Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-05-01
Her MEMORY
TEST

Hundreds of
times," cried the girl with the French
eyelet embroidery.
Goodness, yes!" exclaimed the girl
with the Mexican drawnwork
well, I never spent such another
half-hour in my life as did last even
ing" pursued the girl with the tat
ting. 81 was late in getting from my
sisters home to my train and would
have been worried only that | knew
father would meet me in the city. AS
| got my bundles all spread out in
the other half OF the seat l looked up
and saw the incest sort Of back and
shoulders just ahead In the aisle. They
turned around while / was looking and
came straight toward me. / recog-
nized the man at the same instant,
picked up the bundles and smiled my
very sweetest-and l knew in that
minute that didn't have any idea who
he was! So / smiled harder than ever
and positively gushed-for time.
"At first l thought his name would
come to me after a. little while. So
kept on talking as If l had just been
existing and nothing more uptil he
should arrive. He played right up to
his part He had called me Miss
Beach right away Oh, how envied
him!
"Of course the more we talked and
told each other how glad we were to
meet again the harder it was for me to
think of confessing that didn't know
his name.
Then I began to rack my brains for
a way to make him tell me his own
name without suspecting that was in
terested in learning it.
First, I tried leading the talk
around to the different people whom /
knew; very carefully, for you cannot
talk about perfect strangers to man
for very long without its seeming rath-
er odd to him. He didn't appear to
know a soul that l did. Then l tried
| sports and theaters and automobiles
and cities and colleges and climate. l
led him a merry chase through every
SuDlSCI ! COulu VI tIieAt WouAh
be likely to give me lead. He talked
| cheerfully about them all and seemed
to be enjoying himself. but he didn't
make single admission that
helped me.
by this time I was ready to cry.
The ride was half over and could see
| father In my minds eye waiting in the
railroad station to meet me. l began
| to grow frantic at the thought OF
| having to introduce a man whose
name I had forgotten.
| Sometimes little glimmerings of his
name would come to me and l would
stop breathing. but they always van
Ished Just as I almost grasped them.
Finally grew desperate. l started
| In to cross-question him wildly. In
five minutes there were not many
things about which I had not asked
that wretched man except the one
thing l wanted to know.
81 could have torn him into little
bits and thrown him out of the car
window. But just then he drew out a
| cigar case and I distinctly saw the
| word Martin worked in silk on the
side.
THAT set me to searching madly
| again for a clew Martin, Martin. Mar
tin-who?
The train stopped. I suppose he
must have seen the perfect dismay in
my face as I made out dear old ia
ther trudging through the gates to get
me, and so he put two and two to
gether. For he began to smile and
began to blush The more he smiled
the redder blushed.
Nov, confess, Miss Beach, he
said, that you haven't an idea who
am and haven't had from the first
1--we suspected it for some time and
| now I'm sure. I'll wager five pounds
| of your favorite kind of chocolate
creams that I'm right.
Girls, will you believe me? Just
Ibis saying that made his name come
back to me. l could have Rugged
him, But all I did was to look sur
lprised.
"'Why, how absurd l laughed. .
shall take the creams to punish you
hut of course it wouldn't be fair te
make a wager because you could moi
he a winner at this game, you know.
This made him
open his eyes a 49,
bit. Father reached GgE
US at that minute ~
and / had my tri- .x -
umph. ksS\ I'M
Father said. saAS>St1S
4 want you to fszssE IL
know friend Ne
| who came in with 5Y N,NNE
me from sisters. AySiS#s
You !, have heard lIsEssb
me speak of Mr. sAHAliss
| Loser = Mr.. Mar SghssiIf'ASES
tin Loser!' ss
THAT was his SEs
| name and here" 10y
reaching down sEA
box of frivolous M%a
appearance but of IA
Icons derabl e -
weight, here is Fatner.
| he proofi"-Chicago Daily NeWs
=