Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-03-14
Tie Return OF Yesterday.

lEC NL1Ga II Oh 1CStGi Gdfs
| When The cxigcncies Of courtesy de-
prived Harding Of his seat in the Two
penny Tube. it did not happen to him to
take note Of the girl for whom he had
risen. His mind was merely bordering
the instinct which causes women, as a
class, to crowd IKE ants into public
vehicles at the time when all the world
IS returning from business, and mutely
demand a seat He resettieI his hat
upon his head, and, reaching out for Il
strap, continued to read his evening
| paper.
The train hurtlcd and cianked hila-
! riousiy through darkness. and Harding
! had to brace his feet to keep from being
/ swung about. He shifted them after
while, and shortened his grasp of the
4 strap. In doing So ne glanced down nj
the girl beside him. Something about
| her struck an instant note Of familiarity
! He could not place it. 1t was lust that
degree which may be acquired by sitting
| opposite to person for an hour in rail.
way carriage. yet with it Harding had
vague conviction that, somewhere, he
| had spoken to her. lie studied inch by
inch the poise of her black hat brim, the
slim, ungloved hands thrust into her
jacket pockets, cropping meanwhile in his
mind for some definite association. 1t
contrived to worry him. Presently the
girl looked up 1t was Margot
why -why-" he found himself
saying. He bent and shook hands with
her. How queer our running up against
each other like ths."
The wonder in his mind was how he
should not at once have known it was
She. Suddenly, at ioht of her face the
environment OF the Twopenny Tube had
faded, and he was back in the old fifth
floor studio off the Kings road. with the
smell Of varnish and oil stove and plas-
tered walls. He had pastel sketch of
her yet that he made in those days-he
had come across it only IA week ago
among pile of forgotten canvases.
They exchanged the inconsequenees of
| people who meet after four years. Hard
| ing asked her how she liked the new
railway, and enlarged upon the advan-
tages of getting to the city in twenty
minutes with all the enthusiasm of a
man to whom time was of no value
| whatever All the while he was busy
defining in what ways she had changed.
She looked older. Her clothes were
shabby, but she was the kind of girl
who could wear shabby things with alb
s0lute effect. Her face had to him a
look of hollowness under the cheap pic.
trc hat; her lips showed scarlet. Her
big shadowy eyes royed the carriage
while she talked, in swift continual note
of fellow passengers. He remembered
the old, restless trick Of her hands in her
jacket pockets.
little green signal was flashed upon
the black of the tunnel. 4 moment later
the iolting darkness gave place to "A glim-
mer of white tiled walls. A cool draught
blew down the back Of llarding's collar.
and simultaneously the sliding doors at
the end OF the car drew apart to disclose
the vision of an automatic conductor
| who announced "Oilan Park"
Harding suddenly realized that he had
said nothing to her at all. Look, You
might get ont here, can't you?' he said.
: You aren't in hurryg Come round as
far as the studio with me, and we can
have chat"
Outside thin furry of snow was fall
ing, the first OF the season, and the pave
ment CLEANED wet under the street
lamps. Talking became all at once pos
sible How are YOU getting on?' Hard
ing asked the girl.
oh, pretty well On and off. YOU
know. Its much the same
She spoke ilippantly. Her eyes rested
, for the space of n second upon his face.
-Four years. said Harding. thinking.
Its a bit of time My Lord"
| At length Il wide vestibulc flung a
comfortable square OF light across the
pavement. Here we are" Harding said.
They paused under the gaslight in the
r tiled hail. while he brushed the melting
snow.lakes from her Jacket. The girl
coughed; a rasping cough that seemed
, to shake the whole of her slim body.
Got Geld. haven't you:" said Hard.
j ing, 9cnially. so have I-~beastlv. I'm
glad to get i'll out of that wet 1t is a
night"
lie stopped and fitted a latehkcy into
one of the doors II opened with a click.
and he held it for her to enter.
No stairs here, You seeg? Don't fall
J over things and Kill yourself. and IN find
! the gas"
lie struck a light, revealing a big.
untidy room Uttered with eanyases :
tall Dutch easel stood Mt one end and
costly hangings glowcd in soft colors
There were chairs of old carved oak and
large round mirror framed in beaten
copper
Margot stood in the middle of the
floor and looscned her Jacket at the
th~st Well, you've got on" she said
at last.
What do You mean?" Harding paused.
with the burnt match still between his
fingers.
why this" She indicated the sur.
roundingS with a little sweeping ges-
ture.
oh, don't know" returned Harding;
J i don't know Sit down." he