The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-01-19
a Mnemonic Device.
CFrom the New York Evening Post. /
Two Pdrts.)


pertinent might have turned out success
f1lIv had 1t not been for an unforeseen
accidant AS I was walking slowly up
one of the streets / was attracted TO
face at one of the basement windows OF
a house [ was passing. 1t was wrinkied
face crowned with iron-gray hair, and al
ter a second glance 1 recognized 1t as the
face Of Bridget, my aunt's house-mald
She il was who twelve years before used
10 grasp firmly one of those glass KNOBS
in that mahogany monstrosity and with
me, stout, determined boy, hanging ike
grim death TO the other knob, would say:
Now, then, divil fly away with the
ovid beaury, wan, two, three Mlstner
Rutgers. give it twister av a jerk, and
well have it out betwixt us. !"
True friend and tried, ! had not forgot
fen the service rendered me in my boy
hood. and 1 smiled broadly at her through
the iron grating and the glass that d.
vided u.s.
But Bridget had forgotten me. She be-
hayed as a respectable woman does when
smiled at by an unknown man. She
frowned and then turned her back lndl-
eating by movement of her elbows ooth
indignation and contempt. BY no means
detected at this treatment, mounted the
steps and rang. Bridget opened the door,
cautiously.
Does Miss Van Brunt live here?" l
asked
.She do. sor." Bridget replied, through
a crack of the door.
'eThank you," 1 said, and copying the
house number, 26, on a card, without TAX
ing time for explanation, sped away TO
the drugstore to tell Anita the good news.
The druggists was just around the cor
ner. and l soon saw its shining front ana
glistening colored bottles. l looked care
fully through each of the two large win
dows but no Anita sat on any one OF the
Vienna chairs near the soda-water 1ount-
ain. l examined the surroundings with
minute attention. This was certainly the
drugstore at which three-quarters or an
hour ago l had left Anita. L went into
the druggists, thinking that possibly she
might be sitting somewhere inside where
| from the outside could not see her'
While [ was purchasing wholly unneces-
sary cake of soap 1 looked carefully about
the store. but there was no Anita visible.
I went out feeling very much mystihed.
Anita had left the drug store, contrary to
our agreement.
] can calculate to a second the reap
pearance of any given comet, but the &C.
centric orbit described by Anita conforms
TO no rule known to man, and 1t would
| be useless to wait there for her, in the
shadow of uncertainty. Then again, ii
was lust possible that [ had made mis-
take in the drugstore. My typographl-
cal eye had been known tie deceive me,
and it was barely possible that Anita was
| anxiously awaiting for me at some other
druggists. Forth l accordingly started.
During the course of the afternoon
lost count of the number of druggists
! hot five
| [ had in my pocket two cakes of soap, a
small bottle of violet water, and two
| boxes of cough drops-souvenirs, all Of
| them. of the different establishments
had entered on the still hunt for Anita.
| 7 had also in one of the places imbibed
| a nauseating compound. neither food nor
| beverage, served in a glass with long
handled spoon, beloved of Anita, and
| known as chocolate ice-cream soda" 1t
| was after l had partaken of this I'M
speakable mixture that I lost all hope.
| Anita, 1 concluded, had returned to the
! hotel I would go there myself, but first
| would stop at my aunt's and explain
| A little after five 1 remounted the steps
| at Number 26 and rang the bell.
rs Miss Van Brunt at homer asked,
when Bridget appeared.
| she is, sor," said Bridget, eyelng me
J with stern disfavor.
placed my card on Bridget's tray, name
/ side I'D and towards her. Instantly her
| stern features relaxed and her long up
per 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 apparition
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 complacently
sitting on a high-backed mahogany chair,
| before the CRATE of glowing Goals.
Anita found me, you See" said my
aunt, with a marked accumulation on AN
| ita."
| but I am quite as keen" I retorted,
| "for l have found you both"
did that funny scientific incoming
! around really work." asked Anita.
1 confessed that ii had not.
Then the druggist told you where
was" said Anita.
! Nothing of the sort" said, ''Ive seen
! druggists enough, Heaven knows but they
have told me nothing except the prices
| of things I did not want TO buy"
You have been to some club to consult
a dictionary of dates.' said my aunt.
You, Anita, have been telling tales.
1 said.
II have only been Boosting little of
your historical knowledge" said Anita
How did you get here?' asked. with
neither history. science, nor old memories
| to help you, it's most amazing"
Nothing amazing about it, said my
aunt. she asked the druggist where you
/ left her if he knew where lived, a most
| common-sense way of going about it.
| I've lived here for the last thirty years,
and it's nothing amazing that the drug
| glst who has put up my prescriptions for
| me during all that time should know
| where / live"
so, when he told me- Anita pursued,
that Miss VanBrunt was so near, /
| thought after had finished my glass Of
| chocolate ice-cream soda that l would
Just make the call by myself, for 1t was
| not at all certain when you would turn
| I'D. But / told the man most particularly
to tell you, when you came back for me,
where 1 had gone"
Very remiss Of him not to do So" said
my aunt.
HE didn't have a chance" I inter
| jected When l saw Anita wasn't in his
store. I concluded that I had made mis-
take. so I hunted around for another drug
! store. and another, ad finitum."
Just what told you he would do said
my aunt. with a triumphant nod
why" asked Anita, were you so fool
ish? Why didn't you go in and ask the
man where I was? That's what people
do when they want to find out where any
one has gone. You could have gone in and
described me and
Describe you,'' I repeated. Dear child
you are indescribahle-'
1t was a chance shot. but lucky one