Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-12-05

AdttS lHt Idih On AduAouH avenue
may 80 far towards explaining why it
is that this is the favorite drive for
the younger society women of the
city, for the club contains handsomely
appointed bachelor suites. l can't
prove this, Of course, but l have my
suspicious.
One afternoon late in the spring, one
of their members was just mounting
the steps. He was a young man of
that distinctly American blend of So
cal distinction and keen business abil-
ity. He was looking up the street, and
once or twice he whistled authorita-
lively TO a Boston terrier who was
running to him with all speed possi-
Bile considering the large parcel the
dog carried in his mouth.
What now, Spud?" the young man
inquired, indulgently.
He took the package from the dog
and as he drew forth the contents, the
carriages trailing by were surprised
by the sight of Mr.. Morris Van Tassel
standing like a statue at the entrance
Of the club and holding up in the
morning sunshlne-a ladys hat.
It's a stunner!" he said with
whistle under his breath. "Spud, how
could you?"
The bull dog, sitting pridefully at
his masters feet, looked up with a
lolling grin.
"Spud, I bought you for a gentle
man and you're nothing but a common
thief. What am I to do with it?'
The dog offered no suggestion as to
that He merely gazed up at it with
leer of pride.
"Wednesday it was sausages. Yes
terday it was a garter. You heard
what the fellows said when they found
it in my basket But this, Spud-"
Words failed him. He stood eyeing
the creation in his hand, a look of
amusement overspreading the habitu-
ally keen expression of his face.
"Oh, you've got my hat" broke out
a girlish voice from below.
She had appeared suddenly at the
foot of the stairs. She had evidently
been running and was trying hard not
TO pant.
ooh, please don't hold it that way"
BY this time she was on the step
beside him and had it safely back in
her own hands. She twirled it around,
viewing it carefully from all sides.
Il don't believe it's hurt sit" she
said, with frank satisfaction.
1T couldn't be prettier," Van Tas-
sci answered.
At the sound of his voice, all the
amusement and the unconsciousness
fed from the girls face. Her eyelids
dropped with a quick little wink and
fiuttering for a minute, hung down
like half-drawn curtains over her eyes
Her cheeks flushed with uneasiness
You see, her impulsive delight in her
purchase had lead her to carry it home
herself instead of waiting for it to be
sent She was not quite sure what
her society-bred, conservative mother
would say about it. She looked, at
this minute, like a guilty schoolgirl
! waiting to be scolded.
The change in her expression filled
Van Tassei with amusement. He had
been dealing of late only with the
trained society women of his set and
realized with something of surprise
that he had been forgetting what sim
pie grlhood was like.
He started to apologize for the
mendacity of his dog, but she lifted
her eyelids for a second and looked
him full in the face while she shook
her head deprecatingly.
I'm net going to talk with YOU"
this sign language said. So he picked
up the wrappings from where they had
fallen and the girl hastily tucked the
hat in.
Once again at the foot of the stairs,
her concern began to lessen. She
gave him a little nod of farewell, but
there was still apparent in her hurry
ing feet very childish desire to run
away
He glanced at her for a full half
minute, and then, being a gentleman,
turned.
Thank you, spud," he said to the
dog
That night, when some of the men
dropped into his room to smoke, though
more than once the incident came to
mind, he did not speak of it, 1t would
have been a good story, too.
The next afternoon, at the same
hour, when Van Tassel was coming
back from his office, he caught a
glimpse of her driving in the park.
She was holding her face with i'm
pulsive determination so that she
looked straight before her. though it
would have been perfectly evident to
the whole world-had they been in
terested-that she had seen him. Nj.
Morris Van Tassel was a little hurt,
which he argued with some amuse-
ment at himself, he had no right
whatever to be, as of course he had
not formally met her.
| will confide to you that it had TAX
en- some innocent contriving by the
girl TO leave her mother at home and