The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-10
A MNEMONIC DEVICE.
by Gertrude Ada ms.

W III ItdSStIl themselves, ana dlIllOSl
involuntarily / shall turn towards my
| aunt's house. Hitherto, in our search,
I've thought of nothing but finding the
number, but now L shall 60 with my
/ eye out for landmarks; some church,
some hotel will appear the right train
of associations will be started, and be-
fore / know it, quite as a matter of
course, ] shall be ringing the bell at
my aunts house"
That's scientific, isn't it?" said An
| ita.
It's physiological and psychological"
l replied enthusiastically.
Heaven help us, then" said Anita,
'1t vii take long time to work. Now.
I'll go into this druggists and wait.
Don't try it for more than an hour,
and be sure to come back for me-"
She disappeared from my side, and I
went off alone to perform my expert
ment.
This is not a physiological or psycho-
| logical treatise, otherwise ! should
have much pleasure in explaining how
my experiment might have turned out
successfully had it not been for an un-
forseen accident AS l was walking
slowly up one of the streets l was at
tracted to face at one of the base
ment windows of a house I was pass
ing. 1t was a wrinkled face crowned
with iron gray hair, and after a sec
ond glance | recognized it as the face
of Bridget, my aunts housemaid. She
1t was who twelve years before used
to grasp firmly one of those glass knobs
in that mahogany monstrosity, and
with me- a stout determined boy, hang
ing like grim death to the other knob,
would say:
Nov, tnen, divil fly away with the
ovid beaury, wan, two three. Misther
Rutgers give it u twsther av a jerk,
and we'll have it out betwixt u.s."
True friend and tried. 1 had not for
gotten the service rendered me in my
boyhood, and l smiled broadly at her
through the iron grating and the glass
that divided us.
But Bridget had forgotten me. She
behaved as a respectable woman does
when smiled at bySan unknown man.
She frowned and then turned her
back, indicating by a movemet of her
elbows both Indignation and contempt.
By no means detected at his treatment,
L mounted the steps and rang. Bridget
opened the door cautiously.
Does Miss Van Brunt live here? ." I
asked
"She do, sor," Bridget replied.
through crack of the door
Thank YOU" / said, and copying the
house number, 26, on q card, without
taking time for explanation, l sped
away to the drug store to tell Anita
the good news. The druggists was
Just around the corner, and soon saw
ITS shining front and glistening colored
bottle l looked carefully through
each Of the two large windows, but no
ANITA sat on any one of the Vienna
chairs near the soda water fountain. I
examined the surroundings with min
ute attention. This was certainly the
drug store at which three quarters of
an hour ago l had left Anita. | went
INTO the druggists, thinking that DOS
slply she might be sitting somewhere
inside where / from the outside could
not see her. While l was purchasing
wholly unnecessary cake Of SOAP |
looked carefully about the store, but
there was no Anita visible / went out
teellng very much mystified Anita
had left the drug store, contrary to our
agreement.
can calculate to second the re-
appearance of any given comet. but
the eccentric orbit described by Anita.
conforms to no rule known to man, and
IL would be useless to wait there for
her, IN the shadow of uncertainty.
Then again, 1t was just possible that
Hau made mistake in the drug
store. My typographical eye had been
known to deceive me. and it was bare
V possible that Anita was anxiously
waiting for me at some other drug
| piStS Forth I
During the course of the afternoon
lost count OF the number of druggists
l visited, but little before 5 O'clock
l had in my pocket TWO cakes of soap.
a small bottle of violet water, aand two
boxes of cough drops-souvenirs, all of
them, of the different establishments I
had entered on the still-hunt for Anita.
had also in one of the places imbibed
nauseating compound, neither food
nor beverage, served in a glass with a
long-handled spoon. beloved of Anita,
and known as chocolate ice-cream
soda" 1t was after I had partaken of
this unspeakable mixture that / lost
all hope. Anita, / concluded, had re-
turned to the hotel. I would go there
myself, but first / would stop at my
launt's and explain matters.
A little after o'clock / remounted
the steps at Number 26 and rang the
bell.
rs Miss Van Brunt at homer" L
asked, when Bridget appeared.
'She Is, sor," said Bridget, eyeing me
with stern disfavor
l placed my card on Bridget's tray,
name side up and towards her In
stantly her stern features relaxed and
her long upper lip shortened. She
opened the door of the drawing-room.
"Misther Rutgers, himself, ma'am,"
she said, as though l were in the habit
of appearing at times as an appar-
ition.
l charged forward with the eager
haste becoming an affectionate relative,
but stopped half way, for there, with
her hat and jacket off, was Anita, COM
placently sitting on a high backed
mahogany chair, before the crate of
glowing Goals.
"Anita found me, you see," said my
aunt with marked accentuation on
Anita"
But l am quite as keen" retorted,
''for / have found you both
did that funny scientific incoming
around really work." asked Anita.
l confessed that it had not.
Then the druggist told you where I
was" said Anita,
Nothing of the sort" I said. 1--WE
seen druggists enough, Heaven knows,
but they have told me nothing except
the prices Of things | did not want to
buy"
you have been to some club to con-
cult dictionary of dates" said my
aunt