Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1912-02-10
A Chase
An American Abroad Is
Recognized by a Lady
He Does Not Know

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Walking in the Rue Rivoli, In Paris,
I passed two ladies, the one gray and
wrinkled. the other in what 1 con-
slider the prime Of womanhood-that
Is TO say. she must have been about
thirty. The moment the younger OF
the two caught sight OF me her face
lighted up. and she was about to bow
to me when she saw that / did not
recognize her. Then she looked away.
was puzzled. My eyesfght Is fairly
| good, and am not old enough to for
| get faces. / could not remember TO
have seen the lady before, but no one
can be certain of anything in this
world, and / might have met her cas-
ually. But had our previous meeting
been casual her face would not have
likely lighted at the second meeting.
| Still, IL the ladies were Americans the
meeting with fellow countryman In
a foreign land might have been suffi-
GENTLY pleasing to produce this result.
| A few days later. having nothing
better to do. called an open cab for
drive In the Bots de Boulogne.
\ on the Champs Elysees. Just before
reaching the Arc de Triomphe. met
the two ladies again. riding. The mo-
ment the younger one caught sight Of
me saw embarrassment on her face
/ indeed. u slight blush. This time
= noticed by the resemblance between
/ the two that they must be mother and
| daughter.
| Calling to my driver, directed him
to turn and follow the carriage that
had just passed. keeping 50 far away
that we would not appear to be shad-
owing il. He did 50. and I saw It
stop at hotel in the Rue dATger
near Rue ST. Honore. / knew 1t for 4
| family hotel frequented by English
and Americans.
, / now had not only the lady's adj
dress, but was privileged to take up
my abode under the same roof with
her. went to her hotel. engaged a
room and sent my baggage there
Then went there myself.
I The morning after my arrival, after
breakfast. / Ioitered in the hallway.
waiting for abe lady to go out. would
have asked the landlord for her name.
but I could not describe her to him
About 10 O'Clock she came out with
! the elderly lady. The look of surprise
on my charmer's face was reflected In
mine. only hers was genuine while
mine was feigned. I had intended to
seek an explanation. but was not en-
couraged to do so and let the oppor-
tunfty go by. The ladies entered car
rage standing at the door and were
n n Al.
lord to point them out to hfna.-but he
must needs be away from the office
| just when I wanted him
| Although l was watching. I saw no
more Of the lady for two days. when.
being down on the ground door occu-
pied for Office. hallway and reading
room, I saw some trunks going out and
a little later. looking out of window,
saw the two ladies get into carriage.
| Somehow 1 associated the trunks and
the ladies' together and got it into my
head that 1 was about to have break
in my romance that might never be
spliced- I hurried out, followed the
carriage on foot up the Rue St Honore
to the Place vendoue. where / hailed
an empty cab and. giving the neces-
driven after the ladies' to a railway
station AIighting. I saw them enter
, and from a distance watched them get
| into train.
This was more than I had bargained
for. must either take the same train
or lose my romance. The ~road,
knew, ran eastward. and I was told
that the train about to leave would
| proceed to Dfjon. Bern and thence to
the heart of Switzerland Since 1T was
winter IL my enthusiasm could be
chilled it would have been chilled now.
But what win man not do under GER
tain circumstances?
bought a ticket as far as Dijon and
| got aboard the tram. But my ladies'
did not stop there So I bought an
other to Neuchatel. another to Bern
and final one to Thun. There, put
ting my head out of the window. saw
| them leaving the station. a railway
porter carrying their hand baggage 1.
! too. left the train and saw them get
ting into Il carriage. I did not feel that
It was necessary TO shadow them. for
Thun Ia small city and the hotels for
tourists are punched together near the
end Of the lake.
We reached the town in the evening,
and the next morning went the round
OF the hotels. ! cursed my luck in not
having learned. the ladies' names, for
In that case ! need only have examined
the register to find them. As it was.
must keep moving here and there all
the while, hoping to meet them. About
IL o'clock they emerged from the prin-
cipai hotel. and I was disappointed to
see them gee into carriage. a porter
| putting their hand baggage in with
them followed them to the railway
station and thence 10 Interiaken- There
took pains to shadow them TO their
hotel.
The distance from Thun to Inter
Iaken being only q ride OF half an hour
or so, surmised that they would stop
for awhile at the latter place. for II
they were going to Lucerne or some
point to the south they would have
been likely to go on for days jour
uey I bought q change Of linen and
n IL