The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-17
JACK AND
THE HAT
A Mistake That
Ended Well
BY CLARISSA MACKIE

& Paid and walked toward the de
scending elevator.
Going down. called the operator,
and Jack slid along the corridor and
caught the car AS the door crashed be
hind him and the car dropped down
an ascending car swooped upward and
Jack had a glimpse of a familiar hat.
A smart little hat it was of black and .
white, with a hint Of rose color some
where about It.
OF course Jack did not see all these /
details as the car passed him. He was
recollecting the hat as he had last seen /
1t upon the small, haughtily poised
head of Laura HaZen. He had excel /
lent reason to remember that hat, for /
she had nodded 1t at him as she dis
missed him forever. 1t had all been
/ about a very trivial matter He had
/ almost forgotten the quarrel now. OF
/ course Laura was in the right. She had
/ a provoking way OF always proving
herself in the right. He imagined that
/ he was quite broken hearted over his
shattered romance, but so far be had
managed to retain a most excellent
appetite, although he avoided the OPP
posite sex like n pestilence.
AS to the quarrel, it came from a
mans not liking to have his fiancee
dance modern dances with any one ex-
cept himself Laura didn't see any
reason why she shouldn't dance them
If she wanted to. She intended TO go
to a subscription ball, and he objected,
saying he feared the company. not to
speak of the dancing. might be very
indiscrimnate. He could not approve
of the turkey trot, bunny hug or tango.
Laura had pouted and fretted to such
AN extent that the result was a quarrel
She really cared very little about the
dance, but was determined to make
Jack bend to her will. Then, too, as
she told him, she felt her pride insult
ed by his assuming that she would
dance the modern dances in any except
proper form
And now this COMPOUNDED hat had
flashed past him to remind him that
the girl under it was no longer his
sweetheart. He wondered if Laura had
not forgiven him by this time if she
was not sorry. Perhaps If he met her
casually-in the corridor of this build
ing, for instance-she might betray her
real feelings
Lingering in the vestibule, staring
senselessly up at the directory on the
marble wall. the impulse came to him
suddenly. He would go up to the TWEEN
tieth floor again and perhaps meet her.
He would walk all the way downstairs
and perhaps see her in one of the cor
, rf1 7 10 {YnnnlSnS xx~pS n
foolish one Nevertheless he entered
. an elevator and went skyward.
. At the top floor he got out, walked
, down the long deserted corridor to its
: end, came back and slowly descended
the stairs. The corridor of the nine
; teenth floor was equally deserted, and
he laughed at himself for his folly.
= She might have passed him in the ele-
2 vator as he came up. She might be
going down in any one of the elevators
I that glided up and down.
D On the eighteenth floor he was re-
r warded for his folly. He had paced
to the farthest end of the corridor and
was coming back. approaching the ele.
vators, when a door opened and the
smart little hat came out. Jack Della.
field would know Iaura's graceful fig
ure anywhere She always wore some
shade of gray, and the tailor gown
she had on now fitted to perfection.
She walked rapidly ahead of him, her
heels tapping the polished floor, and
he FASTENED to overtake her. The least
!. she could do would be to throw him
: another OF her killingly naughty
/. glances. and as she had already broker
I his heart once it was immune now.
He neared her and said eagerly
Laura
She stopped suddenly, half turned
: slipped on the glittering floor and sal
u down in an ignominious heap at hi:
= feet She tilted back the alluring ha
81 and turned lovely. indignant counte
nance toward him-the face of a per
u feet stranger!
81 I-beg- your-pardonr vociferateC
. Jack humbly. 81 really thought it wa
81 somebody else Will you permit me t.
. assist you"
# NO; thank you," she said Jelly. "Yo'
s. look like a gentleman" she added cut
g dngly.
s. Jack placed his hat on his head ant
& jammed it down. "Of course I'll go
8 you want me to-" he said, "only as
3. am responsible for your being dow
& there l should like to be assured tina
& you are not injured. Permit me to re
peat my apologies"
He went on down the corridor, call
Ing himself all sorts of names for hi
u asinine behavior He heard a sliding
u slipping sound and an exclamation o
Y pain and FASTENED back to where tn
OF girl sat on the floor. Her face wa
le quite pale now.
II believe I twisted my ankle whe
OF | went down." she murmured.
Without a word Jack leaned owe
"a and lifted her to her feet. She sway
ok -. =.