The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-12-03

the eyes OF the young man who skunk
| furtively into the reading room of the
club and sought dark corner An
other young man in pepper and salt
suit, who had observed his entrance,
got up and went over to him.
whats the matter, Lovell?" he in
quired. "You aren't Ill, are you, or
have had bed news or anything?"
The first young man glared at the
other. Then he spoke "I've been
buying veil!" he explained, intense.
ly.
His friend in the pepper-and-salt
suit seated himself deliberately. "You
have been buying a-a-" he said,
brokenly.:
"Veil!" almost souted the hunted
young man. "And came in here to
let myself surged back into real exist
ence again! should have been see-
ing uncanny things In another min.
ute!
"You see," he explained, "I was
down at Marie's last evening and she
was packing to take train east to-
| day. She said her heart was broken
because she wouldn't have time to go
downtown this morning and buy q
veil for her new hat. It was mighty
pretty hat--did you ever notice how
pretty her clothes always are? But
she said the effect would be Just ruin
ed unless she had veil to tie around
1t, SO offered my services as a shop
| per. said I was quite sure that II
she'd explain what she wanted could
get 1t and send 1t out by special mes
senger." He groaned.
"And you have always passed for an
Intelligent human being" mused his
friend in the pepper-and-salt suit.
"Of course, she was-er-awfully
pleased" went on the first young man.
"And when Marie is pleased-well,
never mind! She explained careful
| ly that was to get veil two and a
half yards long and it was to be lace,
not chiffon, only 1t mustn't have spots
too close, because they would hurt
her eyes. And 1t was to be a dark
Bordeaux shade. She said I could
easily remember the color If only I'd
Ihihh VI oW uCduA "lhC. ~ uluu 1
| sound difficult.
But when got into the first shop
and found I had to plow through a
| wall of women four deep around the
veil counter, life began to look seri-
Gus. A young woman with large
pompadour and a rowing eye hailed
me across the feathered hat just be-
low my chin and shouted back that
| wanted veil for my sister. 1t was
easier to say sister than to explain in
public. After she had held up a
bunch of wells at random and had
wigwagged back that they would not
do there was break in the ranks and
got up to the counter.
| Call the women customers stopped
proceedings and looked at me. I tried
| to tell the young woman about the
veil, but somehow l did not seem to
make 1t clear to her. She seemed awr
fully hurt because I would not take
pale blue automobile veil, with vel
vet ribbon on the edge, for she said
1t was the very latest thing. She
draped 1t around her face coquettishly
and called upon me in grieved voice
to witness that 1t was becoming. I'm
timid man and 1t confused me to
have a fair creature embowered In
the folds of pale blue gaze at me with
her soul in her eyes. Besides, all the
other women were watching. They
seemed to think she was flirting with
me.
! "Her feelings appeared to be so hurt
that I simply had to get out. I said
I would take the blue veil and she
said she knew l was man of dis
cernment and that 1t was only So
Then I tried another store and very
firmly told a meek, elderly saleswom.
an what wanted. l remembered by
this time that it must be lace. She
seemed anxious to please and she
stacked up the counter with smut.
II had no idea there were so many
kinds of lace wells. Some were thick
and some were thin and how was to
know which was the kind Marie want
ed? The saleswoman said when l ask
ed her that some liked them one way
and some another and didn't / think
this one with the double scalloped
edge was real stylish? She said II
was veil that would please any
young lady. But 1t was brown and
that saved my life.
when hesitated between two
which thought might do, though I
couldn't tell whether the spots were
too close together she deftly tied one
across my face, so could Judge them
better. AS the filmy folds were dang
ling down my back two girls whom
know slightly came by, stared at the
pleasing spectacle and backed away
into the next department. watching
me, open-mouthed. I couldn't have
told whether the spots ! saw were on
the veil or not.
II was hot and tired and mad. So
bought the wells because II one
wasn't long enough Marie could sew
them together or something and
could tell her I struck sale and the