Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-14
HIS WIFE'S FRIEND

The young man with the vandyke beard
noticed her as soon as he clambered on
board the west-bound street car shortly
after 4 o'clock the other afternoon.
He couldn't help noticing her, not only
because she moved up to make room for
him. but because she was well worth
noticing.
She was plump and stylish, and her
travelling suit fitted her and became her
immensely.
She had burnished-bronze hair, skin
of ivory and a few captivating golden
freckles on her nose.
Oh, yes, the young man with the Vandyke
beard noticed her all right.
He pretended to read the headlines of his
evening newspaper, but the headlines were
meaningless to him, for he found himself
gazing out of the slants of his eyes to the
left Of him at the pretty little woman In
the travelling suit every ten or twelve sec
onds.
After while he observed that her neat
Gladstone bag, which she had placed on
the floor In front of her, sort of cramped
and hampered her. He pushed 1t beneath
the seat, after giving her a questioning
glance. and she smiled her approval and
thanks.
Then he resumed his alleged reading of
The Star-paper headlines, and looked at
her out of the tail of his eye some more.
He was thus regarding her stealthily
when the car rounded Dupont Circle She
suddenly turned her head to the right ana
caught him at ii.
She smiled vaguely, blushed a trtfle and
resumed her straight-ahead gaze.
A little farther along the young man with
the Vandyke beard again ventured to peek
at her out of the corner of his eye. Again
she caught him and she smiled vaguely
again.
The young man adjusted his necktie, fixed
his cuffs and looked good deal like a
young man saying to himself: There's
nothing to it at all; they just can't help but
fall for my winning ways
A number of times he cleared his throat,
preparatory, perhaps, to inquiring OF his
pretty seatmate If she were not Miss Bee
street, whom he had met at a Mount Pleas
ant party several years before.
He knew, of course, that she wasn't any
Miss Beestreet, but he cleared his throat
preparatory to asking her something like
that, anyhow
But he couldn't quite nerve himself up
to 1t.
Meantime, going over the street bridge,
he caught her eye again, and again she
smiled somewhat vaguely.
Twenty-eighth was his street He folded
his paper, to indicate that he was to get off
there.
To his surprise his pretty seatmate
reached beneath the seat and pulled out her
Gladstone bag.
as the next street 2sth?" she asked the
conductor.
"Yes'm," said the conductor
please let me off there" she said.
The car stopped. The young man with
the Vandyke beard stepped off, taking his
pretty seatmate's Gladstone bag along with
him.
She stepped off. too, taking the valise from
him, smiled her thanks when he handed it
to her and he raised his hat and walked on
along 2Sth street.
The young man took up a stiff pace and
walked on ahead of her.
When he reached his house and started
up the steps he turned about to see what
had become of the pretty young woman.
To his amaZement she was opening the
front gate of his house.
He flushed and ran down to the gate. She
looked up at him with an arch smile.
II thought must be right" she said. Il
fancied I recognized you when you first
got on the car as EtheFs husband. She
showed me your photograph when she was
visiting US in Detroit, you know
The young man with the Vandyke beard
was very red by this time.
Then you must be my wife's school
chum. Mrs. Outwest are you not?" he in
CURED Of her, sheepishly.
Yes she replied, and then the wife Of
the young man with the Vandyke beard
tapped delightedly on the parlor window.
and could be seen making for the front
door to welcome her school chum. odd
coincidence that we should have been on
the same street-car. is it not? I only ar
rived in Washington on the o'clock
train 20,
''Ye-es VARY odd" said the young man,
1ustered.
Il suppose you fancied you knew me?'
said the young woman with the golden
freckles on her nose, looking up at him
innocently.
"Ye-es. I thought you-er-might beer
- and then his wife ran down the steps
and folded her old schoolmate in her arms,
I'D give four dollars to know If she
means to tell my wife that 1 was jay
enough to try to make eyes at her coming
out on the car, that's ALL" he reflected