Fair play., 1897-01-09
HIS ROMANCE.

1t was two years since Joe Bentley
had left his home in quiet little Ohio
town to seek his fortune in the west.
For two years each working day had
found him at his desk in a large mer-
camille house in Chicago. He had been
fortunate in securing position at once,
through brother of his town postmas-
! ter, who was now chief clerk in the Of
flee. Joe will never forget those two
years-lonesome two years they were,
the more lonesome. perhaps, because he
had never been away from home and
among strangers before.
When he first came to Chicago the
worlds fair and other attractions made
the city wonderful place for the coun-
try boy, but these soon paled or passed
away, and the loneliness settled upon
him as he felt himself a stranger in
strange land.
For time he attended church. as had
been his habit at home, but they were
such large places, and the congrega-
ton and young folks dressed and acted
so differently from the church folk at
home that he finally got in the habit
| Of staying away. He sorely missed his
! town acquaintances, the companion
I ship of his sisters and brothers and the
bright smile of Cousin Fan. who used
| to pop in SO Unexpectedly and leave
/ such n volume of sunshine behind her
when her father would come to town to
| do his marketing. The girls with
whom some of his fellow clerks associ-
ated. and with whom they tried to make
I him at home somehow failed to fill the
| bill. Somehow il didn't seem right for
the fellows to greet them on the street
with a familiar slap on the shoulder
and a Hello. Kit. old girl, how you is?"
and in spite of himself he felt too much
of an aversion to them to enjoy himself
or make himself entertaining, and
dropped them.
vt last change gradually, to
be sure, so slowly that Joe hardly
knew there had been n change till it
was there. For several days the seat
at the opposite end of the table In the
restaurant where Joe ate lunch had
been occupied by modest-appcaring
little woman, whose long lashes fringed
the darkest of blue eyes. and whose
slightly pouting lips and rounded
cheeks glowed with the natural health
which can never be duplicated by art
and which only country air can give.
The next day she was in the same seat,
and the next and the next. and Joe soon
came to look forward, unthingingly, to
see the bright face of the unknown.
dow
Joe. with sense of deep disappoint-
ment. knew why it was he looked for
ward so eagerly to the MONDAY meal. |
The next noontime he took particular
pains with his toilet and was so i'm |
patient that he was at the table five |
minutes before his accustomed time |
She was not there and his heart sank. |
4 minute later it bounded again as he
saw the well-knOwn figure coming down !
the aisle. As she pulled back her chair
preparatory to taking her seat. some |
how or other, Joe never quite knew how |
it happened, the big blue eyes flashed |
for a moment into his and he was on
his feet, blushing and bowling.
This was the beginning, and 1t be-
W WV IatTA ~ bIt slIe
by side and talk during lunch. ard, II
time permitted, to walk with her as far
as the Monadnock building, where she |
was employed. He had vainly tried to
discover her name, but when he had |
naively informed her that it was awk-
ward to call her Say" she had asked
him to call her simply Miss Margaret,
b. d,
generally called and was most ac-
customed to.
This went on for several weeks and |
Joe had several times been on the verge
of asking for her address, that ne might
call, or asking her to accompany him
to the theater. but he kept delaying, fear
ing that he might rupture the growing
friendship and be left again to himself
and the lonesomeness of feeling that he
knew almost no one.
One noontime (and Joe will always
remember it) she was not in her accus-
toned place, although the day before
she had been specializing what the bill
of fare would be. He ate as slowly as
he could and spent his whole noon hour
in the restaurant, but when he left the
chair was still vacant The next day
the same experience. lie reproached
himself for not finding out more about
her-pcrhaps she was sick or had met
with an accident. Atany rate, she knew
his name and address-why didn't she
at least drop him line? Surely it was
cruel to leave him in such uncertainty.
He brooded over what might possibly
ha .e happened TO her, till his health be-
gan to fail. He never thought the daily
walk of few blocks could mean so
much to him.
Several weeks passed by and the chair
still continued vacant. On the very day
his two years was up Joe remembered
that she had spoken of Oconomowoc one
day in connection with her family. He
would ask for 4 few days respite from
work and so up there. He had never
asked for vacation end thev surely