The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-12-04
A Bachelor Quest.
copyright. 1907, by L. c. PARCELS.

cynical about marriage.
One night in returning from his clul
to his bachelor quarters he witnesseI
a collision between Il hack and a stree:
car. The street car couldn't turn ou;
and the hack wouldn't, and so they
came together with a crash.
When the incident had reached its
end Mr.. Shaw resumed his way, but he
hadn't taken twenty steps when he
made a find on the sidewalk. It was a
white satin slipper, and 1t belonged tc
a woman with a dainty foot. The find
er admired it by lamplight and then
slipped it into his pocket. His heart
gave a sort of funk as he did so. Here
was a seed of romance-a lost slipper,
a dainty slipper, a slipper belonging
to some fair lady who had fed from
the collision in wild haste. She must
have been without M escort or the
slipper would have been searched fol
and found. What was a handsome wo.
man doing that she vas out alone at
midnight? Had the question been put
to him by a caller Mt his Office the
lawyer would have answered that she
probably belonged to the Tenderloin
and charged $40 for the information,
but, as 1t was, he made himself believe
that 1t was far otherwise. AS he took
the slipper out of his pocket and looked
at it with the eyes Of a man of the
world and an old bachelor instinct
told him that the loser was a damsel,
that she was blond, that she had merry
blue eyes, that she had an arfstocratic
foot and belonged to the Four Hun,
dred. Real old solid romance was bub,
bling and seething In his bosom before
he went to bed that night. He may
have thrust the slipper under his pill.
low. He may have put it into the
pocket Of his nightshirt so as to have
1t mex his heart.
If the slipper had looked cute and
dainty and aristocratic by gaslight it
looked 80 per cent more so in the sun
shine Of the morning. Instead Of dying
out, the Omanc dubbed the harder.
Mr.. Shaw felt that he had Il case where
the jury couldn't go back On him. He
gazed long at the dainty thing before
he went to breakfast. Then he put it
In his pocket and carried it to his
office and placed it on his desk. His
girl typist saw it there and was prop
erly shocked. \ man who wanted to
sue another man because his dog had
bitten him saw 1t there and went away
without suing. An old woman who
wanted to lend some money on a mort
gage saw it there and went right off
and consulted Il lawyer who had been
married fOrtwcnty years. None of these
things affected Mr.. Shaw, however.
Next day the papers contained Il
carefully wordeu advertisement to the
| effect that a gentleman who saw the
collision that took place in 4 certain
locality had made Il find afterward and
was anxious to restore the article to
| the loser. Some men would have men
toned the slipper right out in print.
Mr.. Shaw didn't do this out Of respect
| been out Summing alone be wasn't go
ing to give her away to her stern IA
Their or Mortified mother. 1t was just
mentioned as Il find" and the result
was what might have been expected.
One man wrote that he had lost a bot
tie of whisky in the crash and would
be much obliged at receiving it back.
Another wrote that he had missed a
wau of $l4 and was glad to find an
honest man. \ third had lost his hat
and q fourth Il cane, and three women
wrote about lost bags and back combs.
The one who lost the slipper didn't
write, however. Mr.. Shaw figured il
out that she hadn't got up early enough
In the morning to see the paper before
advertised again. No answer from
her. The only epistle was from a par
ty who claimed to have lost his wood
en leg in the accident, and he dropped
a warning that 1t must be returned
within three days or he would linn
around to police headquarters and Sc
fifty detectives ut work on the case.
For a third and fourth time Mr.
Shaw ordered that advertisement In
serted. In fact, he made 1t a It. f.
ad., which means that it was to T u
till forbidden. He felt that sooner o
later the damsel must see 1t. She wa
no doubt wondering what chevalie
, had picked 1t up, and she would Won
der until she turned to the papers
! The Il d was given a place between
bulldog for sale cheap and a second
hand farm wagon for sale at q bar
gain, but he had faith that her eye
would light on it. And Mr.. Shaw wa
rewarded. The day came when hi
Office boy hunted him up at lunch an
told him that there was a lady waitin
Z at the office, and he almost ran til
four blocks. There was a lady. Sh
! was a young lady. She was a colore
Z young lady. She had taken the Sill
i per off the desk and was holding
in her hand.
;, "Much oblceged, boss" she said 9
the lawyer stared at her.
~ "Then 1t IA you-you"-
1T was me sab. 1t was me an
! Julius. We had been to de show an
was comm home. Dat crash Hoppe
me down on de tloh, and 1t 1oppe