The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-12-11
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The Man of Her Choice
BY VIM. J. hampton.


MARY HOWARD was the prettiest
IvI chambermaid in the hotel, and
M. Doan was the oldest boarder |
Not oldest in point of years, but in
point of occupancy, although he was
not as young as he was when
he passed his fiftieth birthday. He
roomed on the Tioor that Mary had
the care of, and after a years ac-
quaintance with her be had decided
in his own mind th1t she was a very
nice girl. Mary liked Mr.. Doan we'll
enough, but that was all, for he was
bachelor, and she rather had her
doubts about such old bachelors as he
was. But Mr.. Doan was rich and
liberal, and SO polite always that he
gradually won favor in Mary's eyes.
One Sunday when she was fixing
up his room. which was the only time
she ever saw him there, he began talk
ing to her.
do you know, Mary" he said, with
evident sincerity, that you are the
prettiest girl in the hotel?'
Yes. SIR" replied Mary.
Mr.. Doan was somewhat staggered
by this unexpected frankness.
"Oh, you do, dofyou?" he responded,
little nettled.
II ought to-" she said "every man
! have seen in this hotel has told me
so, except you, and now you have, SO
they can't all be telling stories"
This explanation did not quite suit
Mr.. Doan, but Mary was quick-wit-
ted, and he let it go as she put it.
81 presume" he said, alphabetically.
81 ought to have told you so before.
because have known it ever since the
first day l saw you, but you seemed
to me to be a lady. and 1 did not
want you to think that l was not a
gentleman"
''And / am lady, Mr.. Doan, as my
mother was and still is, but l am a
lady in distress, as the story-tellers
have it. Two years ugo my father
died, leaving MS nothing but a little
house away out in the suburbs, where
my mother and brother live. He never
was rich. but he was gentleman,
and when he left us poor. somebody
had to do something, and 1 took this
place. 1t was the only thing l could
do for wages right from the start,
and we needed something to live on.
My brother found a place in a store,
and between us we manage to live"
You're as good a girl as you are
pretty, Mary" said Mr.. Doan, land
must go out and see that mother of
yours"
So he did, too, and came back with
very agreeable impressions of the
sweet old lady of 60 that he had met
MARY" he said on the following
Sunday, "how would you like me to
be your father?"
You are quite old enough to be-
she said, sharply, but you are not
old enough to be my mothers hus
band, if that is what you are leading
up to-"
81 don't know about that" he
laughed. "a woman's heart is always
young"
But Mary did not like the subject
and went out without continuing the
conversation. Half an hour later az
she was carrying a roll OF quilts across
the hall in front of the elevator, into
which Mr.. Doan had just stepped, that
always uncertain method of locomo
ton got loose and started down the
shaft for the bottom, seven floors be
low. Mary knew what was coming, Oh
going, rather, and with a scream she
dashed the roll of quilts into the oper
door. The cage had only slight star
and the quilts were caught anc
wedged in between the floor and the
elevator roof and the downward move
ment stopped with a noise like whee
taking a rubber brake. Mary dropped
in a faint Mr.. Doan almost had {
spasm in the elevator where he wa.
boxed up, the elevator boy came run
ming from room where he had gon,
to deliver a message, somebody turned
in fire alarm and the whole place
was in an uproar. The firemen were
restrained from turning the hos
on Mr.. Doan, and busted themselves
rigging timbers in the elevator shat
below the cage to catch it, when thu
quilts were withdrawn, and present..
Mr.. Doan came down with a thump
and walked out scared almost white
The papers next morning had |
whole column about 1t, with larg'
picture of Mary, the big headline
about the heroism of chambermaid
1t happened on Friday, and on Sunda.
Mary was at her post again. Whel
Mr.. Doan saw her he did not wait Il
ask her about the flowers he had sen
- to her house. nor about his having
called to see her without seeing her.
MARY" he said. in the matter o
fact way of a man of so, you save
my life, and / want to do something
to show my appreciation of it,"
"Oh, Mr.. Doan," she almost pleaded
don't say anything more about il
/ didn't do anything"
"You saved my life. Isn't that any
thing? 1t is to me If it isn't to you!
II would have done just the sam
for Tom
Tom was the elevator boy.