Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1904-09-03
A New Cinderella


1ACK BERE.,SON caught sight OF
al her "a he was going to the office
" after lunch. He frequently caught
sight Of her. but this was the extent
Of their acquaintance. He had groan'
ed more than once to think convention
atty forbade a more extended one.
She was not the kind Of a girl with
whom one might scrape up bowling
recognition. to be later elaborated into
an interchange of commonplaces that
misht eliminate in permission to call.
Indeed, II she had been. It Il safe to
conclude Berensen would not have
troubled his head about her. for he
had a social position to maintain, q
good deal Of personal pride and more
than the average sense Of exclusive
ness.
"Hallow he said, suddenly, and stop.
ped short.
The girl ahead had paused. She was
evidently In some predicament. for she
stopped as though to extricate herself
Or to pick up an article dropped. Al.
most at the same instant, however. a
tremendous dray. piled with boxes,
bore down upon her. and at the shout
Of the driver, who was striving to
rein In his huge Percherons. she
sprans toward safety and reached the
sidewalk.
Berenson let the dray pass. Looking
down directly on the spot where the
girl had hesitated, he saw that which
had arrested her, and bending quickly,
he pulled out Of the thick, black, sticky
mud an absurdly small rubber, with
its wrinkles holding the arch Of high
httle instep.
"well! he calculated. "here's luck"
He felt ridiculously elated. So
pleased did he look. in fact, that a
friend tostling him as he reached the
opposite sidewalk remarked his salts
faction.
wheat gone up. Berenson:"
"No-rubber" laughed Berenson.
And his friend walked of, wondering
what there was In fishing footwear out
OF the mire to make fellow look 70
!diottcally pleased.
"It was mighty muddy. too" he
commented disgustedly.
This accusation could not be made
against Il an hour later. cleansed and
polished to the highest possible degree
by the man who kept the shoestand in
the once building where Berenson had
4 suite. He took his prize upstairs,
and deposited 1t, wrapped in tissue pa.
Der, ON the top OF his desk.
Then he sauntered to the window
10 look over at the skyscraper across
the way, where at certain window,
In q certain tier, he had often seen Q
certain head. II was a shapely head,
ringleted as close as baby's with
sunny brown curls. Indeed, 70 fire.
Quently Of late had he gone TO his own
easement 10 discover II that paricu.
lar bonnie head and rose-leaf face
were within range OF his vision that
his business began TO suffer from such
errat.c absences.
Not that Jack Berenson was bother
ing himself about business. During
those minutes he stood. absorbed In
day dreams, staring apparently at the
uninteresting wall OF an uninteresdng
building, he was thinking for the most
part how strange II was that he who
had come gaily up the road OF life
heart whole and fancy free, until he
had reached his thirtieth milestone
should all at once be beset by the
most chimerica hopes, the most fu
die desires, the most glorious OF cha
ottc imag!nings.
II was lunacy, he told himself
stark. staring lunacy-that he should
90 on his way with a bounding hear
and a feeling OF the most senselesi
eXhilaration, Just because he had pass
ed a girlish figure on the sidewalk
me- the indifferent glance OF violet