The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-05-09

| Tom Walton was very much surprised
ut finding himself deeply in love with a
girl whose name he did not even know.
! 1t happened this way Tom was a tele-
| graph operator in the city. He lived IN
small suburban town. AS he sat in the
train one morning on his way in to work,
he noticed among the passengers who
boarded the train ut one of the stations
a beautiful girl who entered his car and
took the seat directly in front of his. The
morning paper had no further interest for
Tom that day All the way into town
he sat watching the girl in front of him.
shall not attempt to describe her Tom
says she Is the most beautiful girl he
ever saw. OF course he is prejudced but
l must admit that | have never seen
but enc girl who surpassed her! How
ever, that has nothing to do with my
story.
What impressed my FREUD even more
than her beauty was her extreme mod
esty-not the timid, futterlng kind OF
modesty, which is SO easily Initiated ~
the heartless coquette, but the strong,
ef-reliant kind which makes men keep
their distance. She did not shrink from
the admiring glances bestowed upon her
encourage them. She simply ignored them.
A man who would attempt TO flirt with
such girl must either be a fool or be
gifted with unlimited assurance. Tom was
neither so he contented himself with ad-
miring her in silence.
Week after week went on. aud each day
found poor Tom more and more deeply in
love The unconscious object OF his ado
ration travelled on the same train every
day. Sometimes she sat near him, and
his eyes fairly devoured her wonderful
beauty At other times she sat ut the
other end of the car, where he could only
catch occasional glimpser Of her past the
heads of his fellow passengers. One day
he made great discovery. Her name was
Helen. He had heard a girl friend call
her so. That night Tom sat up until 3
o'clock writing love letters to Helen, and
tearing them UP as fast us he wrote them.
The next morning Helen again occupied
the seat just in front of Tom. He sat ga2-
ing at her and building castles in the air
Presently his mind turned to the love let
tiers he had been writing. and he began 10
| frame a new one. AS he unused. he idly
| fingered the window catch. which made a
clicking sound similar to that Of a tele.
graph instrument. unconsciously ne
| spelled cut the words Of the letter.
Dearest Helen ran the message, Il
love you dearly. Say you will lie mine
and but he got no further, for sud
denly the girl turned in her seat aud look
| ed him full in the face her eyes blazing
| with indignation. Then she turned back
and seiaIng the catch OH her window
clicked out the reply:
How dare you'"
Tom was completely dumbfounied. He
! felt like jumping out OF the window ami
end ng his m ser; bic existin nee lie r,h cted
however, that such rash proceedinv,
would do him no good. and might possibly
wound the feelings OF the young ladv.
Moreover. his first duty was to Apologies
OF course it wauld not d, any good She
would rever have anything t, do with such
an idiot as he had shown himself to be-
SIN he could not well leave matters rs
| they were. so he again reached for the
window catch.
Il beg your pardon" clicked the i'm
| provised key.
| Your insolence Is objectionable" was
| the reply.
| But let me explain. did not know"
| Il don't care 20 hear your explanation"
Just then the train pulled into thu sta
ton and the offended girl left the cur
WITHOUT so much as locking buck
Tom went 20 his work with heavy
feart, lio could think OF nothing els, nj,
day but the stupid blunder which had DC
sroyed all possibility OF his ever winning
the heart of the fair telegraph operate.
On the following morning he took an
carrier Train than usual, In order to AVOID
meeting tho fair Helen. whom he did rot
nave the courage to face put he had moi
reekoEed on the fact that she might also
wish to avoid him. This w1s TIE case, how.
ever ana Tom was somewhat star, ed whe,
re saw her enter the car. There was only
one seat yacart and that was Just In FIR mi
81 me unhappy young man. 1t seemed as
.n0ush tins fates had consplred to bring
these two PEOPLE together The longer Ton,
onGered tie matter the more he saw / q
hahd of destiny In this matter, and he do
CLOS to make one more effort to obtain
ioreiveDess Reaching fer the window
eaten he sent he following message.
I'm awfully sorry l offended you yss-
terday,"
There was no answer, and the Young
man continued: $3.50
I had no idea you understood me. I