Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-09-20
LIES CRAB
SAG ~
Bv KEITH GORDON
Copyright. 1905. by Keith Gordon

Copyright. 1905. by Keith Gordon
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Life" meditated Cynthia as she
| tucked in the ends Of her veil more
neatly. "is nothing more than grab
b:g on ir:e scale. Day by day you
put your hard in and grab something.
but until you take it out and unfold
it yon never know whether 1t is joy
or a s)rrow.'
W'th droll smile at the idea, she
pickcd 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
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. enveloped in mist that
hid his face from view. Apparently
the afternoon held nothing more than
q pleasant stroll, broken by n 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 plea asant 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 numberiess purses. opera glasses
boas. muffs and umbrellas had gone
before it. until she was byword
among her friends and the gifts Of heI
intimates were invariably accom-
panied by 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 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 slackenA and she came to
q standstill. wondering If it would be
worth while to go back and try tol
find it.
Scarcely" she decided. as the NOV
ing crowd of pedestrians slowly filed
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 1t to her.
Meanwhile tall. athletic yonng
man who was swinging up the ave-
nue. in the same direction block or
SO behind her, unconsciOusly rejoic-
ing in his mere physical vigor and not
philosoplizing at all, found his atten-
ton attracted by a small, dark object
ornamented with a cleaning disk Of
silver that was lying near the edge
of the sidewalk.
Picking it up, he glanced in this
way and in that, but the handsomely
gowned women who were making theif
way in both directions gave no indica
ton Of distress, SO he examined the
monogram on the clasp, with Il grunt
of masculine disdain for such devices.
Then he bethOught him that it might
be a good idea to open it, 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-
ushed the ownership Of his find, he
tucked 1t int his pocket and strobe on
toward the University club, idly won
dering IL 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 walt to
see Miss Williar personally when. just
before the dinner hour, he stopped at
the address given OH the card.
He had not long to wait A tall girl
with look in her eyes that said plain
" 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'
rified 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, II this isn't luck" uttered with
enthusiastic heartiness while he con-
scientiously wrung her hand as If 1t
had been that Of another man, placed
them at once OIL the plane Of good fel-
lowship where they had parted ten
years earlier.
In 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
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 aoundered helplessly,
after the manner Of persons who try to
think about one thing and talk abopt
another.
"As was saying" he observed Il
pressively, making frantic but inef.
fectual attempt to recall what he had
been saying, "as I was saying-that Is