Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1903-07-22
-asss,
THE GIRL
l AT SMITHS

window and saw her looking at me.
gave only quick glance at her that
time, but her face haunted me all day
long as l sat at my desk. left the Of
| fee earlier that evening, and as be-
gan to near Smiths l looked to catch a
glimpse Of her should she happen to be
there. Smith, by the way, is fash
| ionable ladies' garment maker, and so
thought she might have to DE there
again to attend to the inexorable de-
mands Of her dressmaker.
AS hurried on / almost trod upon
newsboy who was calling out his EEK
try spechuls," and jostled against an
elderly man who was carrying paper
parcel-jostled with sufficient force to
cause him to drop the burden. With
profuse apologies l stopped and picked
it up for him. He received my over
lures with much calmness, looking over
his glasses and screwing up his mouth
till the little lines that radiated across
his shaven upper lip made it look like
miniature aurora borealis. Then l
continued my headlong flight, and soon
l was opposite Smiths. l looked up.
Sure enough, there she stood, looking
down the street. 1 watched her. She
was calm. AS Tennyson says, Her eyes
were homes of silent prayer" l stay
ed as long as / dared, for knew the
magnetic effect ON the passerby when
one stops to look at anything intently,
| and l was jealous enough not to want
any one else to look at her. One even
ing as l was looking at the performers
by some unaccountable attraction my
| sight was drawn to one young woman
! who, in playing a subordinate part, was
| costumed in a nicely fitting suit Of
brown. What was it that made it seem
| familiar? 1t was the costume l had
| seen her wear as she stood one morning
| in Smiths window as | passed. Could
it be that had found her at last? The
face did not seem quite the same, but
/ the dress I could swear to. ..~.-.~.
This increased the mystery.
| AS soon as the performance was over
/ went to the stage door, whence all
the participants of the evening would
leave the theatcr. l waited on the OPP
posite side of the street for her to APP
| pear. l crossed and stood under the
| lamp that lighted the sidewalk dimly
| around the door. One or two that /
was almost sure were she passed out
| into the waiting carriages, but still l
| did not feel fully satisfied. 1t was
| growing very late, and l was chilly
from the damp air that was drifting in
from the harbor. Presently the light
was turned out, and all was darkness.
The last carriage had rolled away some
minutes before-evidently all were out
who went that way-and, foiled in my
! search, turned homeward once more.
| A great sorrow was upon me.
The next day l felt angry with her.
angry for no cause of hers but angry
| because l had been prevented from
meeting her. l did not care to hang
about Smiths, nor did l have any ex-
| cuse that would take me in there.
went to my work by another route. I
saw new things and met new faces
and arrived at my office without hav-
ing once thought of her. But all day
while at my desk I kept feeling that
the day had not been properly begun,
and / counted the hours until the time
should come when l would be free to
go home and go past her again. Oh.
face haunted days!
Again my plans were changed, this
time through no agency of mine, for as
l was leaving the Office / saw in his
charming little brougham my friend
Robinson, who, seeing me, pulled up
and said: Here, old man. let me drive
you home. Jump in here. won't take
no for an answer" So got In beside
him, and we rode homeward by anoth-
er route.
| "Old boy" said Robinson, "you are
not looking yourself What's the mat
ter with you? Are you In lover
"No, / think not" l replied. ANY
way, have no reason to be. don't
know Of any girls in the office, not
even the typewriter. and the only ones
l meet during the day are the walters,
but am not in love with them"
| "YOu speak as though there was q
bare possibility of your being in love
after all. Now, what and who is II?
Tell me about 1t. A fault confessed II
half redressed, and In this case you
may feel easier II you have some one
| to tell II to and to talk with about
her"
| mo" protested, 81 am not in love.
don't know any woman. I say"
"Well, that may all be, but you
can be In love with a woman you
don't know. Where have you seen
| herr"
I'm Smiths"
Smiths! Where's that? Not the la.
dies tailor, Is it," he exclaimed in
! some surprise.
Yes. l begin to think she works
there. but that doesn't make any diff
ference. does it?"
"Oh, no, I suppose not! Love will
60 where it Is sent. II 1t is out Of the