The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-12-25
Chasing a
Dat
BY c. q. ewis
Copyright, 1905, by Homer sprague

tried the roof gardens and they had o
fered nothing new because he had Ii
dolently tried TO fiirt with a good lool
ing girl that day on the street and sh
= had exhibited her contempt because Z
: a dozen other reasons belonging t
! bachelorhood
When Arnold Thompson bought ha
it was an event He argued that til
fate of nation depended on the az
pearance of that hat when placed OF
his head, and he was therefore a full
hour in making his selection 1t wa
an hour of anxiety to him and an hou
of misery to the salesman who waite(
on him. On this day, however-on this
day when he stroled into his halter,
end made his wants known something
out of the ordinary was to happen. The
bachelor had tried on only nineteen diff
fere.t hats and had posed before the
glass only nineteen different times
when he made discovery under the
swaziland of the nineteenth hat. II
was slip of paper, and on it was
written in a feminine hand.
If the buyer of this hat IL a single man
| and gentleman he may write to Gene
| We've Burton.
| No address was added, and as the
bachelor held the slip in his hand a
| thrill Of romance began to creep into
mis- soul That's what he had been
| yearning for for years romance. He
| had had IT from twenty to thirty, but
lost 1t from thirty to forty and came
to the conclusion that his heart never
could be stirred again.
"lf the buyer of this hat is a single
man
Wcil, he was single lie wassnot on
Y single but called rather good look
ing, and he had IA fairly good income.
anu gentleman
Well, he was a gentleman, and no
one could be found to dispute the fact.
What should follow? He would write
10 Genevieye Burton The name pleas
ed him, and as he stood there with the
nineteenth straw hat in one hand and
the slip in the other he called up
vision of handsome face and curly
head and wllowy form He had no
business TO think Genevieve good look
Ing, curly headed or wiIlowy, but he
assumed the responsibility and said to
the salesman, much to the latter's sur
prise:
III take this hat"
But is it II good ftf'
4 oil
1t home"
AS matter OF ract, the NAT was not
d good nit and the bachelor had meant
TO paw over at least nineteen others,
but it struck him that he must have
the hat as we'll as the slip of paper
found beneath its swaziland. The two
naturally went together.
As soon as he reached his club he sat |
down to write to Genevieve. He found |
ii hard task. She was a brader Of |
straw hats; she lived far away; she |
was innocent hearted; she couldn't be |
invited to take ride in his auto or to |
accompany him TO the theater and din
ner; she was coy, shy country blue
bird and must not be startled The
bachelor started three different letters
and abandoned them and then sudden
ly discovered that he had no address
TO write TO. But why write at all?
Why not chase that hat down until the
falr braider was discovered?
A decision was reached in an in
slant, and half an hour later the man
was back at the hat store asking where
The hat was made. He was referred to
1 wholesale dealer. The dealer said
hat the hat was part of small stock
bought at auction and referred him to
IN auctioneer. The auctioneer looked
lis books over and took his time about
[ and then 'reckOned' it was Smith
lat
The investigation thus far had con-
umed ten days, but Arnold Thompson
lad rather enjoyed them. The detec-
i've instinct is more or hess strong in
he character Of every man, and when
omance is mingled with it IL becomes
ven more fascinating.
The bachelor BATTERED himself that he
vas n student Of human nature and
bat he could get an insight into per {
On's character through his chirOgra-
Ihy. He sized Gencvieyc up as warm
earted. trusting. hopeful and high
minded. She probably had been born
nd reared ia ahluence, but owing to
er fathers too extensive speculations
4 the Texas oil fields. where there was J
o oil, she had been obliged 10 turn TO
traw hats to make a living 1t was a
hame, and be sympathlzed with her
rom the bottom of his heart. He had
lways said that he wouldn't marry, {
ut
Arnold Thompson went to Dunlery. I
lie visited every halter in the hat town, {
ut all went back on the hat lie was
Did that it might have been made in Z
ny one Of half n dozen places they ]
lentiOned. and the only thing TO do I
'as to give up further thought OF Gene
leve or pursue his quest
He decided at once 10 pursue lie al '
-ays had been fiattered by women run I
ing after him; now he was running I
fter one Of the opposite sex. and there Z
as something novel in The change He ?