The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-25
THE REAL ARTICLE.
stCopyright, Is1e, by Associated Lit
erayy Press)
ny LOUISE oNLEY.

EtCepyrfght, ls1e, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
Hal Phillips hung to his strap In the
9 o'clock down car. and thanked the
fAtes that he was stationed where he
could study her back hair and the soft
curve of her cheek. IT was now
4 March and all winter he had been
watching the girl with persistence
hitherto all urrewarded. She had not
even seemed TO see him. He reflected
dtssontentediy that she might safely
gtancs at him some day, but she never
had--so far as he could tell So he
continued to see her every morning.
90 wonder who she was, and to think
how lonely he was there in the mid
West trying to make good in the law.
This girl. he said to himself, was the
real article, and he had a captious
taste. Her soft brown hair. coifred
depureiy with a weil-bred ignoring Of
The fiamboyant fashion. was mani
festly all her own; her dainty color
cnme and went: her 1.-THE figure sway.
edSoftiy as she walked. and her man.
ner was perfect. In three months he
had been unable To decide what she
did would not classify. She
gould not be a stenographer. nor n
clerk: surely not a professional wo-
man--she was too young. too shelter
ell looking, She left the car some
blocks before ne did. so he could
saaat @asss- sshsSe- she
This morning As. they neared~h her
I usual stopping place he looked up
from his contemplation of her pro-
file to meet the grin Smith, who
was hanging to strap a bit farther
on. Phillips nodded and frowned---
Smith was such an observant wretch.
He hoped ne had not seen his inter-
est In the girl. just then the car
stopped with jerk. and Phillips, OFF
his guard, swayed just In time to
strike the girls shoulder as she rose
and 10 loosen by the shock her hold
on her immense handbag.
Furious at his awkwardness. he re-
stored the bag. apologized as best he
00ufd in the three smiling seconds
che gave him, and touched his hat as
she got of. Then he watched Smith.
who had an Office in the same build
Ing with his. The idiot was still
9rinning---he would ignore the grin.
Getting or at their corner, the
young men started for the building
and entered the elevator in silence.
hut Phillips. meeting his own stern
blue eye In the mirror. frowned at
himself In disgust. He had seen
Smith lift his hat to the girl, and was
wondering why he. Phillips, was such
confoundediy seif-consctous donkey
that he could not carelessiy ask who
she WAS as another man would have
done why not? But he couldn't
she had. somehow, become too per-
sonai to him to allow any question
about her save To herself. Therefore,
he mentioned the weather to Smith.
who rose TO the occasion and pre-
dicted a storm. Then they parted.
Once in his office. Henry Phillips
read his Observation-Disclosures offer
ing sets of law books on the install
snent plan; propositions for connec-
tions with not too reputable firms in
fTeater cities: hts mothers loving.
anxious letter, with its accustomed
questions about his health. his cloth
ing and lodging. his friends, his sue
cess Then, finally. a letter from
linda, his lifelong neighbor and
friend. Nice girl, Linda. he reflected,
ns he finished the balanced. cheerful
apisfie with it's unfeigned interest in
his doings. For the first time he Won
6ered why on earth he and Linda
had never come to care for each
other Come 10 think OF II. there
MAS NO girl quite ike lsiI0at RE as~
cided that when he went home in the
summer he would see a great deal
cf her. and he remembered that her
hair was much like that of the girl
in the car. Who was the girl, any
Way
He took the code and began work
ing on the case he was soon to try,
bat his thought was confused. Why
had he not met her? He had met many
good people in the four months he
mad been In Blairton. which was not
ffy enough to preclude the possibility
~ iIis meeting most OF the desirable
fsslk therein. He bad come well arm
lel with introductions. He knew him
III Il to be we'll bred, well looking.
sat the only girl he wanted to know
meyer came In his way. and never even
seemed to see him. Manifestly. ne
e.7sEIId mol follow her TO wherever she
a1Arked=-hut- he did mt believe she
aorked And he could not ask about
tes. Once he had seen her at the
ths,ater I'm a box with Mrs. Weston
ani a fine-lookinv man, q stranger
ara much her elder. He had seen
her nowhere else--except on the car
With a wrench. ne brought his
thoughts back 10 tie law with such
success that he forgot his lunch. and
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