The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-12-12
A CHANCE
ACQUAINTANCE.
BY WALTER REYNOLDS.

Popham's tenements, Cyprian
Beck stood watching-with an i'll
terested eye and a view to copy"
the play of labor's children in
the courtyard below.
Three weeks ago, dressed in his
Bhabbiest clothes, he had gone to
the great west side and taken pos
session of his little room in the
"MOdels." AS a conscientious
Journalist, he had felt it necessary
to steep himself in poverty's at
mosphere while he wrote his Sc
ries, '9The Bees and the DrOnes,"
for the Planet.
"Take care.~ Cyprian suddenly
shouted.
A quietly dressed girl was ad-
Nancing into the courtyard
through the wide passage which
served as the common entrance
from the street beyond. Her back
was toward a mob of juvenile ex-
Citement sweeping impetuously
towards her in a strenuous effort
10 capture one of the last suryiv-
Ors in the game of pump, pump,
pull away" In another moment
she would have been carried off
her feet.
The girl drew back to avoid the
threatened impact, and, looking
up, smiled her thanks to the jour
nalist. AS she did so, however,
her smile suddenly changed to a
look of horror, and, with an excit-
ed movement, she pointed with
her %fOrefnger directly above
him. Cyprian, quickly turning
his glance upward, momentarily
caught sight of a bundle falling
toward him and stretched out his
hands blindly, just as his hat was
knocked over his eyes and his pipe
dashed from his lips. In his TEN.
porary darkness his left hand
caught some fabric that ripped as
he heidi it; but the bundles descent
momentarily checked, his right
olutched at the mass and held il
tight. The imprisoning hat alb
solutely INSTRUCTED his field Of
vision, but a series of frantic yenS
as he deposited the bundle beside
him upon the balcony told him il
was alive.
With some expenditure of force
and definite loss of skin from the
bridge of his nose, he ruefully ex
tricated himself, in time TO see the
face of the quietly dressed CIR.
dimpfed with laughter as h.
emerged from his uncomfortable
position.
"Please forgive mew she said
almost Historically, the tears il
her eyes. "Such a combination o
tragedy and comedy is almost too
much for me. must either laugl
at your struggle to get out of you
hat, or cry with thankfulness a
Gods goodness in letting you say.
the baby"
Cyprian, regarding her crOOr
Ing over the tiny creature, and CO
ressing it into quietude in he
arms, marveled at her beauty an
refined appearance.
"For goodness sake don't apo
Ogizep replied Cyprian, recover
Ing himself. 81 am sure my al
pearance was sufficiently absur
to excite the sense of the lud
crous in anyone"
at was, indeed~ exclaimed th
girl.
This time the contagiousnes
Of mirth manifested itself, an
Cyprian joined heartily in IL
girls laughter.
"There! Now | know you al
not angry with me, l am so glac
o, gracious! here comes Il
waits mother. Please look sci
Gus, or we shall gain a reputatiC
for hard-heartedness, which ! a
sure | don't deserve"
Such was Cyprian Beck's i
formal introduction to Claire f
wards, the "young woman at 15
POpham's."
During the days that follow,
he often found himself, more
design than accident, standil
out upon the balcony in the aftt
Woon az Tho tima whom che uou