The San Francisco call., 1905-01-08
a 8. S|.E'EPER
CINDERELLA
BY IZOLH FORESTER.

comfortable He mad just IatleH dSleep
when something struck him in the race
and he wakened with shooK' ex-
uectinc the horrors of wreck 10 crush
in on him. But absolute peace ana
quiet reigned through the car. Ihe
opalescent globes on the lamps trem-
bIed slightly with the motion OF the
train, but that was all.
Sercornbe sat up and reached for mis-
watch under the pillow. As ne ala SO
his hand came in contact with the ms
sile that had struck him lying Dack or
the pillow. 1t was a ladys shipper
small. black. patent leather affair.
The heel was French, but moderately
high, and there were three sets Oh v
shaped straps that buttoned across the
instep. Sercombe examined IL curl
ously. slipper like that expressed
the character of the person who mad
purchased it. 1t was dainty, effective.
distinctive, not extreme, designed Tor
comfort and yet perfect in style. IL
seemed ridiculously small for wom-
ans foot Finally he let conjecture
slip into acceptance of the chance that
had tossed it to him, and fell asleep
with it under his pillow. In the morn
ing he decided he would play the Prince
and go on a still hunt for his sleeper
Cinderella.
He rose early. The train was
scheduled to arrive in st. Louis at
7:3O O'Clock and he had no intention
of letting Cinderella run away. One
by one the berths were made up and
he scanned the occupants eagerly.
Five ladies appeared. After careful,
iudicious survey Sercombe settled on
the owner of the slipper. de feit
positive that she was the only one
who could possibly wear such a slip
per.
She was in section seven. He could
see her head with it's masses Of red
brown hair, the f1uffiest, waviest, most
willfuI hair he remembered ever hav-
ing seen. He noticed, also, that she
did not rise and having sauntered
casually up and down the aisle, he
saw that her gray silk travelling cloak
covered her feet completely. 1t was
almost 7:3O o'clock. Sercombe took
the slipper from his side coat pocket
and paused at section seven.
Il beg your pardon" he said, but
| think l have your slipper
She glanced up at him in amused
surprise. as he laid the slipper in her
lap. Sercombe's heart started up
ragtime "come-all-ye'' as he looked
down in her eyes and tried to ex-
plain the extraordinary fact that he
had been struck in the head by her
slipper about two in the morning,
when suddenly he heard the voice OF
J Wilcox Wood speak to him across
the aisle.
asF1vI-- hOx no
said. joviany. Just hand it over, will
you?"
Before Sercombe could speak he
went on apologetically:
You see, I had the upper berth
across from you. Some one disturbed
the peace last night by playing a noe
turne on their nasal organ, under
stand? / thought that it was you, sir
and took the liberty of throwing one
of my samples at you to break the
spell. This morning l found out that
it wasn't you at all. 1t was the old
boy in the lower berth. No offense!
Have a cigar? 1 just had one with
the old boy to square matters"
While Sercombe hesitated old man
Griswold came leisurely down the aisle,
and put out his hand.
Hello, Archie. Didn't waste any
time getting down, did you? Thought
we'd get in a little ahead Of you and
start things moving. Flora, this is
Archie Griswold, manager of our st.
Louis branch. Had breakfast? No?
Then come home with usl''
Four months later Sercombe, Junior
partner of the firm of Griswold, Ser
combe & Co., sent an order to one j.
Wilcox Wood, shoe salesman Of ST.
Louis, for a pair of bridal slippers,
duplicates in white kid OF a certain
other pair that had changed the cur
rent of fate for him, and this time he
had the satisfaction OF fitting them
himself on the feet of Flora Griswold.
his Cinderella.-(Copyr 1905. by
Izola Forrester.)