Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1903-04-09
AS THROUGH A F.;
GLASS f;
By LILLIAN c. PASCHAL {
Copyright, fSo9, bv the
S. S. Mcclure Company
"Will YOU look at that 2"
By LILLIAN c. PASCHAL
Copyright, 1So2, by the

| office across the street from mine? l am
| sure she is good and bright and lovable
| from her looks, which 1 study surrepti-
| tiously from my window every day. But
| seeing through a glass darkly is most un-
satisfactory-she is so tantaliZingly near
| and yet so far. l am a young jeweler of
| twenty-seven-father left me a good busi-
! ness-a Yale graduate of good family and
| honorable intentions. but how can 1 let
| her know all this? She is not the flirting
| kind, and 1 might wait years before find
| ing mutual friend to introduce us.
1 Yours anxiously, PERClVAL X. Z.
"Uh-huh," grunted Miss Howard"
| putting new life into the dimming light
| of his Turkish, like scads of others
we get, isn't it?'
| But do you see the address of that
importing firmf"
Lesson & CLIFFORD, DIAMOND I'M
| PORTERS.
J. B. Leson. p r. Clifford.
Fifth floor, Center Building. N. Y.
'Looks familiar" Jack ruminated,
| gazing thoughtfully out into the smoky
side street. His glance fell upon a
white lettered sign on the window op-
| posite He chuckled. by Jove! see
| it all, cousin. He is your conquest
across the way, who probably labors
under the impression that you are
| Miss Howard-thus are my laurels
| stolen from me. He is standing in the
window over there now, waiting, most
likely, to see how you take his deep
laid plot"
"Who? Conquest! 1 have no. be-
gan Miss Davidson innocently, but
she flushed pinkly all over her pretty
| face and stopped short under Jacks
amused scrutiny
"Now, Jo dear, don't try to fool
| your Uncle Jack. It's my private
opinion that every woman's heart is
Marconi receiving apparatus that reg
listers faithfully every answer to her
| own charms.
"Jack" This time the tone was in
dignant. you couldn't think I'd fiirt
with a stranger"
Never my child. You misread my
metaphor. Well, I'll let you answer
the letter Tell him Faint heart ne'er
won,' etc." he added teasingly, taking
up his blue pencil to begin the makeup
| for the next issue Of the woman's
| page.
II shall certainly give him some
good advice" she returned, with a toss
Of her shapely head.
! Accordingly the next days issue of
the Evening Arrow published the let
ter of "Percival r. c." at the head of
the "Cupid's Column" Below it was
the chilling editorial reply:
would refer you to a wiser author
ity, the national proverbs first, 'Ap-
pearances are deceitfuP; second, Fate
brings together those destined for each
other Don't meddle with destiny"
| Which journalistic wet blanket, how
ever, seemed not to have the intended
cooling effect upon its recipient, for he
| opened his window every afternoon
| thereafter just the same and whistled
loudly to a newsboy below to bring
up two Arrows"
Having in due time received them,
he sat down on the broad window sill
and ostentatiously perused the entire
womans page. Across the way the
assistant editor thereof dimpled and
twinkled over her desk and her muci-
lage brush, though her head was stu
| diously turned away from the street.
Miss Davidson prided herself on her
rigid sense of justice, but sometimes it
was sorely tested. 1t was her duty
to open and read all letters and the
manuscripts for the daily prize story
! of 500 words. These last she assorted
into three piles-good, possible and i'm
| possible The first were published, the
second turned over for another read
| ing and final decision to the editor,
Miss Howard" The last were re-
turned to the writers.
She came upon one which she I'M
hesitatingly pronounced good and was
| about to place it on the first pile when
the name and address Of the author
| caught her eye.
| She recognized them as belonging to
| q woman who was second reader"
on q well known magazine and who
| had only the week before rejected a
| story which Miss Davidson had sub
mitted for publication. Her cheeks
burned anew as she recalled the curt
| sentence scrawled across the usual
printed declined with thanks slip
| which rouses all the evil passions in
the literary temperament:
Dear Madam-You can surely do better
| stories than this. Send us really first
| rate story, and we will be glad con-
| slider it, ALICE c. SMITH, Reader.
She took a rejection slip from a
| pigeonhole in her desk. Chance had
| put revenge into her own hands.
She dipped her pen into the violet
ink and poised it above the slip. Then
she paused. This was the Sumter
shot of the war. between 'cattiness,"
| which she detested, and justice. An
other moment of hesitation, then Vic
| tory perched on the banner of the
blind goddess.
She laid down the dried pen and
tossed the casus belli over to the desk
of the editor, saying briefly:
Better run that one tomorrow"
"All right Whatever you say goes"
MAY 1 see Miss HowardT' asked
deep voice at the door of their clut-
| tered den two days later. Jack Hig-
| gins looked up from his sheaf of
| proofs and recognized ''Percival r. O."
Il am Miss Howard" he said coolly.
What can do for your
| "Oh-I-I thought Stammered the
| visitor; then recovered himself, catch
| ing in his embarrassment at the first
straw, which happened to be Jacks
Greek letter fraternity pin. Il say,
| am an Alpha Omega too" And he
| gave him the grip. My names Cliff
ford. / have n message of thanks for
| you from my sister, Mrs. Smith, whose
story took your ten dollar prize yes
terday; also the receipt for your
| check"
| Jacks eyes twinkled as he sized up
| this persistent suitor Cad, I'll help
him out" was the mental result of his
| scrutiny. He waved his hand toward
the desk by the window where sat
very red checked young woman.
"Aly cousin, Miss Davidson. attends
TO that, Mr.. Clifford" he said.
And that was the way Fate intro
duced them.