Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-24

iIst'i1 81 'itlC
TT issued in disaster, as he feared The rate
clerk gifted with some subtle second
sight. OWNED his treachery. and came to
meet him gladly, like a paladin. Louis
strove to disarm him by the power of the
human eve. and when that did not avail he
explained that his weekly calls were but part
and parcel of his business. and there was
nothing in his mind SO remote as thoughts
of matrimonv But the other was (, stolid,
material person. gnawed by a low and com
mon jealousy; So reason failing, they came
together. amalgan,ating like two drops of
quicksilver.
The following morning Mitchell explained
to MIR. Corner that in stepping out of the
bathtub he had slipped and vrenched his
shoulder: then, when passing through the
dark hall had put his face into mourning
by colliding with an open door
About nine thirty Miss Dunlap called un;
but not to leave an order. When she had
finally rung off, Louis looked dazedly at the
wire to see if the insulation had melted. 1t
seemed impossible that rubber and gutta-
pcrcha could withstand such heat as had
come sizzling from the Santa Fe. From
what she had said it required no great in
ductivc reasoning to see that the rate clerk
had told all. Coming victorious to Miss
Lackawanna's door to have his lnucl;les
collodionizcd, he had made know n in coarse
language the commercialisrn of his rival.
with the result that Phoebe had lisen in her
wrath.
Just to verify the story. she had called up
the other railroad offices, whereupon the
truth had come out like a herd of jacllIab-
bits ahead of hound. Miss Dunlap, as 1t
appeared, was shouting mad; but Phoebe
a II.
manner that hurt even more. The No TIL
western called up to say goodby forever and
to hope his nose was broken; the Big -Four
promised that her brother, V no was a pud-
der in the South Chicago steel mills, would
run in and finish the rate clerk 5 oh; Miss
Gratz, of the {. & +. L., was tca1fully plain
tive. and. being German, spo'c of sui ldc.
OF course all business relations ere at an
end.
During the day only one phone order
cane and that was from Miss Alonon.
Mitchell had been stceing himself to hear
from her; but it seemed that she took it as
rather a good iolie She told him she had
known all the time why he came to see her,
and Y hen he reminded her that it was Thurs
day she invited him to call if he thought it
worth while.
When he saw Miss Harris at suppertime
and undertook to explain his black eyes, she
laughed 1nockingly and flashed a II agnitlc cIt
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT diamond solitaire on her
third finger. explaining that he and his eli ony
gig lamps mattered nothing in her life. She
and Mr. Gross expected to be married inside
Of two or three years, if all went well.
Disguised behind pair of blue goggles,
Louis headed for Miss Monon's door, glad
that the coy corner was 50 dimly lighted,
and when he had arrived she bathed his bat
tie Starred features with hamamelis. She
Was very sweet and slim and gentle, and
Young Mitchell, imperfect as his vision was.
saw something in her he had never seen be
fore.
A WEEK went by, during which it seemed
that all the railroads except the Monon
had suddenly gone out of business. 1t was
as if a strike had been declared. Another
week passed and NIitehel's sales were not
enough to be noticeable; then MIR. Conner
called him in to ask:
is your phone disconnected
NO. Sir"
"Do YOU know the prices of our goods?
"Yes, Sir.
"1hen what has become of those pick
ups