Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-09-22
LIES GRAB
BAG ~
By KEITH GORDON
Copyright, 1901, by KEN Gordon

Copyright. 1901, bD Keith Gordon
GO eossssssss
life" meditated Cynthia as she
tucked in the ends of her veil more
neatly, sis nothing more than a grab
bag on huge scale. Day by day you
put your hand in and grab something,
but until you take it out and unfold
it you never know whether it is joy
or a sorrowi'
With a droll smile at the idea, she
picked up her gloves and card case,
took a last comprehensive survey Of
herself in the cheval glass and then
passed down the stairs and out into
the street filed 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
round of formal calls. Musing thus. she
turred into Fifth avenue, her face
alight 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
life-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-
plan manner, enveioped in a mist that
hid his face from view. Apparently
the afternoon held nothing more than
a pleasant stroll, broken by half
dozen calls, but the beauty of the thing
lay in the fact that one couldn't be
sure, Perhaps on that very after
noon
These pleasant speculations sudden
ly 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 1t, until she was u 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 little
bit careful"
And now her new card case, Il gift
on her birthday few weeks before
had gone in the usual way, just when
she was expecting the very best of
life too. Her optimism disappeared
like the sun behind cloud, and, with
an aggrieved sense of misplaced trust,
her steps slackened and she came to
a 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 tied
past her, and, with 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 tall, athletic young
man who was swinging up the ave
nue. in the same direction a block or
80 behind her, unconsciously rejoic-
ing in his mere physical vigor and not
philosophizing at all, found his atten-
ton attracted by small, dark object
ornamented with cleaning disk OF
silver that was lying near the edge
of the sidewalk
Picking it up, he glanced III this
way and in that, but the handsomely
gowned women who were making their
way in both directions gave no indica-
ton of distress, SO he examined the
monogram on the clasp, with grunt
of masculine disdain for such devices.
Then he bethought him that it might
be z good idea &c open 1t, and, suiting
the action to the impulse, he discov-
cred in one compartment a latchkey
and in the other a bunch of cards.
Miss Williar, No. 4 West -th street"
he read, taking out one of the cards.
And, having thus satisfactorily estab-
lished the ownership of his find, he
tucked it into his pocket and strobe on
toward the University club, idly won
dering if this Miss Williar could be re-
lated to the little Cynthia Williar he
had known in his boyhood. 1t was this
wonder that impelled him to wait to
see Miss Williar personally when, just
before the dinner hour, he stopped at
the address given on the card.
He had not long to wait \ tall girl
with look in her eyes that said plain
ly that life was an interesting expert
ence entered the room, and he found
himself face to face with what seemed
to him a larger, older and greatly glo-
rifjed copy of the small, freckled girl
upon whom in moments of rare gen.
erosity he had sometimes bestowed his
boyish approval
"Why, Jack Mayhew," she exclaimed
with unfeigned gladness, extending her
hand, where have you dropped
from?" while his hearty Jupiter, Gym
thia, if this isn't luck" uttered with
enthusiastic heartiness while he con-
scientiously wrung her hand as if it
had been that of another man, placed
them at once on the plane of good fell
lowship where they had parted ten
years earlier.
IG their delight and surprise at the
meeting they talked volubly and some
times both at once, asking about boy
and girl friends and referring hilari-
ously to the pranks of those dear old
days But if their tongues were busy
their minds were doubly So
Hes magnificent" Cynthia was say
ing over and over to herself, with a
thrill Of delight, though ostensibly she
was listening with rapt attention to his
account of himself since he left Elm
wood and had grown up, while he
filed with admiring wonder at this
new Cynthia, suddenly lost the thread
of his story and floundered helplessly
after the manner of persons who try to
think about one thing and talk about
another
"As 1 was saying" he observed i'm
bressively, making frantic but tnef-
fectual attempt to recall what he had
been saying, "as l was saying-that IS
--oh, hang 1t all, Cynthia, l was SO
| busy looking at you that l forgot what
1 was saying. Don't know where I'm
at"
At this plain avowal they both
laughed, and he went on with mascu-