The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-04-06
geleet Miscellany.
What Happened to Gloriana

Merrily the little steamer bobbee
up and down, Ior stiff easterIy wine
was blowing across the lake. Most o
the passengers had sought the refuge
and sec usion of the cabin, and seemed
to be engaged nespairingly in pray ing
for death. But two still remained or
deck.
They were Orlando G. Spoonamore
cs p;talist and young man Of leisure
party of the first part, ann handsome
young woman with fluffy brown hair
pal ty Of the second part, and the,
happened to be sitting side by side.
She was absorbed in copy of the
Philadelphia Saturday Evening Stake
and he was reading the automobile
news in daily per,-when he wa:
not glancing at his fair companion ou
of the corner of his starboard eye.
The wind freshened and he proceed
ed to button his light overcoat. Blu
the top button was unaccountably
missing. To the best of his recellec
it was there when be boarded the boat
The bree T., or something, must have
torn it off.
Mechanically he detached the stick
PIN from his necktie and pinned the
two flaps securely together. Then h'
resumed his reading.
And his glancing.
Presently, having finished the'story
the young woman raisea her head
locked around her with sudden sur
prise, and started to rise
Mr.. Sponnamore felt slight tug a
his chest. II. looked down.
To his horror he found that he had
pinned the loose flap of her light gray
wrap to his overcoat, and turned rec
with anger and mortificatien.
what does this mean, sir?' she de
manded, in freezing, indignant t,nes
Il Il beg your pardon" he STAN
mered 1T was an accident. / hat
lost button from my coat, and | sup
posed was shutting up the carmen
with pin. | had no intentlon-'
"But you havn't lost button, sir,
she Interrupted. For she could see i
plainly.
He looked down again.
II sec you are right he said, hi:
self possession gradually returning
"but I thought had"
"Will you release me sir, at once!'
Her eyes flashed dangerously bu
she did not finch.
II fear you will have to sit dowr
again. he proceeded to explain
These two flaps are fastened together
with my stickpin. and it has >paten
fastening on the shank, for SAFETY from
the Ii ght fingered gentry. screwe(
it up tightly, and it will be work O
time to unfasten it.
She sat down again, hut stiff1,, ant
without u word.
IL never exp' ct"d, he remarked, Al
he fumbled at the pin. "to form a sud
den attac!im n, like this--"
"Sir!'
"I'll have to suspend operations fo
a moment. Here come two Or three
ps rsons hurrying to the rail, to- loOI
at the water, | presume. May | ask
you 10 unbend little and appear tt
be engaged in an animated converse
tion with me, purely for the purpose
of averting suspici nj?
Il will not! Such position thi
is intolera blc-unthinkabl.!'
:It Is. It. is impossible. But j
exists, my lords and gentlemen, like
the human race"
"Besides,' she again interrupted, re
laxing a trihe as the hulnor of the sit
uatien forced itself upon her, sit ism
proper for me o be engaged in col
versation with a total stranger
80, yes it is. If it we're not, they
wouldn't do it in those delig htfu
stories you'v read so often in that pa
per. It's quite the thing these days
To remove the curse, however, ALLOW
me to in roauce-"
"But | don't wish-"