Smyrna times., 1904-11-02
The
COnQuerOr
By KEITH GORDON
Copyright, 1901, bY VI. McKen

AIanice looked at his watch. 1t was
ten minutes past 4, and he was al !
ready late for an engagement. Never
theless he dashed hastily into the big
department store, determined to pro-
cure the driving gloves that he sorely
needed.
The tired clerks and shining pneu-
matte tubes seemed to be in league to
detain him, and he was strolling i'm
patiently up and down, inwardly re-
Wiling the system that made such delay
possible, when the sight of a tall, fair
girl also waiting for change, trans
formed his feelings like the touch of a
fairy wand. His impatience vanished;
his engagement was forgotten. He
had seen his ideal woman!
A weaker man might have failed to
detect his chance in the mere passing
glimpse of a face in the crowd. Not
so Manice. If fate, in effect, said to
him. Don't you wish you knew her?"
he indomitably answered, Trust me
l shall know her" And so the game
began.
Social customs he regarded ,as so
many fences inclOsing and dividing the
field of action. Under ordinary circum-
stances he respected these defenses
and skirted them decOrously until he
came to gateways. like any other well
bred individual. But the case in hand
was comparable only to a cross coun-
try ride, when the man who would be
in at the death must go over the
fences, jump the bitches and stay him
not for gateways and bridges.
All of which means that Floyd Man
ice. usually the most dignified and con-
servative of men, spent the rest of the
afternoon following slim, erect young
woman at a very respectful distance
and utterly without her knowledge.
At p. m. he had the satisfaction
Of seeing her enter smart trap at
Morristown, n. J., whittier she had
unwittingly led him, and satisfied
from her manner that she was at home
he paced the platform waiting for the
train back to town and making plans
with an exultant confidence born of
long success.
mer. eh?" exclaimed his partner in
some surprise when he announced his
intention a week later. 81 thought you
loathed New Jersey%
"Mstaken idea of yours" responded
Mance, with mendacious brevity. by
the way, do you know any one there?
Events usually moved with business
like precision when Manice started t.
accomplish an end. Within two weeks
from the day on which he first saw
his star. as he called her to himself
he was established in Morristown
waiting in strong, serene, yet humble
ey "nctation for her to appear once
"a upon his horizon.
Ie days passed like a procession
of suails. but she did not appear, and
- gh through the kindness Of cit!
! ends he had a number Of introduC
: ons. he made no effort to discove
ner identity. He had a strange, swee
consciOusness-tO which he held il
= spite Of disappointment and the dc
q plorable sentimentality into which
was leading him-that she was surel
drifting toward him and that each da
i brought them nearer together.
4 Near the end of the third week hi
. faith was rewarded 1t was on th
2 golf links. and a ripple of peculiarl
clear. frank laughter somewhere nea
% him caused him to turn his head. ST
- and a companion were sauntering t
:" ward him, every line Of her lith
graceful figure standing out gloriOusl
against the pure background of IL
nd sky, her brown hair framing her fa'
lin in a bewitching disorder.
e On this glimpse of her Manice live
ing for another week, and then his frien
mo Duncan Brown, descended upon hi
,,.. for the weeks end stay. Duncan wou
Re. have been welcome under any circul
1'S' stances, but when he announced that
s,s. great friend Of his Betty Aston, liv
Re in MOrristown and offered to Ia
Manice to see her the latter press
at the freedom of his bachelor quartz
OK upon him with added fervency, VIC
dering if by chance he was entertain
isS. @ an angel unawares.
N. So indeed it proved.
Il think l saw you on the links I
90 OJQer Gay, MISS AlSIOH ISlhoi ~
var var turning to Manice after the greetin
Vsrs were over, and that gentleman alwa
Tits wondered what he said in reply. 1
With one impression that he carried aw
!" from that meeting was "a confusl
sense of having been projected UNI
pectedly into the very midst of heav
ut That impression, however, was
lasting. Time revealed that If NJ
Aston was a guiding star others
sides himself were looking, raising til
eyes to her and following where
4 led.
Still he drew a sigh of relief at
thought that he had two rivals inst'
Of one. Always in these matters tn
was safety in numbers.
~ Keeping a watchful eye upon
a rivals is wearing work even fol
Strong man. If Manice had been
T., cinated by Betty Alston's face, at
IT, IT, end of two months it was lovelieT