Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1913-01-23
HIS BLESSED DAE9GZEL.
BY Iz0t-A ToRREsTgR.

DaCK OF the SHOP Elc had been hunt
ing secondhand eopy Of ''vieux
Paris" and here or top of the dusty
calf-bound folios lay the fragile, fra
epnt Volunfs.
1t wRs fragrant. He lifted Il eau
6iously to hts faca. The soft HAND
fooled, fawn leather was odorous with
some indeanabla sc7nt that stole along
the nerves and sr'rred old dreams.
Cre7f - half Gas u his eyes and
thought OF wide oecert reaches and q
little purple silhouette of moving
camets sFlnshed ~ asSinst the golden
sky.
He stood q moment. crushing It
trTesoiutely In his hand, rolling tie
Veivety leather, feeling the exquisite
fexturs Of the paper, running his e1ea
ever the old familiar lines,
The Blessed Damozel leaned out,
From the gold bar of heaven"
How under the light Of Manhattan's
sky he'd Rosetti's ethereal lady of the
deep blue found her way on those
huge dusty architectural tones In
fuckers bookshop?
"Er-Tucker, you might put this In
with the rest" Creston remarked quite
casually, when he had finished his
selections.
Old Tucker glanced sidelong from
the book he was enjoying.
THAT one, Mr.. Creston7" he asked,
sitting up suddenly.
a.,
ttons>"
mot for SALE" returned Tucker.
The book does not belong to me-"
Creston looked at the inner blank
2eaf It bore a name, Wanda
Philippe" It sang in his brain as he
went out.
Every time he came back to the
shop no found the little book in tn
place On top Of Nuremberg etchings
and ed Munich studies. AAd eaSA
time he held Il, he would look at the
AAme and turn the pages over WITH
d snxioas sASin Of expectancy.
"How long will you wait for her b
como baekf" he asked one day.
Tucker glanced UP sharply 40 II
someone had broken o lock on O very
private drawer in his life.
"6hs may come any day." he told
him grufny. TT stays there until she
does"
Il would be willing to return 1t to
her II you know where she hves2'
Tucker considered the request,
stroking his white beard thoughtfully.
Suddenly the old fellow tilted his
head to one side and chuckled.
"She left in a tiff Mr. Creston.
She had been dropping in here off and
on for a year, picking up one book
after another. One day l found that
volume of Rosetti and it seemed to be-
long to her. The day she left it, she
came to sell me back two or three
books, and would not take them"
you've wasted time waiting for her
to come back. Tell me where she
lives, and 1 will take the book back.
Let me take the book with me now"
Take IT," said Tucker, slowly.
Creston went down Lexington ave-
nue. straight towards his own home
square But il is a curious square.
One short block makes all the differ
ence in it's caste environment. Cres-
ton occupied very comfortable bach
elor suite on it's south side. The old
studio building was east of Third
avenue.
He was bending over the narrow
line of name plates at the press
buttons when he caught the scent,
and turned She was Slipping her key
into the lock Of the door, a splender
girl with a mass of wind blown red
dish hair, and an eager, ivory white
face. 1t was his Blessed Damozel with
New York snow flakes on her little
fur toque, and even in the narrow
marble vestibule he knew that faint
fragrance that had chung ABOUT the
little book He drew it from his coat
pocket and held 1t out to her
"Oh, where did you get it," Just
the least emphasis on the pronoun.
"Mr. Tucker was certain you had
been i'll, or you would have come for
It."
"He sent you with it?" He liked
the little ring of challenge in the tone
of this. Il thought had lost it some
where else"
81 tried to buy 1t from the old man,
but he would not sell of course" he
stumbled on recklessly. You see 1t
is a very rare little book wanted
to copy one or two bits from it II
might l would return 1t soon."
She held II out to him quickly.