The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-07-19
By Lillian c. PAScHAL

4
Snaggly in the snowy ice, then stag
/ geringIy recovered his balance. aided
| by a timely grasp from the fur gloyed
hand of DR. Melford. who had been do
T ing nent outer edge alongside and
gJumbling heartily the while.
What rotten luck!'' he had been say
ing every five minutes as the merry
skaters whzzed by. always in satisfy
4 ing pairs. And we have had our
shingles mp 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 shorewnrd.
"SStruck?" echoed Dorton. sinking
on to a bench under a lamp post and
nursing his ankle. "The United States
steel trust, think, by the feel of my
foot! Here It is!' And he held up to
view the oil tructfon which had inter
rupted his fantastic gyrations In the
center of the lake where the figure
skaters had been performing.
1t was a good sized No. 10 boys
skate, OF the club variety, and its pol
ished nickel blade shone like frozen
moonbeams as he surveyed 1t critically.
AIelford glanced ut it with interest and
put the laconIc query:
Gender masculine, feminine or neu-
tral?"
"Feminine." promptly decided Dor
ton. holding it closer. Its got some
initials engraved on III. NJ. T.. No
boy was ever so sentimental us that.
And no chappIe ever wore clubs, so by
the process Of elimination we arrive
at the remaining and only possible sex
of Jimty, its owner. And, by love,
from the size of 1t, she's no Gtnder-
ella either. 1t fits a No. foot, or III
eat my hat. Girls are SO emaneipated
these days. he went on whimsicaliy,
'even their feet are throwing off
trammels and spreading out Of alp
III you have quite finished Sherlock
HoLmesing my slzate," broke in n high,
cool voice out of the black region be,
yond the rim Of light rays from the arc
lamp. ''wIN you be kind enough to re
turn 1t to meY
THE devil~ calculated Dorton under
his breath. starting guilty and drop
ping the unlucky skate to the ground.
It fell Gathering under the bench, and
the doctor dived after it with ostenta-
tious haste.
'.You foolv' lie swore in DortOn's I'M
comfortable ear as he went down on
all fours In his quest. land this was
our only clanee-first woman's voice
that's ever addressed us since we came
west. We might have scraped an ac-
quniutnnce. but now you've made a
mess of it,
"BfEger fool your Dorton rejoEned
fierceIy, 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 She's not
That sort Mt all. can tell by her
voice"
well, even nice girls sometimes un-
der such circumstances"- began Mel
ford in an injured tone, but Dorton
l. cut him short, having found the skate
and held it out toward the voice In
question. But the young woman be-
longing to 1t made no move to recover
her property, remaining obdurately In
| the friendly darkness.
b "wIlI you be so good as to bring 1t
to meg" Her tone was as silvery and
distant as the strains from the band
stand on the other side OF the lake.
I've got TO see her face" thought
the big fellow to himself. e'and gain
time to squire myself somehow"
He took step forward and suddenly
measured his full length at her ma
ligned feet, with the skate still clutch
ed In his hand.
MY ankle" he moaned when she
bent over him, all wOmanly solicitude,
her momentary pique gone. Only anX-
lty and pity were visible in her lovely
| fate -.rluite the loVeliest he had ever
seen, Dorton thought, as he closed his
eyes.
ooh, I'm afraid he's tainted! Hes
hurt. and It's my faultT' cried the GIRL
tearing of 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
| II it hadn't been for my skate" she
| quavered, feeling in some way to
blame. "PIease so for doctor"
81 am u doctor-a recent arrival In
the city," replied Melford. "If we could
get him somewhere and cut his shoe or
and bandage his foot
"Yes, yes" put in the girl eagerly
'Can cab and take him to my home.
It's Just around the lake yonder."
Janet futile, where are youf We've
been looking for you-nnd your skate
everywhere! Did you find it,"
The girl was still explaining, amid
furious bushes, to her friends. who had
gathered in curious circle around her
when, to her relief. the doctor ap-
"A h