Free press., 1906-09-01
AN
ELEVATOR
CUPID
BY CARROLL WATSON RANKIN

lion.
Katherine, however, was not an inhabi
tant- In her own town elevators pur
sued the even tenor of their way withou
N1&arles OF any sort; so, when her bust
Iess with the photographer on the toI
Eoor was completed the young woman
with every reason 10 expect swift anC
uneyentful journey to the street, stepped
| confidently into the elevator
AT the fourth floor the elevator stopped
to admit second passenger, a mar
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 a matter of COM
| plete indifference to him whether the ele-
vator shot suddenly upward and crashed
| through the skylight-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 courting disaster, he had
courted katherine-apparently 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 he had thrust it
savagcly at the end of their quarrel.
why are we stopping here?" asked
Katherine, turning to the elevator boy of
cherubic countenance.
Cause we can't go on" returned the
boy, producing a bag of peanuts and a
dime novel, and proceeding to make him
self comfortable. ''The blamed powers
off,"
this? ?"
"Oh, 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 hoursr' gasped Kath-
crime.
"Yep," replied the boy, settling himself
more comfortably on his stool. "Once
it was longer, but gin'rally they get her
ger at all, miss"
conversation by burying himself in his
book. Katherine moved to the end of
the long, leather-covered seat. Westcott,
at the extreme other end, stared gloomily
at the wall.
Katherine looked at her watch. It 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 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 arc
seldom interesting. This one was tinted
with bilious green-a color that West
colt abhorred.
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 I ought to do? If we
were utter strangers, cast away on a 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. I suppose
| ought to offer him some of these choco-
lates, even If we're not on speaking
terms"
Katherine, sitting very straight, and
he cfr fcr1,% IL,
the box along the seat. Westcott paid
no attention.
VIII you have a chocolate?" asked
Katherine, somewhat unsteadily.
WeStcott was so sure that he was
dreaming that he did not make any an
swer
elevator boy.
crime.
VIII you-will you have chocolate? ?"
No, thank you," replied Westcott. re-
turning to the contemplation of the green
wall.
There was another long pause. The
neglected box remained half way between
the suspended passengers.
think you're -ungentlemanly."
said Katherine. at length.
SO you said last night" responded
Westcott coldly.
You're more so to-day.''
''l1ow SOP"
"You-you know Tn too polite TO ca.
those chocolates and let you go hungry
and I'm fairly starving"
Westcott, with an air of exaggerated
pollteneSS, took a chocolate and ate il.
with his eyes fixed unsociably upon the
green wall. He dared not trust himself
to look at Katherine Katherine nibbled
a bonbon, waited in silence for ten min
utes, and again offered the box to West
colt, who gravely helped himself. This
operation was repeated until only one re-
mained in the box. The remaining one
was heart-shaped.
It's hearth" exclaimed the elevator
boy, who had read too many dime novels
not to recognize an interesting situation
-I,.a~, l.,