Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1906-02-15
Chasing a
Dat
Copyright, 1905. by Homer sprague
By c. B. Lewts

tried the roof gardens and they had Of
fered nothing new; because he had in
Iolently tried to fiirt with a good look
Ing girl that day on the street and she
had exhibited her contempt; because of
a dozen other reasons belonging to
bachelorhood
When Arnold Thompson bought hat
it was an event. He argued that the
fate of a nation depended on the ap-
pearance of that hat when placed on
his head, and he was therefore a full
hour in making his selection. 1t was
an hour of anxiety to him and an hour
of misery to the salesman who waited
on him. On this day, however-on this
day when he strolled into his hatter's
and made his wants known something
out of the ordinary was to happen. The
bachelor had tried on only nineteen diff
ferent hats and had posed before the
glass only nineteen different times,
when he made discovery under the
sweatband of the nineteenth hat. 1t
was a slip OF paper, and on it was
written in feminine hand:
II the buyer Of this hat is 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
his soul. That's what he had been
yearning for for years-romance. He
had had it from twenty to thirty, but
lost it from thirty to forty and came
to the conclusion that his heart never
could be stirred again.
IF the buyer of this hat is a single
man
Well, he was single. He was not on
ly single. but called rather good look
ing, and he had fairly good income.
-"and n gentleman
Well, he was gentleman, and no
one could be found to dispute the fact.
What should follow? He would write
to Genevieve 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 u handsome face and a curly
head and a willowy form. He had no
business TO think Genevieve good look
ing, curly headed or willowy, but he
assumed the responsibility and said to
the salesman, much to the latter's sur
prise:
I'm take this hat"
"But Is 1t good fit?"
II said l would take this hat. Send
1t home"
AS matter or fact. the hat was not
a good MT, and the bachelor had meant
10 paw over at least nineteen others,
but IL struck him that he must have
the hat as well as the slip Of paper
found beneath Its sweatband. The two
naturally went together.
AS soon as he reached his club he sat
down to write to Genevieve. He found
it a hard task. She was u braider of
straw hats; she lived far away; she
was innocent hearteds 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 tnen sudden
~ discovered that he had no address
TO write TO- But why write at all?
Why not chase that hat down until the
fair bralder was discovered?
a decision was reached In an In
stant, and half an hour later the man
was back at the hat store asking where
the hat was made. He was referred to
wholesale dealer The dealer said
that the hat was part OF a small stock
bought at auction and referred him TO
an auctioneer. The auctioneer looked
his books over and took his time about
IL aud then "reckoned" 1t was a Smith
hat.
The investigation thus far had con-
sumed ten days, but Arnold Thompson
had rather enjoyed them. The detec-
tive instinct Is more or less strong In
the character Of every man, and when
romance Is mingled with II II becomes
even more fascinating,
The bachelor flattered himself that he
was n student or human nature and
that no could get an insight into per-
sons character through his chlrogra-
ply. lie sized Geneyieve up MS warm
hearted. trusting. hopeful and high
minded. She probably had been born
and reared IN afiluence. but owing 10
her fathers too extensive speculations
In the Texas oil fields, where there was
no oil, she had been obliged TO turn to
straw hats 10 make living. 1t was
shame, and he sympathlzed with her
from the bottom of his heart. He had
always said that he wouldn't marry,
but
Arnold Thompson went 10 Dunbery,
He visited every halter In the hat town.
but all went back on the hat. He was
told that it might have been made In
any enc OF half dozen places they
mentioned, and the only thing to do
was TO give up further thought OF Gene
We've or pursne his quest
He decided at once TO pursue. lie al
ways had been fiattered by women run
ming after him; now he was running
after one Of the opposite sex, and there
was something novel In the change. He
went TO Massachusetts and was sent on
10 Vermont. There they sent him over
into Canada, and he reached Canada TO
be told tint Michigan was his likely
field.
This occupied full month. The
bachelor did not travel by lightning
express. lie stopped on the way TO
think OF Geneyieye and take his Turk
iah baths and get his nails manicurcd.
lie got around TO Michigan ut last,
however. He had no sooner set eyes
OH the Maumcc river ut Toledo than
he began 10 be hopeful During the
ride OF eighty miles to Detroit lie saw
many cattails and much marsh grass
and other things OF which straw hats
are made. and his hopes continued To
increase.
Arriving at the City OF the Straits.
tho bachelor located the only hat fac
tory Ia town and then went 10 his
hotel 10 make ready for an interview
Oh the morrow. He was alternating
between fear ana hope whom II drum
mer with whom he fell In reached for
his hat in the familiar way drummers
have on two minutes acquaintance
and looked 1t over aud said:
"once In awhile one OF YOU New
York fcllers shows O little common
sense IN articles OF dress"
"Iiow do you mcanf'
"Thls IN the best straw hat made,
unu N ,pna mnda right here I'm this lit