The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-07-28
~, Wir,es.of
Steel \.
By Lillian c. PAscHAL
6opw.0n, 1905, Dv Lasan c. rasenal

what rotten luck!' he had been say
ing every five minutes as the merry
skaters whizzed by, always In satisfy
ing pairs. "And we have had our
shingles up q whole month in this con-
founded burg, and still don't know a
single, solitary girl in all this giddy
phantasmagoria of whirling skaters
Then he was interrupted by Dorton's
fall.
"Are you hurt, old man? What've
you hit?" he demanded, anXiously peer
ing through his frosted glasses at his
disabled friend, who stopped painfully
to pick up something from the Clipped
ice before hobbling shoreward.
"Struck?'' echoed Dorton, sinking
on to q bench under lamp post and
nursing his ankle. 1.-THE United States
steel trust, 1 think, by the feel of my
foot! Here it isl" And he held up to
view the obstruction which had inter-
rupted his fantastic gyrations in the
center of the lake where the figure
skaters had been performing.
1t was good sized No. 10 boys
skate, of the club variety, and its pol
ished nickel blade shone like frozen
moonbeams as he surveyed it critically.
Melford glanced at it with interest and
put the laconic query:
Gender masculine, feminine or neu-
tral?'
Feminine" promptly decided Dor
ton, holding it closer. ''It's got some
initials engraved on it-'J. NJ. T. No
boy was ever so sentimental as that.
And no chappie ever wore clubs, so by
the process of elimination we arrive
at the remaining and only possible sex
of Jimty, it's owner. And, by Jove,
from the size Of it, she's no Cinder-
ella either. It fits No. 8 foot, or I'll
eat my hat. Girls are so emancipated
these days" he went on whimsically,
"even their feet are throwing off
trammels AMI spreading out of alp
eff you have quite finished Sherlock
Holmesirg my skate" broke in a high,
cool voice out of the black region be-
You'd the rim of light rays from the arc
lamp, will you be kind enough to re-
turn it to me:'
1.-The devilw calculated Dorton under
his breath, starting guiltily and drop
ping the unlucky skate to the ground.
1t fell Gathering under the bench, and
the doctor dived after it with ostenta-
tious haste.
"You fool.' he swore in Dorton's I'M
comfortable ear as he went down on
In, Ia ies An xx-n
our only chance-first woman's voice
that's ever addressed us since we came
west. We might have scraped an ac-
quaintance. but now you've made
mess of it,
Bigger fool your Dorton rejoined
fiercely, humping heads with his col
league as he, too, stopped to recover
the bone of contention, hoping in some
measure TO retrieve himself in the eyes
of the invisible unknown. "Shes not
that sort at all. l can tell by her
voice."
"Well, even nice girls sometimes I'M
der such circumstances began Mel
ford in an injured tone, but Dorton
cut him short, having found the skate
and held it out toward the voice in
question. But the young woman be-
longing to it made no move to recover
her property remaining obdurately in
the friendly darkness.
"Will you be so good as to bring it
to meW Her tone was as silvery and
distant as the strains from the band
stand on the other side of the lake.
"Ive got to see her face" thought
the big fellow to himself, land gain
time to square myself somehow"
He took a step forward and suddenly
measured his full length at her ma
ligned feet, with the skate still clutch
cd in his hand.
"My ankle" he moaned when she
bent over him, all womanly solicitude,
her momentary pique gone. Only anx-
ity and pity were visible in her lovely
face-quite the loveliest he had ever
seen, Dorton thought, as he closed his
eyes. -''''' - '-~--' 49,. -.-"-
ooh, Pm afraid he's tainted! He's
hurt, and it's my faultv cried the girl,
tearing off her mittens to rub snow on
the cheeks that looked so pale in the
white light. cant you do something
for him? He wouldn't have been hurt
If it hadn't been for my skater she
quavered, feeling in some way to
blame. "Please go for DOCTOR"
II am a doctor-a recent arrival in
the city," replied Melford. IF we could
get him somewhere and cut his shoe off
and bandage his foot
Eyes, yes" put in the girl eagerly.
"Call q cab and take him to my home.
It's just around the lake yonder."
Janet Tuttle, where are your We've
been looking for you-and your skate
everywhere! Did you find it?'
The girl was stilk explaining, amid
furious bushes, to her friends. who had
gathered in curious circle around her,
when, to her relief, the doctor APP
3roacbed and announced that cab
man was waiting.
With the help Of Janet's brother, who
was In the party, Melford got his dis
abled chnm into the carriage. Janet
gave the driver her address and seatet;
herself with a sort of defiant shyness.
At the door of the big house where
they drew mn her mother greeted with