The Red Cloud chief., 1912-10-31
The INITIAL N"
Romance in a lady's Shopping
Bag.
BY BRYANT z. c. ROGERS.


siad the widow Rexford. to the caller.
1T is not true. though I wish 1t were.
should dearly love to know that he
was settled down in his own home"
But he is not cynic?"
"Oh, dear no. It is just that-that
well can hardly explain. He wants
rousing up. as 1t were. Admiring,
,ourtship and marriage seem prosy
events to him. There will have to be
adventure with his falling In love"
Royal Rexford, only son OF the
widow, had reach cd the age OF twenty
Jour without ever having fallen In
owe. 1t couldn't even be said that he
had flirted. He could waltz and play
bridge and render himself agreeable
1t afternoons" and week.ends. but 1t
stopped there. He didn't favor wo-
nan suffrage, and he didn't say word
against 1t. 1t was .ust that he was
iot interested beyond a mild and par.
ionable curiosity. His intimates OF.
en- wondered what would arouse his
'motions. but they had waited In vain.
On a certain afternoon Mr.. Rexford
eft New York for Hartford He was
neither elated nor cast down. He
iidn't care whether he went or stayed.
He didn't care whether he went be-
yond Fall River or got of there.
Every chair in the car was taken, but
ie didn't care to size up his fellow.
passengers. In an Indifferent sort
II way he acquired the knowledge that
here were three or four young ladies'
among the travellers, but what OF It!
There were also ladies' and fat men
and lean men.
Mr. Rexford passed most Of the time
in reading When he reached
journeys end he was in no rush to
leave the car. II thereby happened
that he was the last one out. and as
he passed down the aisle he saw a
shopoing-bag reposing In one OF the
chairs They have been left behind
hundreds OF times by hundreds Of wo-
men. According to rule and law and
several other things. Mr.. Rexford
should have passed on and left the
porter to find the bug and turn 1t In
to the lost property office. II not that.
then he should have turned 1t In him.
SELF
But Mr.. Rexford didn't do any such
thing The sight Of that bag with its
silver IN" on the side aroused a faint
interest in his breast 1t seemed to
say to him: Please take care Of me- .
and he walked out Of the depot with
the bag cuddled up under his arm. He
expected to meet the loser any minute
but she did not retLrn. The treasure
went with the finder to hotel for the
night, and reached New York with
him the next day.
Most persons would have opened
that bag within an hour. but Mr.. Rex
ford didn't. He waited until his re
turn, and then he only took a peek
Just enough to discover roll Of false
hair and a powder-puff. There were
other things further down, but he KEEP
hands off,
Mr.. Rexford had not intended tc
appropriate anything. What he mean
to do was to find the owner but ir
his own way. That way was by ad
vertisement In the papers and when II
came out 1t read:
Found. on the Hartford train, or
the goth, a ladies' shopping bag bear
Ing the initial M Address Box a.
The brief advertisement was place.
In four papers, and the loser would bt
almost certain to see 1t. She did SCI
It. She lived just outside of Hartford
and would be greatly obliged. and 8.
FORTH
Mr.. Rexford didn't follow the usua
mode Of procedure in such cases. H,
was not a bit curious, but with tina
bag nicely wrapped up in scented pa
per he made his way back to Hartfor
and to the surburb where was locates
the home of the loser. 1t was 80 kin,
Of him. said tho spinster of forty. an
It was go careless Of her. Her nam
was Morgan. and that accounted 70
the initial. Excuse her for a mament
please. Miss Morgan left the room
to inspect the bag. and when she re
turned she fairly threw 1t at Mr.. Re1
lords head along with the exclams
ton:
"Sir. you are no gentleman!"
"What-what Is it,"
Il repeat 1t, sir. and II my brothe
we're here you would have to pay fo
This INSULT"
He - here. sister!" replied a dee
voice from the front hall, and 4
walked man looking for trouble.
Really. dort understand" sal
Mr.. Rexford.
"Then take time out on the corne
to think It over" answered the brotl
er; and he threw the caller out door
and the bag after him.
There was mistcke somewhere
and Mr.. Rexfoyd begar to feel tn
emotion of curiosity. There was n
mistake about his having landed In
heap at the foot of the steps, but VIII
should Miss Morgan's bag have TO
lowed him? He had come all the wa
from New York to restore 1t. and no.
she would not have 1t. 1t was no us
TO ring TIE bell and ask for explain,