St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-09
CHASING A SWEETHEART.

afternoon Arnold Hall stood at the tele-
phone in his law Office. down in Nassau
street. Receiver at ear he patiently
awaited an answer to his call. He
heard odd bits of confused converse
tions mingled with sounds like the buZ-
zing of bees, the frying of fat and the
winding of clocks. A voice heard as in
dream called for 1.-TWO barrels like the
last delivered at the ships side by p.
m. tomorrow" Some one laughed a
hollow vehtriloquial laugh and said.
DINNER at $50 sharp, mind" Then
there was a sputtered sentence about
"best New Orleans molasses," followed
by babel of distant tongues delivering
varied messages of business and pleas
ure. While this still went on an irri-
tating feminine voice drawled in nasal
tones: "Through?" and was answered
with a sharp masculine. "D-n it! no,
Central; get off the wire" MIR. Ball
was so interested in this great whisper
ing gallery that he forgot to be I'M
patient, and there is no knowing how
long he might have been content to
await the answer to his signal had he
not suddenly heard a sweet, familiar
voice call quite distinctly: Yes, Haray,
Ill meet you at the Cortland Street
ferry at :45."
Benjamin Rowland, senior partner in
the firm of Howland Il Ball, looked up
at that moment and exclaimed with con-
siderable show of alarm:
"Why, my dear Arnold, what have
you heard through the telephone?
You're the color of ashes."
Mr.. Ball speedily regained his wonted
hue, and said with ill-concealed embar
raSsment:
s.Nothing, nothing. l merely felt
little faint. | think that luncheon was
too much for me. If you're to he here
until o'clock Ill go out now and take
a run through the park"
AS he said this he rapidly changed his
office jacket for street dress, caught up
his umbrella and put on his hat. Mr..
Rowland beheld this rapid transforma-
ton with some surprise, and said:
Cant you stop for Elizabeth and take
her along?"
Il suppose I might" said Ball with
an odd look, which Mr.. Rowland misin
terpreted, somewhat to the younger
mans relief.
"Oh! oh! | see," said the old gentle
man. II hoped your little quarrel had
been patched up by this time. Did you
know. by the way, that Henry john
stone had returned from Europer'
eThe devil he has," answered Ball.
with a look of surprise and enlighten-
ment that sent Mr.. Howland's eyebrows
toward the ceiling. Without word to
allay his partners astonishment Mr..
Bali looked at his watch, discovered
with signs of perturbation that itlacked
only % minutes of 2, and started with
quick strides for the door, when Mr..
Howland called after him: "Oh, Ar
mold, come to think of it, you'll. only
waste time calling for Elizabeth, she's
to 90 over this afternoon to look after
her Aunt Ellen, who's somewhat under
the weather."
Mr.. Ball paused with his hand on the
doorknob and stared at Mr.. Howland as
if that gentleman had announced some
piece of peculiarly startling intelli-
gence. The younger man looked for
second as if he were about to answer in
much the same words he had employed
Oh hearing of Mr.. JOhnStone'S arrival,
and then suddenly opening the door he
dashed off without word. Mr.. How
land stared after him and said, Now
what in heavens name is the matter
with the felfow"'
The case with Mr.. Ball stood thus:
He was engaged to marry Elizabeth
Rowland, aged twenty-one, daughter of
his partner. He had heard delivered
in her voice promise to meet Harry"
| at the Cortland street station, and a
| moment later he had learned that Henry
Johnstone, four years earlier boyish
lover of the girls, had just returned
from abroad. He might have believed
that his ears had deceived him in the
= r%l, l,n iCrl, hou
cepted JohnStone'S arrival as; q coin
cidence. but the information that Eliza
beth was going out of town that
very afternoon confirmed his fears.
In so far as Mr. Ball had
given out the impression that he
was going to the park he had told an
untruth-for he was Fastening as
fast as his legs would carry him to
the Cortland street ferry. All things
that impede travel in the streets of New
Yo,k seemingly conspired to delay him,
and when he reached the ferry it was
already five minutes past the time of
| Elizabeth's appointment. As lie entered
the ferry house, people were hurrying
to the boat. Hastily muttering TO him
self, "Her Aunt Ellen Austin, Of
course" He bought a ticket for Phila-
delphia and rushed after the crowd.
i lie PdIlS-Dldllh was III WIlIS ilc
was still twenty yards from the edge of
| the ship, but not before he had caught
sight of Henry JOhnStone standing on
the deck of the ferry boat in company
with a young woman. Was it Eliza
beth? No, it was JohnStOne's sister, to
| whom Ball had never been introduced
and whom he barely knew by sight.
| Ball Whistled in vain to the men at the
| gang plank. There was a churning of
| white foam in the slip, loud splashing
| of troubled waters and the crab-like
| ferryboat moved slowly toward the New
| jersey shore. just as all this was con-
| veyed to Ball'S senses rough hand
| seized his arm and a voice hoarse with
| salt air cried close in his ear: Young
| feller, if you go to do that you'll git
slapped into bits by the paddle wheel.
| The last man wot tried to jump aboard
a moving ferry boat was an ugly
| corpse"
Ball, realizing that he had been saved
| from piece OF madness. thanked his
rough admonisher and skunk back to
await the next boat. He felt sure that
| Elizabeth was along with Johnstone and
| his sister.
While he waited an idea seized him,
| and, acting upon it. he took his place in
| line and presently found himself face to
| face with the man from whom he bought
! his ticket on entering the ferry house.
| Ball, with All impatient fat man fuming
in the rear, leaned his head toward the
| ticket-seller and said III a low tone:
"Did gentleman buy three tickets to
| Philadelphia about ten minutes ago?"
The agent, with sharp, suspicious
glance, seemed about to refuse in
| formation, but apparently recognizing
Ball as his customer of few minutes
before and supposing him belated
member of some party going to Phila-
delphia, answered: No, sir; chap in
dnfio t,,, oOat knuuht two phiilipc ~