The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-21

from one, near the CASHIERS desk,
to Thirty three, by the gas range, all
knew that Five was deeply in love with
Sixteen. They worked side by side be-
hind the long counter. She was a
shapely slip in black and white, with
lace dolly on the top of her head. Ig-
noring straw hair, sky eyes and tilted
rose, her mere brogue as she chirped
tossing her head, ooh Kay! Twice on
the BoStonS! Draw one, milk on the
side!" was enough to dumbfound any
chip of the old Adam block into dish
ing rice instead of tapioca, New Yorks
instead of Bostons and drawing milk
with coffee on the side. Indeed, who,
seeing the numbered badge at her
taut belt, could have missed the coin
cidence Sweet Sixteen?"
Five was a lank, sacrifical priest in
white duck and a pancake hat, beneath
which a sole rebellious curl trickled
down his brow like a blonde celery top.
He invalidated all rivals by demagnet-
iZation. Once, detecting Twelve red
handed in fond trivialities under COW
er of a round of wheats, extra brown,
he challenged him straightway to a
bread-slicing contest, a outrance. The
engagement was fought beneath the
eyes of Sweet Sixteen. In one minute
thirty slices; Twelve cut ninety-SiX
slices and three fingers. They wrangled
a foul, covered, respectively, with glory
and gore. Sixteen merely dropped her
lashes and smiled.
One rainy afternoon Five loaned her
his umbrella, includin himself, all
along her transporting way. There
after the tables buzzed, behind the
managers back, with rumors of Five's
accelerating suit. Her folks were nice,
respectable folks, and they thought a
lot of him. Five's uncle, wealthy and
attached to Five, was a steady GUS
toner. All Five had to do was to drop
something in his choWder and name
the happy day.
Its fixed" confded Five. There
was a guy keeping company with her
"a neverwork, a regular deadhead; but
her folks soured on him, an kicked
him out, an give me the running. I'm
over there every evenin'. Don't say
nothin' but she's gettin' fonder of me
every day." Five had never seen his
rival, but intimated that if he turned
up again, he.- Five. would make him
look as mean as raisins in rice pud-
ding.
HE put. out Of action successfully
the chef, his two assistants, Coffe- Urn
Charlie and Wheatcake Willie; but
customers stretched him bound and
gagged upon the rack. To his whetted
sense they but toyed with the Yiands
served them by Sweet Sixteen-a di-
aphanous screen behind which, to dart
hurried monosyllables of passion at
fair Ceres of the dropped lashes and
tilted nose. They sat upon his soul, a
legion of green-eyed monsters, mock
ing the meat they fed on.
But early in June there appeared a
modest, subdued youth with rudy
cheeks, close curls, and a pair of
square shoulders beneath his old coat.
Every day, in the wake of the noon
himself at the counter. He dissem-
bled well, fixing shy eyes upon his
plate, but once Five detected his gaze
shunt covertly to the seductive waist
Of Sweet Sixteen, and there began the
tragedy of soul. At Five's very
shrine sprang up an intrigue of mad
dening subtlety. No sign passed be-
tween the guilty pair. The new Gus
toner champed stolidly. Sixteen, her
work done, leaned opposite, with al
Turing averted face, and as Five imag-
ined the multiplied reflections each
could see of each in the Inirrored walls
his soul shriveled to a crisp and he
put the bread knife from him.
BY frenZying degrees the new Gus
toner's ten-minute quick lunch ex-
banded into a Grecian gorge; he sat by
the hour in wistfuI trance, baten-
ing his soul on beauty beneath an in
terminable menu of pretext. With the
digestion of an ostrich, the delibera-
ton of a cow, he sacrificed daily be-
fore his divinity great hetacombs of
bread, stew, fish, eggs and pie. Vainly
did Five ossify his rivals toast, SAIL
nate his coffee, ice water his wheats,
plant toothpicks in his pie, win back
abandoned eggs to desperate resuscita-
ton. The new Customer, soaring above
the realm of taste, continued the me-
chanical process Of mastication and
STEPPED his soul in multiplied reflec-
tons Of Sweet Sixteen.
Good looks in ragged clothes lay Sc
ductive siege to femininity. The girls
whispered sentimentalIy beneath the
clatter Of china that it was just beau
tiful, SO romantic-at reluctant odds
with their sympathy for Five. But of
that he would have none; he escorted
Sixteen twice diurnally, and limited
that the day was not far off.
It's all right" he whispered mys-
teriously to Bluepoint Pete. Tier folks
is dead anxious to have it fixed; an
we got our eye on little fiat across
the bridge; an that girl-say, she gets
1OnQer OF me every Gay. mus ruInOr
echoed, but Sweet Sixteen merely
dropped her lashes and smiled.
1t was on the 1st Of July that the
new Customer swung in in official blue,
with a silver badge on his chest and
Conductor TAI" blazoned acrosss his
cap. He smiled over the bill OF fare
at Sweet Sixteen; she handed him a
napkin, blushing, and her cry for
Drop two on the hash-coffee, little
milk" thrilled with suppressed emo
ton.
He gaZed upon her, sailing his food
obviously; she strovc weakly to mould
butter chips, beneath the blaze of his
buttons Five stirred imaginary things
around in the great stewpot with can
nibalistic frenzy.
Just then a second man seated him.
self. Five hurried up beaming; and
the rumor flew that it was Sixteen's
father. All unconscious, Sixteen and
the uniform were searching through
the bill of fare. Suddenly the new
conner started from his stool, eyes bulg-
ing, and laid violent hands on soup
plate. Five looked from him to the
pair, then experiencing vast floods of
light frlrIIod nff arlyi Gallons fO an arm