Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1900-08-24
queer Incident, and II seemed to her

Sne nuu Deen chosen as the inStru-
ment to help him.
The next morning she awoke with
the thought still vivid and rampant
in her brain. She consulted the city
directory, and found only one John
| Welton. "Shall | write to him, and
tell him that l heard his name tossed
from lip to lip from the mouths of
thieves?" she pondered. "But, no, he
will think that / am n crank or en-
accomplice trying to extort money.
No, he won't even appreciate it. He
will read it, and laugh, and imagine
that L have an object in approaching
him other than n purely disinterested
one. / shall go and see him person.
ally. Then L can explain all the cir
cumstances, and he will understand
and-perhaps he will be thankful
for it,
1t took Eleanor precisely two weeks
to make up her mind to approach
the unknown John Welton. In that
time the duty of warning him took
definite form in her mind, and it made
her braver. She found the number
and street of his place of business.
and she walked resolutely into his
Office. A clerk asked her to be seated
and Mr.. Welton would see her in a
short time. She waited few terrible
moments, wondering what John We'll
ton was like, hoping that he would
not think her an adventures. and
whether he would laugh at her fears.
or be cordial and polite to her.
The door opened and Welton walked
in. Eleanor looked up, and as she
saw him standing there her heart
leaped to her mouth. A gray mist
rose before her eye and she saw the
vision of man in an automobile and
disheveled girl lying on the pave
ment, and all the details of an ac-
cident that had occurred to her manv
months before. A little laugh of ey-
ultation echoed in her soul. The hand
OF Providence had led her to the man
that she had watched for so long in
public places.
Are you Mr.. John Welton?" she
stammered, irresolutely. Generally
self-possessed, she was seized by this
unexpected encounter with something
like fright for the first time in her
life. She rushed through her story.
getting it badly confused. and con-
scious of the fact that this man whom
she was talking with was the one
above all whom she would much rath-
er have met in more conventional
way.
He searched her face pointedly. She
was conscious of his scrutiny as she
talked. He listened and made no
comment. Then light seemed to
dawn in his brain, and he smiled sud-
denly, in a frankly pleased way.
Il remember now" he said. with
bold inspiration, in the midst of her
conversation. as if the information she
had brought to him were of no con-
sequence, and that, he was thinking
only of her. '"You are the girl that
L assisted on the drive one day when
you had been thrown. Aren't you?"
YES" she exclaimed. frankly. "and
L have been looking for you for
months, only to thank you for having
been so kind to me, and now fate has
helped me, and am able to tell Won
now much l appreciate what you did"
And l think, Miss Deering, that
you have amply repaid me for that
tiny service. You are a most gem
erous, whole-souled girl to wish to
warn me of possible danger" He
walked with her to the elevator, and
he asked her If he might not know
her better. When she acquiesced il
seemed to him as if 1T were with re-
lnctDnnn Shn hnH
Her formality was overdrawp, he
thought
A week later box of flowers with
a note from Welton reached Eleanor.
lhe message was more than a friend
ly one. 1t ran: This is to thank Won
for the kindness you have performed
for me. 1t will be a great honor, nv
dear Miss Deering, if you will permit
me to call upon you. Believe me, since
the day / met you so inopportunely on
the drive your sweet image has clung
in my brain. l had often wished that
l might see you asnin. and when YOU
came to me of your own accord, when
Providence took hand in my wish.
that was glorious day, and YOUR
coming made it all the grander. Nav
l hope to see you tomorrow even
ing?"
Eleanor read the note and kissed it.
and sat down to answer it. At first
she wrote long reply telling him
that she was happy that they had
met. Then she destroyed it and SIM
ply wrote: "Yes, you may come"
But she read his own note over and
over again, coaxing from the depths
of the sentences all the tenderness
of his meaning.
Eleanor, dear" he said to her some
weeks afterward, 81 don't know
whether to thank your horse or my
automobile for having brought us
together"
"Neither, Jack. 1t was a gang of
thieves she answered, "and an un-
finished novel, and my love of vicari-
GUS adventure, you know. Even