Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1901-08-31
NEVER thought Bessie Avres had

NEVER. thought Bessie Ayres, had
IN she been in so unpleasant a
predicament. Her purse was gone;
it was not in her muff, nor yet
in either pocket of her jacket.
When, where or how she had
lost it she had not the least idea; not
that that mattered much, except the
disagree able fact that she was in the
street car, miles from home, with the
rain outside falling in a steady drizzle,
and that she had not five cents where
with to pay her fare. What could she,
what would she do?
''Will the conductor put me off?'' she
said to herself, cor will he trust me for
my fare, if promise to mail it to him
as soon as 1 get home. He must know
papa by name" and then she thought
that if he doubted her honesty in one
respect, he would do so in all, and
might not believe that she was Judge
Ayres' daughter. "Wen, he may put
me off if he likes. I can go to drug
store and telephone for cab" Then
her face grew blank with the recollec-
tion that in order to telephone she
must have twice the amount needed
for car fare. AS the thought drove hep
sense of helplessness home afresh, she
looked up involuntarily and caught
two bluegray eyes fixed on her, and
twinl1hng with amusement. She turned
pink with vexation. Thinks it funny,
does hep" she thought. ST just wish
he were in my place!"
The young man, standing near,
looked away instantly. When he
boarded the car Bessie had at once at
tracted his attention as an unusually
pretty girl, and he had watched the
little pantomime with interest, think
so EXPIRE ssive a face.
poor little girl he thought, pity
ingly. "She looks as though she ex-
pected to be arrested. Evidently she is
not used to taking care of herself; be-
lated by accident, no doubt, or has had
her pocket picked"
The flash of resentment which lit
her eyes, as they caught his, confirmed
his ideas as to her social standing, and
completed his amusement at her
plight. He turned his back and faced
the conductor, who was rapidly ap-
preaching. The sound of the bell, as
the fares were rung up, Jared Bessie's
nerves.
"Fare!"
She parted her lips, but before she
could speak: "Two,'' said her neigh
Dor, handing the man a dime, and the
dreaded crisis was past.
For a moment Bessie fancied that
the conductor had overlooked her in
the crowd-the ear was packed to the
utmost. Nor was it until she saw the
stranger, whose observation had an
noyed her, making his way towards the
other end of the car, that, finding him
alone, she understood that he had paid
for her as the other one of the ''two''
The discovery not only found her IN
grateful, it filed her with indigna-
ton. The one thing needed to com
plete her annoyance was that young
man, with whom she was totally unac-
quainted, should treat her as an OBJ
iect of charity. How dared he do such
a thing? Fortunately she remembered
that there was still something worse;
to make a scene and call public atten-
ton to the fact. She had no choice but
to ignore the transaction and appear
unconscious of the mans existence.
She knew that her cheeks were burn
ing, but she clenched her hands inside
her muff and looked neither to the
right nor to the left.
Bessie had always Leen quick-tem-
pered. AS a small girl, when she got
into a passion, her mother used to
make her repeat poetry until she
quoted down. She had kept up the
practice, of herself, in later years,
finding it wholesome and easy disci-
pline. She tried. it now, and became
so absorbed that her tingling nerves
soon found relief.
By that time, the stranger who had
come to her rescue had left the car,
to her great satisfaction. Her ride
was a long one, and before reaching
home she was cool enough to con-
clude that, except for staring at her,
the man had done a kind action in
a gentlemanly way.
HE meant well enough, I dare
say" she told herself, ''but if I ever
see him again I shall pay him that
five cents, or die"