ou the industrial part of the midlands the girl in brown would not say anything more than good morning and good evening sho oven even seemed to resent Nich nicholsons olsons attempts to force himself upon her the young man thought so by the time the voyage was half ended he ha had left her severely alone it was one of 0 the greatest disappointments point polut ments that he had ever had lie he was not an unduly impressionable young man mail but the girl in brown had bad made a profound impression upon his heart there Is some inner sense that tells us whether these affairs have in them the possibility of permanence nicholson felt that he could love the girl in brown given propinquity tor for the tha development of his passion until he be died however love must have responsiveness and by the time he reached oxford lie he had only a pleasant mellowed memory of her lie he put up at the queens hotel his room was on a long ion corridor and as he be entered it lid he heard light footsteps coming along ill tell you in a minute tho the pa passage asage and looked round to see the girl in brown she did not pay the slightest heed to him but without any sign of recognition tion tiou entered her room adjacent Nichol Nichols nn sighed changed his mind about guing going to bed and went out and promenaded promenades tale high tor for nearly an hour bour boots dazzled by the bestowal of a truly american tip informed nicholson of tre the british custom of 0 putting ones shoes outside the bedroom door to be polished 1 I cleans em sir air he eald ill give you an extra shine thank you kindly sir air nicholson nent M en t to bed and slept like a just man without remorse or care in tact fact he was a a little ashamed to discover when he opened his eyes that the sun was El shining lining brightly he opened his door outside lay one of hi bis shoes and next to it was a small email and very shapely ladys shoe evidently the property ot of his next door neighbor his missing shoe was nowhere to be seen nicholson cholson Kl had bad a spare pair of shoes in his bag and he put them on then lie be stood staring in perplexity at what lay before his eyes boots must have made a hideous blunder nicholson cholson Nl went down to bick a quarrel with him but coots boots was nowhere to be found and as nicholson cholson Nl munched his breakfast a telegram was put into his hand meet me at Con ventry at tour four it ran it was from the friend who was to guide him through the maze of sociological observations that lay before him there was only one train to coventry that day sunday forgotten was tile the episode of the morning forgot forgotten ted misa martin save that she lay like lika a subconscious idea at the base of his memory lie ile rushed upstairs to find and boots standing before his door with his suitcase in his hand its all packed sir clr he said there no time to lose sir ive called a keb sir what was it he wanted to say to boots boots booti had bad already disappeared with the suitcase he was waiting at the cab door he thrust the inside and gratified by another tip depa rUd while the cab dashan cally toward the station nicholson Nh olson sank back against the pit of ct course boots had t tuo be mun d a r N no to loubat heh hs hd 14 I 1 located the odd shoes returned then them to their places and but had h bo 0 1 nicholson opened the bag and look looked 6 inside there lay the dreadful evidence e 0 of his theft miss mias marting Alar tins high heeled shoe beside his own nicholson cholson Nl gasped well nothing could be done now ile he resolved to lend the shoe back that night with a letter of apology lie ile thrust his suitcase across the tha baggage counter received his check and dashed into the train his friend was waiting tor for him at the other end but there was no suit case care 1 I checked it said nicholson cholson Nl 1 I 1 thought it would come on the same train you what naked asked the other checked it answered Nl nicholson cholson displaying a stub 1 I dont know what you mean by checking it replied his friend 11 II if you had a guard put your bag into the baggage van it must have come why good heavens man dont you see that you left it at the parcels room its waiting tor for you there no doubt and it will cost you a day until you get it bewildered and disgusted nichol son suffered himself to ili be dragged off to his friends house he bought an outfit and determined to return via oxford when bo be concluded his round of visits and in the enthusiasm ol of the nights meeting he almost forgot his troubles the following morning lie he saw this advertisement in the coventry papers it if the gentleman who took away a ladys shoe from tho the queens hotel oxford will return it to its owner no questions will be asked address 11 st al leicester reward it if required leicester was waa nicholsons Nich olsons last stop ping place he resolved to explain by letter and arrange to meet miss mar man tin there meanwhile his friend told him that it would be possible to have the bag forwarded to the station there accordingly nicholson wrote an apologetic letter to the poste and then continued his journey four days later he descended at leicester station at the post office tie he found a communication froni from miss bliss martin miss martin will be glad to see sea mr nicholson cholson Nl at the temperance hotel provided he brings her shoe with him nicholson found the missing suitcase slung it into a cab and hurried to the hotel miss bliss martta came into the parlor nicholson cholson NS was hardly articulate when he be saw her they had bad never stood face to face before now miss bliss martins face was covered with blushes which followed each other across it with remarkable rapidity 1 I am really very sorry explained nicholson cholson Nl it was that tool fool boots fault he thought lie he cursed himself for a donkey under his breath tor for he could see that miss martin understood quite well what boots had thought but she only said icily will you kindly give me my shoe nicholson cholson Nl opened the suitcase and took out the shoe wrapped neatly in paper 1 I am very sorry to have caused you so much trouble he said you understand der stand it was not my fault dont you ill tell you in a minute miss bliss martin answered kindly wait it Is no use attempting to pass me because you will be stopped by the doorkeeper he knows what do you mean Nichol sonde banded for answer bliss martin carefully extracted the shoe from the parcel and to Nich nicholsons olsons surprise began to unscrew the heel the heel came off and out of the hollow interior there tell fell one two three four five hundred dollar bills oh ob thank heaven she cried 1 I 1 was down to my last dollar ob b h and suddenly miss martin went into something that very closely resembled h hysterics Y and before nicholson knew what he was doing he found himself bending over her and implom ing her to be calm can you ever forgive me she pleaded why you speak to me on the boat he asked because I 1 was so afraid she answered 1 I knew europe was full ol of confidence men and you you looked at my shoes so hard I 1 put the shoes outside to bluff you because I 1 thought I 1 thought you would never dream that I 1 would put the shoe with the money in it outside the door and and I 1 thought you had bad followed me 1 I answered nicholson cholson Nl hold bold ly but as a fellow countryman im going to now to see that you dont get into any more trouble and toi foi other reasons and something in the girls look en cou raged him to believe that sho she wat was not wholly unwilling copyright 1914 by W G chapman |