The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-12-29

Orme looked up at her. Il hope you
won't think me a cad" he said, IF /
say that l hope we may meet many
times"
Her little frown warned him that
she had misunderstood.
do you happen to know the Tom
Wailinghams? he asked.
Her smile returned. Il know a
Tom Wallingham and a Bessie Wall
ingham-"
They're good friends of mine.
Don't you think that they might intro
duce u.s."
They might" she vouchsafed, "if
they happened to see us both at the
same time"
Orme returned to his task The
crowd that always gathers was now
close about them, and there was little
opportunity for talk. He finished his
job neatly, and slowed away the old
tire.
She was in the car before he could
offer to help her. Thank you again"
she said.
IF only you will let me arrange It
with the Wallinghams," he faltered.
Il will think about it." She smiled.
He felt that she was slipping away.
Give me some clue" he begged.
Where is your spirit OF romance?"
she rallied at him; then apparently re-
lenting: Perhaps the next time we
, meet"
Orme groaned With a little nod
like that which had dismissed him at
the time of his first service to her,
she pulled the lever and the car
moved away.
Tumult in his breast. Orme walked
on. He watched the black car thread
its way down the street and disappear
around a corner. Then he gave him.
self over to his own bewildering re-
flections, and he was still busy with
them when he found himself at the
entrance of the Pere Marquette. He
| had crossed the Rush street bridge
and found his way up to the Lake
Shore drive almost without realizing
whittier he was going.
Orme had come to Chicago at the
request of eastern clients to meet half
way the owners of a western mining
property. When he registered at the
Annex he found awaiting him tele-
gram saying that they had been de-
| tained at Denver and must necessari-
| ly be two days late. Besides the tele.
gram, there had been letter for him
"a letter from his friend, Jack Bax-
ter, to whom he had written of his
coming Jack had left the city on
business, it appeared. but he urged
Orme to make free of his North side
apartment. So Orme left the Annex
and went to the rather too gorgeous,
but very luxurious, Pere Marquette,
where he found that the staff had
been instructed to keep a close eye
on his comfort All this had hap
pened but three short hours ago
After getting back to the apartment,
| Orme's first thought was to telephone
to Bessie Wallngham. He decided.
however, to wait till after dinner de
did not like to appear too eager. So
| he went down to the public dining
room and ate what was placed before
| him, and returned to his apartment
| just at dusk.
In a few moments he got Bessie
Wallingham on the wire.
why, Robert Orme!" she ex-
claimed. Wherever did you come
| from?"
The usual place. Are you and
Tom at home this EVENING""
I'm so sorry. We're going out with
some new friends. Wish knew them
well enough to ask YOU along. Can
you have some golf with us at ARA
dale tomorrow afternoon?"
Delighted Say, Bessie, do you
know a girl who runs black touring
carr"
"What?"
do you know tall, dark girl who
has black touring carp"
II know lots of tall, dark girls, and
several of them have black touring
cars. Why?"
Who are they?"
There was a pause and a little
chuckle; then: Nov, Bob, that won't
do. You must tell me all about it to-
morrow. Call for us in time to catch
the one-four."
That was all that Orme could get
out of her; and after little banter
and a brief exchange of greetings
with Tom, who was called to the lele-
phone by his wife, the wire was per-
mitted to rest.
Orme pushed a chair to the window
of the sitting room and smoked lazily,
looking out over the beautiful expanse
of Lake Michigan, which reflected
from its CLASSY surface the wonderful
opalescence OF early evening. He
seemed to have set forth on a new and
adventurous road. How strangely the
| girl of the car had come into his life!
Then he thought of the tive-dollar
bill, with the curious inscription. He
took it from his pocketbook and ex-
amined it by the fading light The
words ran the full length of the face.
Orme noticed that the writing had .
foreign look. There were flCNrishes
which seemed distinctly un-American.
He turned the bill over. Apparent
ly there was no writing on the back,
but as he looked more closely he saw
a dark blur in the upper left-hand
corner. Even in the dusk he could
make out that this was not spot of
dirt; the edges we're defined too dis
tinctly for smudge; and it was no'
black enough for an ink-blot
Moving to the center table, he
switched on the electric lamp. and
looked at the blur again. 1t stood out
plainly now, a series of letters and