The St. Johns herald., 1901-02-02
SsA1;AzA&aASssRAAAA1A s And So They're Engaged } e The Romance of e Nidsummsr 1 6 Luncheon in Town E &tAxrA&eHtAxsNxrNvrNxrexrA5

THE head waiter pressed button
 in the wall and rose-colored cleo tric bulbs blossomed like flowers upon the ceiling, filling the great dining room with soft, still radiance and show ing the white tables surrounded with ornate high-backed chairs. now elo- qucntly empty. The air from the av- elue stirred the lace that screened the open windows and made the blooming marguerites in great high tubs about the room move on their fragrant stems.
 II was barbarousIy early for dinner, but ridiculously late for luncheon, but it had suited the mood of the man and the maiden who had met by accident and had been spending delightfully."- lnchaperoned day in town. Besides that there were trains to be taken back to 9 fashionable resort. where break fssts. luncheons and dinners made such informal meetings as this quite impos- sibie. So. as the girl said, it was all the more fun. They were not even dressed for dinner and the head waiter, who was punctilious in such matters, .anced somewhat disapprovingly at he girls linen shirt waist and her bamboo hat with pouf of blue, tilted lo sn over her brows. The man was a well-dressed. well-tubbed specimen.
 The room was almost deserted except for those two and the occasional cackIe Of a waiter was all that broke the si- lence except their own discreetly-low- cred voices. 4 small East Indian man picture squely turbaned and robed in white came toward their table bearing 8 chafng dish upon a silver tray from which he served them noiselessly with rice an6 chicken while waiter poured wine into two pale greenish glasses. Tie service had all the dignity and in portance of rite.
 The girls face took on a look of in- tense satisfaction as she tasted the first .lorsel. As her sun-kissed hands moved yer heg plate the man thought that she was one of the few women who ate racefully. As a rule. they were too
 ,nchalant or too enthusiastic. But ..bis girls appetite had all the repres- sion of Duse.
 Isn't it funny?" she said.
 "Funny2"
 Why. of course, it's too funny for anything! To think of our meeting, by accident, of all places, at church. Tell newly do you go to church?"
 ITO kill time. suppose. Then the music there is admirably good and the sermons--''
 Admirably short!"
 Exactly! Why did you go"
 'T always go. It's become a habit bith me. But it is the very last place 2 should have expected to see you. It E remarkable coincidence that we hould have drifted there. Don't you link things happen oddly at times?"
 What kind of things?D
 Coincidences-for instance?"
 Please don't call our meeting a mere q 'rcidence. I call it the result of an
 lcated mind wave.'
 Mind wave?"
 'Yes--a brain current. You know
 India"
 That's where you go hunting lions, It it?" "No-tigers in India"
 "Isllt you hunt lions, too-don't you?" Never have. I gave one run once, aough."
 "oh. how perfectly lovely Tell me about it."
 It wouldn't interest you. You see, I was running first"
 "iiai ha! la!" Funny. wasn't it? We'll, in India. where they live on this sort of thing rice and chicken"
 And sauterne?"
 "Er-well-no animal food-you un- derstand-they get their souls culti- va.sd to such an extent that they can communicate with each other across lorg distances.
 Anybody can?"
 "0h, you must be educated up to it. Ni' American doesn't take to it as 'okly. but the natives believe in it. is part of their religion. They can 2 ,orm all sorts of magical tricks. I ,re no doubt that the man who cooks tAis-the little chap in the turban- talks without words" T noticed he didn't speak. And do yen know-as he moved about so still and quiet-I felt-felt-" 'Jarred?' "No-chilled-just as though I were under spell He has such mysterious eyes. Did you notice2"
 Never notice mems eyes. Waste of time"
 Hal ha! hal Iwish he would come in again!" i He probably will"
 "Hush!" "What?"
 "oh-here he comesi He has another dish." "Good."
 Don't lei us pretend to notice. Yes. as lou Were saying, quite agree with Sau, that the day has been a pleasant ons--bs9 what would people think if th . cagpe, in and found us dining to- geiher.at five o'clock. I, in sailor 
 "u sailor hat also"
 "And Chappy-'
 Twenty miles away." "But if we hadn't met-sh-h! He's fsas away! Never spoke a syllable. This is another of those sou. foods. It's the same, but different! I