The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-08-18
the MISTRESS
OF the GLOVE

BY ROBERT CARLTON BROWN

did. For when he picked II up IN the
crowded store he looked about fur
lively, bushed like schoolboy,
thrust 1t into his pocket, and then
rushed out into the street.
When he reached his Office the first
thing he did after locking The door
and drawing the blinds. was 70 take
out that little glove and smooth 1t
over the back of his hand
II was a new glove-she could not
have worn it more than once, for
there was not one wrinkle In it-~yet
lit was hels--lt was hers--he was
sure
Nc doubt you are anxious to know
who she was Wen. for that matter,
so was Hobbs, for he had not the
| slightest idea,
You must know, then, that Hobbs
was bachelor, and it has been said
| that bachelors often are sentimental
He hadn't lived ~ years without
knowing something Of love. Since ~
his appreciation and utter depend.
ence on romance had yearly increased.
With a little computation 1t is quite
easy To ascertain that Hobbs was
quite romantic--yes, most romantic,
There wasn't day in which II did
not appeal to him His name spelled
Hobbs, but his heart spelled plainly
Romance
Now you can understand little
better why he cherished the lost
glove, and possibly You can account
for his having kissed it three times
tenderly, deyotedly.
He did all this, in the quiet and Sc
ciusion of his own office, for Hobbs
made no boast of his romantic nature.
and even tried occasionally to conceal
it from his prosaic friends.
lie held the tiny glove In his right
hand and dreamed then he trans
ferfed 1t carefully to his left hand,
and dreamed some more.
It was a little glove. and Hobbs had
a penchant for holding little hands.
Big ones he adhered He had tried
them all, and his final verdict was
that the smaller the hand the bigger
the love (not the glovel That was
why he had picked 1t up in the first
place; that was why he was dream
ing over ii instead of the work piled
high on his desk.
The castle he built out of that small
glove was by far his greatest achieve
'ment In that line-and that was right
in his line. He was a builder Of cas-
ties, a maker OF mansions, and often
smaller things than even that glove
served for foundations.
That noon he carried it with him to
lunch in his breast pocket, and the
waiter wondered why he received a
half-dollar for a tip from the absent
minded man who felt continually In
his breast pocket.
BY three that afternoon he had
decided on her every feature and
talent, he had created his fairy from
the glove--and, now that he had made
her to order, he determined to find
her and realize his dreams
The case simply was this: She had
lost a glove; she would know that
somebody had found it; she would
know about where she lost it; she
would go there and inquire. II that
failed, she would go to the lost and
found bureau in the store and leave
her name and address, so that II the
glove were found she could get IT.
Then. too, she might advertise for il.
.ol it was new glove and the other
was useless without It. And then, If
she did not advertise-Hobbs would.
With this idea In mind he started
oui and went to the department store
where he had found the glove. But
the store was closed. and he took the
car for home. troubled by the loss of
timc. but certain that he would find
her in the morning.
That night be went happily to bed
and dreamed of her-dreamed OF her
tenderness. of her daintiness. He saw
her before him with those tiny hands,
with feet 10 match; he Saw her in his
night dreams as he had created her in
his day dreams.
And then the hope--no, the surety
of finding her possessed him, and
he went down to breakfast with a sat
isfed smile.
As he scanned the headlines Of the
morning paper his mind mechanically
reverted 10 her. and he found himself
planning what he would say az tie
store where he had found the glove.
Possibly she already has adver-
tIsed for It" he thought. and eagerly
opened his paper to the lost and
found column.
His eye ran down the advertise
ments in rapid haste. II stopped
quickly at one item. and he read the
first two lines with delight in his
eyes.
Suddenly his face changed. the cor
nors OF his mouth dropped. his checks
grew white. and he bit neryously at
his muslache.
with an all gone feeling. he
crushed the paper in his hands and
threw il across the table. Then,
broker spirited and saddened, he
pa.hed his chair back and went dis
uiallg to work
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