The Ely miner., 1904-06-24
A Business
Transaction
BY BELLE MANIATES
(Copyright, 1904, by Daily Story Pub. Col

II
+ when young woman got on at
Forty-ninth street. She did not eye the
passengers with the demanding glare
that often is so effective in bringing re-
turns, but quietly, and as a matter OF
course, attached herself to the strap
nearest the back platform. In an instant
Gregory, at the farther end of the car,
arose and, lifting his hat, motioned to
the young woman to be seated.
She thanked him graciously and occu-
pied the place he had vacated. Gregory
continually cast surreptitious glances
in her direction, for she was most fair
to look upon, with refined, prepossess-
ing face. She was dressed in perfect
taste though not richly.
The conductor came forward to col
lect fares and she removed her gloves
to search for the correct change. Greg
DRY noted appreciatively the shapely
hands and the diamond solitaire that
cleaned on the third finger.
He was so absorbed in his admiration
Of her that he forgot to have his own
fare in readiness when the conductor
came to him, and he fumbled in his pock-
cts in vain for small change. He took
out long pocketbook which was well
filled and selected one dollar bill from
others of various denominations. Hav-
ing dropped his IS cents in change into
his pocket, he folded up the pocketbook
and was about to restore 1t to its usual
place when the young woman to whom
he had given his seat dropped her purse.
Quickly thrusttng his pocketbook into
the right hand outer pocket Of his over
coat, he picked up her purse and handed
1t to her, receiving courteous Thank
you,' in a voice exquisitely low and
sweet
Just then the person sitting beside her
left the car and Gregory Instantly appro-
priated the vacant seat. He was not
susceptible and not in the common ac-
ceptance of the term a ladies' man, but
he was attracted by the personnel of this
young woman and possessed of desire
to know her. He instinctively felt that
he could not win her acquaintance by
any other route than the conventional,
straightforward Introductory one. He
wished he had not obeyed his first i'm
pulse in taking the scat beside her, for
in his former position, he had the advan-
tage Of being permitted to look at her,
which he of course could not do now
without being guilty of staring. He
opened newspaper, and while appar-
emily scanning the headlines, he was
trying to fathom the problem of meeting
her. They were in the suburbs now, and
nearly all the passengers had alighted.
Presently the young woman beside
him arose and walked quickly to the
rear, and before he realized the fact,
she had stepped from the car, and he was
being whirled onward with the oft-ex-
perienced sensation of a face lost in the
crowd When he came to his street and
was walking the block that intervened
between the avenue and his apartments,
he remembered the depositing of his
pocketbook in his ovrcoat pocket. He
mechanically felt for 1t, but found the
pocket empty.
He started, felt again, turned to go to
the street car barns, a short distance
y,
the seat beside the young woman d.
rectly after he had placed it in his
pocket-the one next to her. No one
had occupied the seat after she left the
car and when he got off, there was no
one on board save the conductor who
had not been near him. All things
pointed directly in the line of circum-
-&a soI 10 hnv s2f
But no! He would never believe SO i'm
possible a fact. Again he thrust his
hand into his pocket in the vain hope
of finding it. He encountered small
object down in one corner and drew
forth a diamond ring, the diamond ring
he had noticed on her finger. He re-
called now that she had not put on her
gloves again after paying her fare.
More bitter to him than the loss of his
money was the convincing proof of her
theft. He was a man of comfortable
income and he would not suffer any de-
privation from the abstraction of his
pocketbook, which contained $500 thai
had been paid to him that afternoon
after banking hours. The ring was prob.
ably worth $50. 1t was not very large
though very good stone, as his critical
eye decided. He resolved to take nc
steps to recover his property, although
he would like the papers and data in
the pocketbook. He shrank from hav-
ing it known that he had been the vic
tim of a woman in broad daylight. Still
more did he shrink from seeing her ac-
cused of such an act. He decided to keeI
the ring as a warning not to be school
boy and go daffy over passing face
again.
He inserted in the papers little no
tice signed 'Z," notifying the person
who took the pocketbook that the ring
could be had in exchange for same.
Two days later he received package
with first-class postage on, but not reg
istered. Opening it, he found the pocket
book with contents intact-save the
money. His card with address had en-.
abled the sender to return.
"She is considerate, anyway" he
thought, with suspicion of gratitude
often as the days went by he specu.
lated as to her motive in robbing him
Although it had been so smooth,
worked. he was confident that she wa.
not a professional. 1t could not be pov
erty. She was entirely ultra" in dress
and appointments. 1t must have beer