The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-02-18
.ABlueRibbon
1t Served For ShOestrins.
and Thereby Hangs
the Tale
BY F. a. mitchell

wUOWW 80 80 80 90 - 30 - -
Harry spangler, light kearted young
man Of twenty, opened Ihe front door
and went out for a walk. He was i'm
maculately clad "a silk hat, a light
spring overcoat, gloved and carried
cane. There is always a weak spot
somewhere about US, and the weak
spot in Mr.. Spangler's attire was one
frayed shoestring. He had not gone
far before 1t was dangling under his
heels He stopped near a stone stoop
and, putting his foot upon a lower
step, was about to tie 1t when he
discovered that it was broken. Not
only was 1t broken, but broken In the
middle, and in order to right it he must
take it out. readJust one half Of 1t and
throw the other half away.
To do this necessitated sitting down
on the stone step and taking of his
shoe. Looking about him to see that
no one was near to see him in such an
undignified position he busted OF the
A.
seated himself and went to work. HAY
ing withdrawn the string in endeavor-
ing to get it back In place he discover
ed that the metal tip had been fattened
and would not go into the holes The
cut end would not go in without the
skill Of needle threader. He sue
ceeded, however, in doing the job
when he discovered that the string
could not be tied, one end being made
shorter than the other.
Mr.. Spangler was sitting there look
ing at the shoe when along came
young lady couple Of years his Junior,
dressed as Immediately as he and
withal very pretty. She endeavored
to repress a smile at the situation
which she took In at once, then in the
kindness of her heart began to feel
over her corsRge, her shoulders, for
something with which to replace the
broken string. Finding narrow RIB
bon she detached 1t and handed It to
the handicapped man, but the look Of
despair In his face at being able to in
troduce 1t into his shoe SO affected her
that, taking off her gloves, she intro.
duced the ribbon with her own def
fingers. Harry put on the shoe, tied
the ends of the ribbon, then rising
shook the leg of his trousers down over
It. He was profuse in his thanks, lift
ed his hat with bow he had often
practiced before the glass, and the girl
who had succored him passed on All
that was left Of her was a blue ribbon
a quarter Of an inch wide and about
sixteen inches long.
When Spangler returned to his home
he took the ribbon out Of his shoe
smoothed out the kinks and contem-
plated it as valued memento of the
girl whose charming person It had dec
GRATED and whose fingers had placed 1t
in his shoe. Then folding 1t two or
three times, he ran it through the but
tonhole Of his coat tied 1t In a bow
knot and vowed he would leave it
there till he should meet the donor
again.
Mr.. Spangler's mind was not so full
OF important subjects but that there
was room for a pretty girl who had
given him smile for himself and a
ribbon for his boot Whenever he
looked at the ribbon, remembering
where it had been, he was distressed
to think that 1t had descended from its
position In the neighborhood of violets
to rubbing against malodorous shoe
backing. 1t kept fresh in his mind
that pink and white complexion, those
eyes of the heavens own blue, those
coils of blond shining In the sunlight
that dainty figure, displayed by fash
ionably cut costume.
Spangler never went out on to the
street without wearing the ribbon tied
in a butterfly knot In his buttonhole
Several months passed without his
meeting the donor again. when one
day, turning corner. he came sudden
Iy upon her. She passed him without
any sign of recognition whatever.
though he caught her gaze momentari
ly fastened on the ribbon in his but
tonhole Notwithstanding that 1t would
not have been etiquette for her to no.
tee a stranger, even though she had
succored him in distress, he felt hurt
that she had not shown some evidence
of having met him before. But she
passed on In among the throng. and he
did not know that he should ever meet
her again
the ribbon Every day for year he
turned the corner where he had met
her, fancying that she might have oc
casion at times to pass that way; yet
saw her there no more. But one gala
day while standing on a curb where a
crowd had gathered to see procession
pass he turned, and there In a window
with others was the girl who was
haunting him. He stood looking up at
her for some time, but whether she
saw him or whether she was ignorant
of his presence he could not tell At
any rate, she ignored him. Loath as
he was to leave her without learning
something by which he might trace
her. he felt obliged to move on lest she
consider his stare an impertinence.
Spangler felt that the girl had an ad-
vantage over him and was holding on
to It. A man who wishes the acquaint-
ance of lady must find the means for
an introduction There is among re-
fined women that gateway which must
be passed before the two can have
anything in common. If the lady Is
about to sail for the other slue OF tine
world and the man she would like to
know stands beside her, 1t 10 a point
Of honor, or pride, or coquetry with
her to leave 1t to him to break the bar
risr between them.
Such was the present case. Spang-
Ter, could he have learned who the lady
was or where she lived, would have
! moved heaven and earth to find a mu-
tual friend to introduce him. But he
could not attach himself long enough
to her to get any information about
her. Once while chatting with friend
on the street sic passed him, and he
asked the friend II he knew her. Had
the reply been definitely In the mega
tive Spangler would have accepted che
inevitable 1t is not the inevitable that
troubles US; we recover from it very
soon. 1t is the might have been-the
slip 'twixt the cup and the lip. Spang-
ler's companion gave him excruciating
agony by saying that he had met the
lady, but for his life he could not tell
when or where, what was her name or
where she lived.
''Think." said Spangier.
| His friend thought, but with no rs-
suit.
You're stupid as an OWL" snapped
ar,nuo.inr hnd mat Girl any.