Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-19
a CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE.

kitty!'
Il think not, Jane" making a thorough ex-
| animation of the contents Of her handbag. 81
nave my trunk receipt. and my keys, and my
| ticket, and shoe-hook, and. black and white
| pms, and my purse for small change. and
| pocket comb. And o Notwithstanding
| more freeiy-'t!e small mirror. and three
/ four extra handkerchets. and my bottle of
| heiotrope- l really can't remember anything
/ That | have forgotten" meditatively Except.
| perhaps. it might be the coupon for the sleeper,
and John is getting that
| 1t is the afternoon OF Damp doleful Sep
/ TENDER day. The place is. unromantically
enough. the Chicago depot. The speakers,
Jane Spencer and her sister Miss Kitty War
/ ner. who has been visiting western friends and
| is about to take the next eastern train for home
10 say that Mrs. Spencer is in O state bordering
| upon distraction is simply to gid refined gold
! originally simple. unsuspecting country
| woman, who has been introduced rather late in
life to the evils Of great city as exempilied in
! certain experiences with burglarious serving
men and maids, and a daily diet upon the pot
/ pourri of crimes served up by the press, a 600
mile Journey for her Young, pretty and unpro-
/ tected sister seems to her mind an undertaking
| fraught with the most terrifying dangers. And
bpstows upon Miss Kitty anent the perils to be
| avoided and the precautions to be taken until
she reaches New York,
| j am sorry that our train starts before YOURS
| is due she eXCiaims frctfuly with tears in her
! eyes III II were not fer Aunt FunCe's tele-
gram. John and might have staid over till to-
| morrow. so as TO have seen YOU fairly off, And
! the nervous little woman shakes ont fresh
| handkerchief and brushes rising tear from her
| left eye just as her husband comes I'D with the
! depressing Intelligence that the plan OF the
| sleeper on the Pennsylvania railroad will not be
visible fer twenty-eight minutes yet-iust a
quarter OF an hour after their train is to leave
This last calamitous piece of news has par
| alyZing effect upon Mrs. Spencer; and she looks
| on III distressed silence while her husband gives
NIFTY a few parting instructions, as together
| they pore over railway guide.
| II have q novel somewhere for Won to road
| on your journey. Kit" John saws presently: and
reaching over to his light overcoat, which is
thrown carciessly across the back of the nearest
settee, he produces dun-cOlored volume from
one OF MS caraclous pockets And luckless
John. IN his explorations he brings to light
something else. Two letters, which he pro-
duces with trembling hands, and delivers to
their respective owners, his wife and his sister,
1 in-aw.
Whereupon TIE spell of silence that has been
laid upon Mistress Jane is broken. and she ex-
claims in voice of reproachful tone well
| Jonathan spencer. actually don't believe that
you could remember the day that you were
born"
| NO matter Jenny At anv rate never shall
| forget the day that was married retorts her
| alniabe spouse with a righteousness that under
| the circumstances is odious, for skiIlful
| cToss-eXaIDnatiOn dscloses the tact that the
Wretc1 mas carried these letters in his pocket
| for at least three days
| But before the long suffering Jane has time
| to properly rebuke him passengers for the
southern tram are warned that time is up. So
MISS nifty. hastily thruSting into her bag the
| letter. which glance tells her is from ber
brother Edgar. descends the steps with her
| relatives ard chats with them upon the plat
| form as cheerfuly as James misciyinps will
! permit until the last gong strikes. and they
enter the train just as Jane is In the midst of re-
Counting tale that she has read in some news
| papers about lady whose pocket was picked
| oy gentlenanly -appearng man who politely
| helped her off the cars.
Now remember, Kitty dear" she whispers
| leaning from the window and speaking in q
| deep. impressive tone. You are to trust nothing
! to appearances The best dressed men are in
| xafaoly the ones to be suspicious Of, Be care
ful OF your tickets and money and'-here the
cars are larry IN Eotion-'wrte as soon as you
reach New York. And, oh Kitty, Beware of
druiilHers:' And with theatrical wave of her
eray-kidded hand, Mrs. Spencer draws in her
! head and disappears from her sisters view.
In spite OF herself Miss Kitty feels rather
lonely as she ret urns to her seat i'm the waittnr
room. and seeks consolation in her brothers lef
I Ter 1t bears date nearly a week back and is
ABOUT as liie9iDle as an unusually careless legal
hand and an eXccfabie Colorado can make it.
But Nifty Is thoroughly familiar with her
| brothers scr2Wls, and by skipping a word here
! and guessing one there her mind eventually
grasps the drift of the welcome. entertaining
home news and airy gossip with which the
scfted anounds The concludin. paragraph
| reads like this:
winch tbs il t ii i ha is to b n Gh last eyf
.d r,ni1 u tx I ypi Writ me what day
M Ne hY S1Is kim yG after al so
NJ Fac wa RTfs syy 2 H hnsT al
l; tnf fellow AID d, a. rich J.w(elry his own
the oi HIa Of e is so It'll St
fHiisi would tel You al about Tim, tnt am in
the outer office waiting for a consultation and nv p.n
and SneSe sre y sy grn% sr tired i G to s W
wild west come home to yours. fratcrnsllv. EDGAR
| With a little pout and smile at the villain
Gus puns which her brother has thoughtfulIy
underlined Gas though should fail to recoe-
niZe them, indeedD Kitty returns the missiye
TO its broad. soap colored envelope and raises
her eyes Just in time to meet a surprised and
steady look from gentleman who has lust
come up the stairs from the street. In reality
II Is not an impairment stare; only such look
as man might give who fancies he recognizes
an acquaintance yet doubts the testimony of his
own eyes "a he meets nothing but a look of re-
peiling blanhliess In the others answering ro
gard.
james drummer! He is appearing rather
early upon the scene" are the thoughts that
flash through kittys mind as she looks frIgid
uhutterabie things through and beyond the
new conner. who passes on to the next seat and
dlsposes of his pOrtmantcau and overcoat pans
Ing III his proceedings to glance occasionally
with puzzled look at the pretty girl opposite.
But Miss Kate has already sought refuge in
Johns gift, and is absorbedly following the
fortunes OF Howells' heroine through the omen
ing chapter. So the puzzled gentleman wisely
produces paper from his pocket and lets him.
self become absorbed in its contents also.
BY and by Kitty becomes aware that the ticket
office Is open, and with warness born of James
warnings she arranges her traps in compact
pile. and, ciinging valiantly to her handbag.
gets into line and patiently awaits her turn at
interviewing the ticket seller.
This is matter of considerable delay. since
some one in advance inaugurates mild but
lengthy dispute with that official regarding the
Claim to section that has been telephoned for.
or something OF that sort. And when Kitty
gets back to her place she finds that certain
Polish emigrants have come in and virtually
evlcted her. and that, oh horrors. her belong
lngs nave been unceremoniOusly transferred to
the settee occupied by that impertinent drum
mer. And-do her eyes deceive her?-no; he is
actually reading her book She cannot see the
title. but it is the same dun-colored volume.
With the regulation gilt frieze and publishers
monogram. She could identify 1t If she saw It In
Africa. she Is sure. "Impudence." she calculates
mentally, IS she drops angriiy into her seat.
and waits for him to return her book But