Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1906-08-16
AN
ELEVATOR
CUPID
BY CARROLL WATSON RANKIN.


character that the initiated had lost all
confidence in it as means of transporta-
ton.
Katherine, however, was not an inhabi-
tant. In her own town elevators pur-
sued the even tenor of their way without
vagaries of any sort; so, when her bust
ness with the photographer on the top
floor was completed the young woman,
with every reason to expect swift and
uneventful journey to the street, stepped
confidently into the elevator.
At the fourth floor the elevator stopped
to admit a second passenger, a man
named Westcott Westcott differed from
Katherine in that he entered the cage
like apartment with full knowledge of its
treacherous tendencies, but Westcott was
that morning in frame of mind to court
disaster He assured himself as he
stepped in that it was matter of COM
plete indifference to him whether the ele-
vator shot suddenly upward and crashed
through the sl<ylight or dropped without
warning into the basement.
The elevator, however, did neither of
these things. Under the guidance of a
chubby, blue-eyed youth, it pursued its
downward career until it reached the
space between the first and second floors /;
there it stopped.
At the sight of her fellow passenger
Katherine had turned pink with embar-
rassment. The man had muttered some
thing under his breath and bowed frig-
| idly; for, before counting disaster, he had
courted Katherine it had
amounted to the same thing They had
parted forever only the evening before,
and the ring she had worn for three
months was at that moment in Westcott's
trousers pocket, where lie had thrust it
savagely at the end of their quarrel.
"Why are we stopping here?" asked
Katherine, turning to the elevator boy of
cherubic countenance.
"'Causc we can't go on" returned the
boy, producing a bag of peanuts and a
dime novel, ard PROCEEDING to make him
sell comfortable. THE blamed power S
off,"
'Has it ever-does it often go off like
this ?"
ooh, yes" replied the boy cheerfully.
There's nothin' to be scared of. Some
times she runs all right for as much as
a week; then, again, she won't bulge
for six or seven hours at stretch"
"Six or seven hours" gasped Katll-
crime.
Yep" replied the boy settling himself
more comfortably on his stool. "Once
it was longer, but gin'rally they get her
goin in an hour or two. There's no dan
ger at all, miss"
The boy gently discouraged further
conversation by burying himself in his
book. Katherine moved to the end of
the long, leather-covered seat. Westcott,
It the extreme other end, stared gloomily
at the wall
Katherine lo5kled at her watch. 1t was
already past luncheon time, and she had
| been too miserable to eat much break
fast. Still-she frightened at the thought
she should not starve, for she had with
her a box of chocolates she was taking
home to her sisters children.
She looked at her watch again. Only
four minutes had passed, but pangs of
hunger were becoming uncomfortable. The
chubby boy munched peanuts with appar-
emily no thought of his fellow sufferers.
Katherine united the pink string that
bound the candy box, unfolded the paper,
lifted up the lid and ate a chocolate.
When she had eaten three she glanced
at Westcott. He was still gazing at the
wall. The walls in elevator shafts are
seldom interesting. This one was tinted
with bilious green-a color that West
colt abhofred.
How he must hate me-" thought Kath-
crime, eating another chocolate, "when
he'd rather look at a wall than at me
l wonder what l ought to do? If We
were utter strangers, cast away on des-
ert isle and he had one biscuit and three
drops of water, ] should think him hor-
rid if he didn't offer me half. ! suppose
l ought to offer him some of these choea
lates, even if we're not on speaking
terms"
Katherine, sitting very straight, anc
with her eyes straight ahead, pushed
the box along the seat. Westcott paic
no attention
will you have chocolate?" asked
katherine, somewhat unsteadily
Westcott was so sure that he wa
dreaming that he did not make any an
swer
THE lady spoke to you," prompted tn,
elevator boy.
Westcott looked inquiringly at Kath
crime.
will you-will you have a chocolate p
No, thank you" replied Westcott, re
turning to the contemplation of the greer
wall.
There was another long pause. TIL
neglected box remained half way between
the suspended passengers.
Il think you're very-ungentlemanl
said Katherine, at length.
$50 you said last night" Responded
WeStcott coldly.
: You're more so to-day"
GLOW SOP"
"You-you know Tn too polite to ca
. those chocolates and let you go hungr
and I'm fairly starving"
Westcott, with an air of exaggerate,
politeness, took a chocolate and ate il
with his eyes fixed unsociably upon tn
green wall. He dared not trust himsel
to look at Katherine. Katherine nibble,
bonbon, waited in silence for ten min
utcs. and again offered the box to West
colt who gravely helDed himself Thi