Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-04-09

looked up then, and she was gone. lie
looked down-and there in his palm was
why bless my soul, car-ticket " as
Jim himself exclaims whenever he tells
the story. And to follow Jim's words al
this point, which will tell the story better
than anybody else's words: There had
that little angel, under the guise oi
crimped hair and lot ol other nonsense,
taken notes OF my misiortunes, made her
little plan of relief. which she carried oul
like the strategist she was, at the very
climax of my desperation, and when the
stir and confusion about US would cover
every movement. Wasn't it splendid,
though? How many girls would have
done that for such a muff as looked to
be that day? For tell you. Tom"-this
was TO Tom Saxon-"that did look
something awful What with those con-
founded cotton samples from your office
sticking to me, aud the dust, and the cold
IN my head, and the smash in my hat,
was about as seedy a specimen as you
ever saw" And Tom Thought bo might
have been.
But out OF one dilemms. jim Ha lory
had stepped lsirly into another As that
"liIlle angel in crimped hair and lot OF
other nonsense" stepped out OF tic car,
after the performance Of her impu siye
action-somethiug entered Jim's hear!
which be had no will nor wish 10 baniSh
but, q; say. i; was out OF one dilemma
into aaother-"outo OF the frying pan into
the fire. Tom Saxon would laugh, Ior
all the clew he had was a name thsi hun
dtodS OF girls in Boston owned. And the
way he got this was at tho moment Of
/ her vanishing, when the aslonished four
cried out in chorus:
What's Molly getting of here. Tor ?''
IL vain Tom had brought him face to
face with some half dozen Molys of his
acquaintance. From each Jim Mallory
had turned with sigh of disappointment.
Not one oil them belonged to his angel in
the oTimped hair.
Ii was curious how often after this Jim
found !, necessary 10 visit Boston There
was alwlJ s0ue business Tor the firm, -
which made 1t absolutely incumbent upon
hlm to see Saxon & Co. And when he
was there he leil in the habi, Of s.unter-
ing down TrGnont street about shopping
hours. And from there 20 Washington
street, and into Williams IL Everett's, or
Childs II Jencks'. And not only there,
but into trimming stores, and into jewel
er's shops, into fancy goods stalls, into
cars and omnlhuses, and everywhere he
caught the glimpse o' little 6gure with
dark, crimped hair tucked under NOR
sci of lace and ribbon which lsdie, call a
bonnet. He passed tho wlnter IN this
hunt. II was worse than the search for
scrip that lucky aud uulucky day when
he hrs, met her; or, as Tom Saxon ieer-
ingly said, it was like that ancient search
for a needle in hay now. Such repu-
tation as he got, too, for the most impu
dent starer Boston ever saw.
II think that New York friend OF yours
is horrid, Tom," said not less thsn six
girls that winter to Tom Saxon.
"HUrrid how?" asked Tom.
why he follows you about and stares
SOL
Tom looked at them. Every one had
dark hair, snd every one hsd il crimped.
"He came into car whore / was. ono
day. said one Of these girls. land Just
took an inventory of my features; and
then, after idgetting about two or ;hreo
minutes, he dashed OUT
Tom gave such laugh at this that the
fair speaker looked at him in wonder
men,, and privately told sn intimate
friend OF hers atterward that she bad
reason to think that Mr.. Mallory was
having very bad Influence upon Tom
Saxon, Tor she had seen him when- we'll
when he seemed very unlike himself.
10 say the least p
II Tom could have heard this ! thinA
he would have laughed still more. AS it
was, his laugh was all at Jim Mallory {;
aud jim himself, though quite in earnest
in his Quixolic search, saw the joke as
readily as Tom, and, with ineffable bon
h0Dlie, enjoyed his own absurdity.
As say, he passed the winter in his
hunt, and by spring the excitement
seemed to have subsided, or at least to
be externally overlsid by other things
Tom Saxon thought it had died out en-
tirely until one day, as he was strolling
across the Common listening to some
business suggestions oil Mallory, he saw
jim give q sudden start as little dark
lady passed, with her hair crepe and a
gay voice, chatting yolubly 10 ber COM
panion.
Jim, lhough, you had dropped that
string"
Jim laughed, and sung, in Il low bari
tone:
''Her bright smile haunts me still."
And that was the last that Tom heard