Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-24

morning, rather an early hour for us.
But it was most lucky, after ALL.
had a berth next to that of my sister.
The porter failed to call until about
ten minutes before we should arrive
so we had to scramble to get dressed.
OF course it took Helen longer than it
did me. She had to fuss just as much
as if she had expected to see a regi-
ment of people at that hour of the day.
So she asked me to put some things in
the grip which she had. l did as she
told me to, and in the half-light. and
being in a hurry, l hardly noticed what
III put in.
Later in the morning. when Helen
started to unpack her valise, she found
a shoe. She Immediately came into my
| room with it in her hand and said
| Where on EARTH Jack. did this (holding
up the shoe) come FROM
| Il looked at it and replied, Why
! isn't it yours? l remember picking it
up in the sleeping car from under
your berth
| "'Well, it doesn't belong to me- she
answered; and some poor girl will find
herself minus a shoe this morning.
Il took the article of discussion in
my hand. 1t was so different from any
style of shoe / had noticed on women.
| BY Jove' l exclaimed. that's pretty
shoe, and such sensible one! 1t
| looks more like a mans shoe than a
girls Then. examining it more close
ly, l saw that it was a comparatively
new one, as it gave evidence of hav-
ing been worn only two or three times.
the girl who wears such a shoe
must be a good sort of a girl l said,
glaaeihg down at Helenis French shoes
in disgust.
| Helen paid no attention to my i'm
piled sarcasm, but asked. Well what
are you going to do about it"
You leave it to me-, for an idea
had suddenly darted through my head;
| III find the owner
| Hope So retorted Helen as she
left me.
| Now you know, Dick, that in a way
! have always been playing the part of
amateur detective, and so / resolved to
| find the owner of that shoe and find to
my own satisfaction what kind of a
woman the owner would prove to be-
LAS soon as we returned home l went
to the railroad office and inquired if
they had heard anything about any one
looking for shoe. They said they had
not. l requested them to let me know
if they did, and they said they would
| Next l journeyed to several of our
prominent stores, asking if they car
riedS the make of shoe: they replied in
| the negative. But finally the last store
l entered said yes, they had the agency
for it.
| The clerk proved to be an old ac-
quaintance of mine: SO, explaining as
much as was necessary to him, l asked
if he could tell me of any way l could
| find out where a certain shoe came
from. as there was no firm mark in it.
He pondered a moment, them an
swered Every shoe is numbered, and
| you might write to the manufacturers
and ask them if they could find out
what store they had sold such a num-
| Der to- after, of course, ascertaining
that his firm hadn't had that number
in stock.
Il did as he said, and received very
courteous letter in reply. giving me the
desired information. 1t proved to be a
| place few hundred miles from here.
AS business was quiet and 1. could be
ispared, / decided to go there and be-
gin my search: So / told the family
/ was called away on a business trip,
of course keeping the object of my go
| ing from them, or they would have
| thought I had surely gone insane.
ION my arrival the first thing did
was to find the store and make my way
to the shoe department. A pleasant
| looking clerk waited on me. and asked
/ T Tnr IL,
ed out that l wanted some of this kind
of shoes.
Then he asked me what size Madam
wore?' | was staggered, and nearly
committed myself. by saying number
nines.' but fortunately remembered
then the three and a half of the little
shoe in my grip, apdl SO saved the day.
Then / jollied UP the clerk bit and
finally told him fenough to interest him
in my adventure. He suggested that
perhaps he. 90 dtfld snersuade the book
and and Ds see Il i this particular t u make
was chafgsd. TO any zone. In subtle
manner. 1s1et him know that it would
be to his advantage. He told me to
call around the next morning.
Il didn't know a soul in the place.
but managed to pass the time some
how. In the morning was at the store
early and sought out the clerk, who
gave me a list of women to whose ac-
counts he had found this make of shoe
charged.
well, Dick. / started out. Talk of
the Prince hunting Cinderella, he didn't
begin to have the time | did. He had
what call "a cinch. 1t would take too
long to tell you all the funny adven-
lures had, so will only relate few of
them.
One of the addresses was to Ger
man family. The old father came to
the door in response to my ring, and !: