The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-10-24
A Bachelor Quest.
copyright, 1907, by +. G. Parcellsl

Charles Shaw attorney, was forty
and unmarried, He had proposed
twice and been rejected both times.
| After that he rcfrained and became
cynical about marriage.
| One night in returning from his club
| to his bachelor quarters he witnessed
| q collision between hack and street
car. The street car couldn't turn out.
and the hack wouldn't, and 50 they
came together with crash.
| When the incident had reached its
end MIR. Shaw resumed his way, but he
hadn't taken twenty steps when he
made find on the sidewalk. 1t was a
| white satin slipper, and it belonged to
| a woman with a dainty foot. The lind
| er admired it by lamplight and then
slipped it into his pocket His heart
gave Il sort of funk as he did so. Here
was seed of fOmance-a lost slipper,
dainty slipper, slipper belonging
to some fair lady who had fed from
the collision in wild haste. She must
have been without an escort or the
slipper would have been searched for
and found. What was Il handsome wo-
man doing that she was out alone at
midnight? Had the question been put
| to him by Il caller at his office the
lawyer would have answered that she
probably belonged to the Tenderloin
and charged SO for the information;
| but. as it was, he made himself believe
that it was far otherwise. AS he took
the slipper out of his pocket and looked
| at 1t with the eyes of a man of the
world and an old bachelor instinct
told him that the loser was Il damsel.
that she was blond. that she hadmerry
blue eyes, that she had an aristocratic
| 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 next his heart.
If the slipper had looked cute and
dainty and ariStOcratic by gasight it
looked 80 per cent more so i'll the sun
shine of the morning. Instead of dying
out. the romance dubbed the harder.
Mr.. Shaw felt that he had 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
ery shocked. \ man who wanted to
sue another man because his dog had
bitten him saw it 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 a lawyer who had been
married fortwenty years. None of these
things affected Mr.. Shaw, however.
Next day the papers contained
carefully worded advertisement to the
effect that a gentleman who saw the
collision that took place i'll certain
locality had made 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
to the damsel's feelings. II she had
been out Summing alone he 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 bot
tie of whisky in the crash and would
| be much obliged at receiving it back.
Another wrote that he had missed q
wad of $l4 and was glad to find an
| honest man. A third had lost his hat
and a fourth cane. and three women
wrote about lost bags and back combs.
The one who lost the slipper didn't
write. however Mr. Shaw figured it
out that she hadn't got up early enough
In the morning to see the paper before
the cook lugged it downstairs, and he
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
warning that it must be returned
within three days or he would limp
around to police headquarters and set
fifty detectives at work on the case.
For third and fourth time Mr..
Shaw ordered that advertisement in
serted. In fact, he made it a 1T. f."
|
till forbidden. He felt that sooner or
later the damsel must see it. She was
no doubt wondering what chevalier
, had picked it up, and she would Won
der until she turned to the papers.
The adj was given place between a
bulldog for sale cheap and second
, hand farm wagon for sale at bar
gain, but he had ia Ii that her eyes
: would light on it. And Mr.. Shaw was
rewarded The day came when his
Office boy hunted him up at lunch and
told him that there was lady waiting
| at the Office, and he almost ran the
| four blocks. There was lady. She
was young lady. She was colored
young lady. She had taken the slip
per off the desk and was holding it
in her hand
"Much obleeged. boss" she said as
the lawyer stared at her.
Then it was yOu--you'-