The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-03-21

d AVA = blowing across the lake.
1gc~ Most of the passengers had
sought the refuge and Sc
clusion Of the cabin. and seemed to
be engaged despairingly in praying
for death. But two still remained on
deck.
They were Orlando G. Spoonamore,
capitalist and young nan Of leisure,
party of the first part. and a handsome
young woman with fluffy brown hair.
party of the second part, and they
happened to be sitting side by side.
She was absorbed in a copy of the
Philadelphia Saturday Evening Stake,
and he was reading the automobile
news in a daily paper-when he wasn't
CHANGING at his fair companion out of
the corner of his starboard eye.
The wind freshened and he proceeded
to button his light overcoat. But the
top button was unaccountably missing.
To the best of his recollection it was
there when he boarded the boat. The
breeze, or something, must have torn it
off.
Mechanically he detached the stick
pin from his necktie and pinned the
two flaps securely together. Then he
resumed his reading.
And his glancing.
Presently, having finished the story,
the young woman raised her head.
looked around her with sudden r
prise, and started to rise.
Mr.. Spoonamore felt a slight tug at
his chest. He looked down.
\ To his horror he found that he had
pinned the loose flap Of her light gray
wrap to his o%vercoat, and turned red
with anger and modification.
what does this mean, sir?" she de-
manded, in freezing, indignant tones.
IL beg your pardon" he stam-
mered. ."It was an accident. I had
aost a button from my coat, and I sup
posed I was shutting up the garment
with a pin. l had no Intention"
"But you haven't lost a button, sir"
she interrupted. For she could see it
plainly.
He looked down again.
81 see you are right" he said, his self
possession gradually returning, "but /
thought 1 had"
"Will you release me. sir, at once"
Her eyes flashed dangerously. but he
did not finch.
81 fear you will have to sit down
again." he proceeded to explain. "These
two flaps are fastened together with
my stickpin, and it has a patent fasten-
ing on the shank, for safety from the
aight-fngered gentry. I screwed it up
lightly, and it will be a work of time
ito unfasten it,"
She sat down again, but stih1y, and
without a word.
81 never expected" he remarked, as
he fumbled at the pin, ''to form a sud-
den attachment like this"
"Sirw!
"T1l have to suspend operations for
a moment. Here come two or three
persons hurrying to the rail. to look
at the water, I presume. May I ask
you to unbend a little and appear to be
engaged in an animated conversation
with me, purely for the purpose of
averting suspicion"
II will not! Such q position as this
Is Observation-Disclosures"
ut is. 1t is impossible. But it ex-
lists, my lords and gentlemen, like the
human race"
Besides" she again interrupted, re-
aaXing a trif1e as the humor of the sit
uation forced itself upon her. lit isn't
proper for me to be engaged in CONVEX
sation with a total stranger"
20, yes it is. If it were not. they
wouldn't do it in those delightful
stories you've read so often in that
Paper. It's quite the thing these days.
To remove the curse, however, allow
me to Introduce
But / don't wish"
pardon me, but let me ask you not
to be so cold and distant-especially
not so distant. You'll excuse the ma.
ture of the tie that binds US. One OF
those persons is looking at US curl,
ously."
Hurriedly she leaGed a little nearer
to him.
That's better. As I was about tc
say, my name is Orlando G. Spoona.
more. I move in respectable society
and personally l am entirely harmless
/ don't look like a cannihal, do II"
"N-nO, but"
"And your name, as I have just dis
covered by looking at the printed tag
on that paper, is"
She hastily turned the paper tho
other side up.
"Too late. You are Miss Gloriana
Gsovius. l am delighted to meet you
in this informal, unprecedented way
and become so close an acquaintance
in so short 4 time. Asking your par
don for dropping into slang, I will adj
that ! am decidedly stuck OH"
81 don't believe you are trying to-
to separate u.s."
"Palsied be the hand that would dc
such q thiDcI Still" be continued, tug