The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-17

| anu SlSntcQ distant star WIN hoi SIN
| forefnger. Then he held 1t so long with
seeming Inconsistencies that she said,
laughingly, bat without touch OF en-
barrassment: Don't you think you've
held my hand long enough2 Aren't you
tired OF it."
NO" he said simply. then added: IT'S
just the kind of hand admire. It's just
the kind of hand I'd like to have for
mine"
.'Its nearly as large as your own" she
observed as compesedIy as child compar-
ing slices of bread and butter
But a great deal narrower" he replied,
laying their two hands together, palm to
palm.
His GOODNESS was too much for her gray
| ity and she gave an embarrassed little
| laugh and drew it quickly from ms. VI
| late she had noticed a tendency on MS part
to hold her hand at every trlflng oppor-
tunity. And as it was seemingly acciden-
tai she took no notice of 1t. But TINS was
| disconcerting and she fastened to explain
that Venus was the evening star, but hao
set-to give a different turn TO MS
| thoughts.
"It's the star of love, isn't ?' he asked
| in speculative tone.
| No, 1t isn't" said Fanny Sharply.
noring all tradition. why should it be
more than any other? That's what young
| idiots say" and with this whitening reply,
she arose and prepared to retreat.
NO, mol Don't go yeti" ne pleaded
II see l have displeased you, III tag
about anything you like" And he gently
but, Mr.. Bangs, it's getting late.
| And"
| But he cut short her protest by asking:
| "Why, when YOU address me by name, 40
you call me Mr.. Bangs? My name isn't
! Bangs any more than yours Is likely to
be, )" and he gave her look that e1asper-
Of har for + tnd q
had tacitly agreed to quit.
why, isn't it? That's what Charlie
called you"
II beg you pardon. It's Banks-John
W. Banks. Hope you like it better than
| Bangsl"
She evidently did not; for she froze inn
mediately, and asked in frosty tone:
| "Were you ever connected with the Citi-
| Zens' Newspaper Company" She half
arose as she made the inquiry.
He said: Yes; but what of that? It
was long before l got my present place"
She stood up. trembling slightly, with
| cold, he thought, but in reality it was
| revival of the long since forgotten feeling
| of animosity for John w. Banks acting
| on her sensitive nerves.
He said coaxingly: do sit down again
and IN tell you some funny experiences
| had there"
She meditated a moment, then resuming
| took the stool at his side: DO! I've al
| ways thought literary lite must be inter-
esting."
Much you know about it! I was desk
editor then and it's dogs life! Had to
| read slush and rot from days end to days
end. Then the writer's made such lmpu-
dent demands. One fellow wanted
twenty-five copies of his trash sent i'm
mediately, never taking into consideration
that We didn't want any of his stuff"
How did you decide in your selections?
/ mean, what guided your choice?"
Merit, true merit, of counsel" giving
her auizzical look.
But did no extraneous circumstances
| influence your"
''Not often. But sometimes when my
| lunch was bad it seemed to sharpen the
critical faculty and found I was harder
to please
"Just like man !" she interiected.
He took no notice of the remark other
| than provoking grin, but resumed:
lone night, l remember, l was infu-
| enced, as you say, by extraneous circum-
stances. 1 was just ready to examine a
manuscript and had reached up to take
| down the shade for my eyes from the top
| of my desk, and / turned over the bottle
| of mucilage and it ran down the top of my
| new desk. You'd better believe l was
| hot! And the fellow whose manuscript I
happened to be reading suffered for it,
toof''
"Do you remember the manuscript Pr
| she asked.
LET me see," he said, musingly; Eyes,
it was The Fatal Flaw. or Somebody~or
| Others Vindication.' Trash, l suppose
| | didn't read it. / remember there was a
letter in it asking me not to refold it, but
to return it in the original if not avail
| able"
81 suppose you did as requesteda" she
| mildly asked.
Not much! / took the savage pleasure
in stamping on it a big red Not Avail
able and squeezed it into one of our
smallest envelopes" And he laughed at
the recollection.
"What did the pleasure consist in7"
"Well, you see, it let Off some of the
steam, SO to speak, the result of the upset"
And you disregarded SO simple a re-
| quest, John w. Banks, and gave a sick
| person the trouble of recopying that lust
because OF an accident for which he was in
no way responsiDle2 1 wouldn't have
thought it of you!' she said severely,
looking at him in way that made him
feel guilty.
why do you take it so seriously? What
do you know about it?"
.fI know all about it, for it was miner'
1.-THE devil 1t was!" he exclaimed. Now
I suppose you'll never speak to me
again!"
Eyes, I will. once and that is to say
good-nightm and before he could rally his
scattered wits she was gone.
He sat long on deck and unused over the
turn of luck that had brought him to the
confession OF an act he was now not proud
OF, and to all persons, to the actual suf-
| ferer therefrom. He reflected that prob
ably he would have no chance to make it
| up with her, and women were SO touchy,
he couldn't imagine how angry and I'M
forglvirg she might be. They would
| reach port by the next afternoon, and if
he couldn't make up by then it was all
over with him. That soft Charlie was
sure to meet her at the boat and see her to
her train. And probably he would never
see her again. This last thought gave
him more uneasiness than he would have
thought possible only nine short days
before. Occupied with such thoughts, it
was very late when he turned in.
The next day he had ample opportunity
to realize that he owed much of the pleas
ure of his trip to Fanny. She had been a
cheerful, intelligent companion, and at
first had shown q tiattering reliance on
him. But as her health improved, which
it did marvelously on the trip, that les
sened. and he had admired her independ-
ence and her kindness TO the old ladies on
board. while thinking it rather waste of
that commodity to bestow it there. He
almost felt her society was his by right.
but lost sight of the fact that this could
not be. for they had never met till fate
started them on this journey Now he
was actually jealous of Charlie and those
old women, and all that last morning he
could not get q word with her. At break
fast she did not appear until he had eaten
his. And while he fingered around in
hope of beguiling her Tor last talk on