The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-03-02
Their Marrow
Escapes

1t was ike luis, cApioiACo VIC AiS~AA
after the others had told him that ne |
was looking pale. II was TO meet my |
yife's cousin downtown to buy pres
ent for my wife, and, Of course, she /
was late. / got tired standing in the |
store entrance, where We were to hnd /
each other, so | started down the |
street to meet her. In the crowd L saw |
her coming and she was at her old
understanding her handbag tucked
carelessly under one arm, ready to
tumble out or be grabbed.
Keeping my eye on the bag, l re-
solved to give Emma the jolt OF her
life and scare her into fit Of COM
mon sense. Just as | got in front or
her l reached out and took the hand
bag. Then looked at her triumphant
ly, condescendingly, accusingly. AT
least. l started out with the intention
of crushing her with that sort of
gaze, but never completed it, because
we'll, you see, it wasn't Emma!
cit was, however, perfectly good
imitation of her and she was both
scared to death, hopping mad and
ready for Mysteries. There was one
awful second when she opened her
lips to scream and at that instant the
crossing policeman looked ten feet
high to me and fierce in proportion.
In the last panic of desperation l
grabbed her arm so hard that it hurt
her so she couldn't yell and pleaded
for my life 1 gasped out that it was
q mistake and she Indignantly as
sured me 1t certainly was, the biggest
| mistake of my life, but that that was
what they all said when they got
caught.
81 assured her that I thought she
| was my Cousin Emma and she looked
| at me scornfully. She was beginning
to get back her breath and her cour-
age. She said no doubt Cousin Emma
was a most estimable person, but she
didn't thank me for taking her for the
cousin of pickpocket and opened her
mouth again to scream. I think I
shook her then-at any rate, her
| scream was lost. I never before talk
ed SO fast in my life or so much. 1t
was like having three seconds before
4 the drop was sprung to say all l
II W duCCu " say. lOlu uSI al dDouS LILY
\ great-grandfather who was in the Rev.
i dictionary war and the new house
was building and how respectable the
club were to which I belonged and
how had credit at all the stores.
Either I led her to think I was in
sane and dangerous or else my piteous
gaze reused a spark of humanity in
hA~ hxy h. MD
had drawn the policeman to us she
i quite snapped at him and told him
nothing was the trouble and to go
back to waving his hand at automo-
biles and let her manage her own af-
fairs. Anyhow, she let me stink
away without raising any row. I'm
still shaking!"
II expect she didn't mind so much
because she'd spent all her money for
Christmas, and there wasn't anything
in the pocket book said one of the
other men. I'm not precisely breath
less over your very narrow escape
because I had one that was sc
much worse short time ago. Say
couldn't blind man with his head
in sack tell from one brief glance
at me that 1 am a respectable, strait
laced family mann Could any one ever
mistake me for a gay and roisterine
blade, or does any one exist who would
dream of accusing me of flirting?
well, the other night I was taking
my wife and Jones wife downtown te
dinner. Jones was to join us at the
cafe. I stopped to buy paper and the
women walked on ahead. 1t was ter
ribly crowded on the streets that time
of the evening, and my wife is so USED
to being looked after that l was
afraid she would walk under an auto
mobile Or sit down and rest on the
car tracks. or something, SO l tore aftel
them. / caught up just as my wife
stepped off the sidewalk to the cross
ing. Slipping my hand under her ell
bow, l leaned over close and said dis
tinctly-oh, most distinctly-'Be care
full, dearie. about crossing the
street,"
Wasn't it your wife?"
"Of course not!" shouted the mar
who was telling the story Its never
your wife in a situation like that!
"Say, the things that woman sale
to me then and there! The memory o.
them wakes me up In the night ant
they make frescoes all over any wal
look at! What did do? What car
man do when a woman possessing
fine and fluent command of English
and plenty Of time starts in to relate
L