Smyrna times., 1908-04-15

5i2sCn's
Ii { Il Girl.
By LULU JOHNSON
. . Q o0O . 90 0 o0eaoe
By LULU JOHNSON.
Copyrighted, 1908, by f. {. PARCELS.

that twice Il day swept through the
gates of that section of the concourse
devOred to the suburban traffic the
@a.eman liked best the little blue eyed
girl. she reminded him so strongly
of that other little blue eyed girl who
in happier day had greeted his com
ings and goings and had called him
father"
That was before the tunnel wrecl,
three years back, when they had car
r;ed her and her mother home-twO
victims of the worst disaster the road
had ever known.
The claim agent had learned that
Gibson was without work and had set
tied the damage claimed by providing
him with Il life position as gateman
on the big station. Ever since then
Thomas ellison had watched the tide
OF humanity ebb and flow through the
iron gates and had found solitude in
the crowd.
Until the blue eyed girl had come.
not quite three months before, he had
watched indifferently the hurrying
thrOng. The busy clicking of his
punch kept time to the dull monotone
Of the announcer's megaphonic voice.
Then one night he glanced up into
the face of a girl so like his own dead
daughter that his punch dropped from
his nerveiess hands. and he held them
forth yearningly if unconsciously.
The ring of the metal on the con-
crete pavement reused him. His hands
dropped to his side, and he took up his
dull routine of inspecting tickets. but
the grimy train shed, with its smoke
stained walls and its wastes Of cinder
| bed tracks, held a new interest for
him.
The monthly ticket which she pre-
! sented was brand new and proclaimed
| her a recruit to the army of workers
who daily took their places in the
| city's commercial field and he knew
that each night he should see her come
hurrying down the cOncOurSe toward
the gate.
Later. when she learned that the reg
ular commuters never displayed their
tickets. she would perhaps give him
the little nod and smile of friendly
recognition that the more experienced
always vouchsafed the guardian of the
gate GilSons memory for faces was
remarkable. He knew all of the com
muters by sight and had a nod for
each
1t was not long before ellison got
her trains" She came in on the S:27,
and every night she hurried to catch
the 6:45. Sometimes she was late and
missed that train, having to wait for
the 1853 and thereby missing also her
dinner.
She never went out for dinner when
she missed the earlier train, but sat in
the great marble waiting room. Gill
son. quick to deduce, knew that the
money she earned was so sOrely need
ed Mt home that she could not spare
the sum that would buy an extra meal
In town.
The old gateman did not go on duty
until o'clock in the morning, but he
was always there now at S:27, stand
ing by the exit gate when the subur-
ban trains came rolling in, and that
was how he came to know that Met
calf was becoming interested in her.
Usually they came together down
the platform, and only a glance at the
girls face was needed to tell that she
liked Metcalf. Later on Metcalf tool
to going out on the Gao instead on the
6:43. which was an express and stop
ped only at the more important sta
tions. No matchmaking mother evel
> watched the social progress of hel
daughter with greater solicitude thai
did ellison watch the growth of Low,
between Metcalf and Miss Traynor.
t He had known Metcalf Che had learn
\ ed the names on the Communication tick
: ets) ever since he had come to the sta
/ ton. Metcalf seemed nice, stead
n going young fellow, for he seldom wait
Q ed over until the theater train, an
q each morning his eye was clear and hi
u hand steady. His appearance betOkeT
K ed his prosperity, and ellison rejoice
= that his little girl was making so goo
& q match.
20 Then came the day when the littl
D girl came down the platform by he
t. flaming. Metcalf fingered in the rea
and he, too, was flushed and angr,
Gilson's heart was troubled, though /
tried to tell himself that all would
!, made smooth that night.
" But it was not made smooth. Me
n calf did not appear until just in tin
for the 1903, and there were traces
tears on the little girls face as 81
passed through the gate to take Il
= 6:45.
, Once during the week they bo
came in by the same train, but Metca
was in the smoker and the little q
was in the last car.
r. She tried very hard to look as thoui
q she did not care, but Gilson's sha
eyes could see the change, and he We
ried so that he let a fussy old la'
- take the next accommodation in the
lief that it was the through expires
which fact was duly reported to hes