The San Francisco call., 1913-07-23
F Err r Y T ALES
BY LINDSAY CAMPBELL

by LINDSAY CAMfbELD
r ERE is ferry tale that illus
p" trates the truth of the old
= = adage about haste and speed
shows what a woman can pack into
what she is pleased TO call purse
and explains the crowd that gathered
the other evening in the ferry depot at
the entrance to the sausalito waiting
room.
The woman in the case was young
and pretty. That goes without say
Ing. In size and weight the sporting
editor would put her in the bantam
class. but to avoid any suggestion of
chicken we will say that she was pc
tite and let it go at that.
e g 9
A we'll dressed man, name al this
writing unknown. in hurry to catch
the Sausalito boat for which she also
was headed, overlooked her little lady
ship in his mad haste and had the dis
concerting misfortune to knock her
down. He stopped his headway in
time to avoid treading on the prone
form, which, as soon as he saw, he
stopped down and picked up.
If she had been bigger and heavier
he would have raised her to her feet.
If he had not been so big and strong
he might have done this any way. In
his excitement, however, he raised her
so far that her feet were at least two
feet from the ground.
Although small she is more digni-
fed than big man would dare to be,
and when she found herself suspended
in midair in the arms of strange
man she began to struggle.
The more she struggled the higher
he lifted her and the tighter he held
her.
I'm sorry-so awfully sorry he
said Tell me, are you hurt? Did
you break anything? l ought to be
kicked. I'm a great, big. clumsy brute.
Next time I'll look where I'm going.
Tell me, little girl, are you hurt?'
g G. g
This all came out in spasms, with
the girl struggling to get her feet
down to the pavement. AS she strug-
gled her purse, a little leather hand
bag about inches long and inches
deep, few open, and with each subse-
Guent wiggle something fell out.
He continued to apologize and she to
struggle. A dozen gallants got busy
picking up things. AS they picked
them up they handed them to the
only one in the crowd who knew how
far her sisters feet were from the
ground and who-shame on her,-was
convulsed with laughter. So oyerpow-
ering was her amusement that she
dropped the articles as fast as they
were handed to her, and it was per-
haps due to the fact that the things
were picked up so often that an OBJ
serving youth among the busy gallants
was able to make a mental note of the
contents of that purse
g G. g
There fell out of that purse: Money
30 cents in coins of three denomina-
tions; nothing bigger than a dime-a
cardcase, an envelope covered with
memoranda, book of stamps. a pow
derpuf, an orange stick, an emery
board, a pencil, looking glass, a
handbook, a Communication ticket, a
small sheaf of newspaper clippings
and police whistle.
9 G. 9
1t was not until somebody said. Put
her down and tackle a man." that the
human derrick realized that he had the
girl suspended in the air. His embar-
rassment overwhelmed him then, and
he dropped her and ran.
Mr.. Juggernaut might be pleased to
learn that the young woman suffered
no hurt in her fall and that her ribs
withstood the strain of that apologetic
embrace. She knows how sorry he
was and bears him no i'll will.
TTTI + NHNy UT