Smyrna times., 1904-10-12
LIES GRAB
BAG ~
BY KEITH GORDON
Copyright, 1904, BY Keith Gordon

Life" meditated Cynthia as she |
tucked in the ends of her veil more |
neatly ''is nothing more than a grab |
bag on a huge seals. Day by day you |
nut your hand in and grab something |
hut until Ou take it out and unfold |
# vou never know whether it is a Joy
or a sOrrow!
With a droll smile at the idea, she
picked up her gloves and card case,
took last comprehensive survey of
herself in the cheval glass and then
passed down the stairs and out into
the street filled with the gentle exhil-
aration that her view of life induced.
One did not know, for instance, what
charming adventure might befall, even
in the pursuit of so banal duty as a
round of formal calls. Musing thus, she
turned into Fifth avenue, her face
arsht with eager expectancy of the
next thing and trying to imagine what
It was going to be.
This might be the great day of her
Hfe-one couldn't tell. Perhaps before
the afternoon was over she would meet
the man-that godling of her dreams
who moved in the time hOnored Olym-
p'an manner. enveOped in a mist that
hid his face from view. Apparently
the afternoon held nothing more than
pleasant stroll, broken by a half
dozen calls, but the beauty of the thing
Law in the fact that one couldn't be
sure! Perhaps on that very after
noon
These pleasant speculatiOns sudden
" came to an abrupt end. Her card
elsewhere was it? She felt blindly
in her muff, thrust her hand into one
side of her coat and then the other,
but in vain. 1t was gOne-lOst-just
as numberless purses, opera glasses,
boas. muffs and umbrellas had gone
before it, until she was a bywOrd
among her friends and the gifts of her
intimates were invariably accom-
panied by a beseeching: Don't lose
this. Cynthia. Do try to be a little
bit careful"
And now her new card case, a gift
on her birthday a few weeks before,
had gone in the usual way, just when
she was expecting the very best of
life tool Her optimism disappeared
like the sun behind cloud, and, with
an aggrieved sense of misplaced trust,
her steps slackened and she came to
standstill, wondering if it would be
worth while to go back and try to
find it.
Scarcely" she decided, as the NOV
ing crowd of pedestrians slowly filed
past her, and, with a sigh, she resumed
her way nOrthward once more, lit
tie comforted by the reflection that
after all some honest person would
probably find it and return it to her.
Meanwhile a tall, athletic young
man who was swinging up the ave
nue. in the same direction a block OF
so behind her, unconsciOusly rejOic
ing in his mere physical vigor and nO
philosophizing at all, found his atten
ton attracted by a small, dark Objec
Ornamented with a cleaning disk o.
silver that was lying near the edg
Of the sidewalk.
Picking it up, he glanced in thi
way and in that, but the handsOmel.
! gowned women who were making thei
way in both directions gave no indica
ton of distress, so he examined tn
monogram on the clasp. with grun
3 Of masculine disdain for such devices
- Then he bethought him that it Nigh
- be a good idea to open it, and, suitin
the action to the impulse, he discON
cred in one compartment a latchke
and in the other a bunch of cards
- Miss Williar, No 4 West -th street,
he read, taking out one of the cards
s, And, having thus satisfactorily estal
a lished the ownership of his find, b
tucked it into his pocket and strobe o
q toward the University club, idly wol
s2 dering if this Miss W1lliar could be II
lated to the little Cynthia Williar /
q had known in his boyhOod. 1t was tn
D. wonder that impelled him to wait
see Miss Williar personally when, ju
a. before the dinner hour he stopped
the address given on the card.
,e. BE had not long to wait. A tall 81
K with look in her eyes that said plai
m' " that life was an interesting expel
Il. ence entered the room, and he -four
en- himself face to face with what SCENE
sIs to him a larger, older and greatly 81
re Hfed copy of the small, freckled g
ii.,hS i.hS upon whom in moments of rare ge
q erosIty he had sometimes bestowed /
boyish approval.
why, Jack Mayhew," she exclaim
with unfeigned gladness, extending u
hand, where have you dropp
from" while his hearty Jupiter, Cy
thia, if this isn't luckw uttered WI
enthusiastic heartiness while he CO
scientlously wrung her hand as II
4 had been that of another man, plac
them at once on the plane of good I
' lowship where they had parted t
years earlier
In their delight and surprise at
meeting tGey talked volubly and son
times both at once, asking about b
= and girl friends and referring hila
ously to the pranks of those dear
days. But II their tongues were br
their minds were doubly So