The Portland daily press., 1900-08-14
s. 8 50 50 g g g 50 g s. g g $ 8

g % 50 80 IS % s.
of great Importance to communicate.
Natalie Clair is here" said she, with
the air of a small boy announcing that
the circus has come to town.
Miss Clair was a young woman
whom Gaines had so times narrowly
missed meeting. Two years ago, when
the Glars were about to come to New
York to live, Gaines had heard so
much about Natalie that he had begun
to dislike her. Many girls in his social
set knew her, and they all declar
that he and she were made for each
other" The basis of that view, so far
as he could discover, was that she was
tall and dark, while he was tall and
light, and that both of them had the
reputation of being very cold, reserved
and hard to approach in friendship
or Irritation.
AS a rule he did not like girls who
were cold and reserved. Suffering
from a chronic embarrassment him
self, he found it hard enough to get
along with girls who were jolly, talk
ative and open hearted Moreover, to
be slated as a girls admirer before
a fellow has met her is enough to kill
all chance Of liking her Gaines was
glad when Natalie went abroad with
her mother, instead Of coming to New
York Within two weeks he had heard
that she was home again. And now it
seemed he must meet her.
"There she is" whispered Jessie
Bingham. isn't she perfectly love-
lyY
Gaines glanced across the room, and
his blood became ice water. He had
always regarded himself as a peculiar
ly unlucky man, but that Natalie Clair,
of all people in the world, should
prove to be the heroine Of the Twenty
third street adventure struck him as
little the worst blow in even his ex-
perience.
"Of course I should be greatly pleas
ed to meet her." said he, and his
voice sounded in his own ears as if it
were being ground out of a phono-
graph. "But there's no hurry. Any
time will do"
"What nOnsensep' exclaimed Jessie.
"Of course you want to meet her this
minute. And they're bringing her right
over herew
Gaines perceived that Jessie spoke
truly. A half dozen young people, with
the most obvious intentions, were gen
tly steering Miss Clair in his direction.
She, however, seemed to be wholly I'M
aware Of their purpose until she was
within six feet of him. Then she start
ed as prettily as frightened deer.
Gaines looked anxiously into her
face, and when he saw that he was
recognized he felt as one upon whose
shoulder the hand of the sheriff is laid.
1t was all over in a moment. Early
in his life Gaines had been introduced
to a Boston east wind, and once, when
q boy, he had been locked in an ice
house as a joke, but Miss Clair gave
him a new sensation. No one else ap-
peared to notice the chill, though it
seemed to him that all New York must
be shivering.
He dared not say anything to the
point among so many people, and so he
mumbled the ordinary nonsense while
waiting for a chance to escape. That
was not to be, however. He saw Miss
Bingham going one way and Miss
Somebody Else going another way, and
there was no way at all for him. He
simply got left in the corner with Ma
talie Clair, and If it had been done on
purpose 1t couldn't have been done bet
ter.
A man Of tact and assurance would
have found no difficulty in saying the
right thing. but Gaines lacked those
qualities, and his faculties were in a
panic
'The situation is somewhat difficult,
Miss Clair" he said. "You must be
strongly prejudiced against me, but
but
What utter nonsense! Why couldn't
he say straight out, 81 saw you on
Twenty-third street today and mistook
you for my cousinT He knew as well
as anybody could that that was the
right thing to say. But the words didn't
come to him.
"You can't help It," said she; mel
ther of us can help it now. Let us for
get everything that happened before
we met tonight"
And then she looked around with a
frightened eye for somebody to come
md take her away.
Gaines felt as If the black cap had
been drawn over his face. He had had
his chance to speak, aud it had passed.
Evidently Miss Clair knowing the cir
Gle in which he moved, had decided to
tolerate him, perhaps even to be silent
about what she believed to be his black
disgrace.
If Jane were only there, he could
have pointed to the resemblance and
have told his story with a good grace.
He had heard that she was expected
later in the evening. He would reserve
his defense till then.