Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-03-13
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE.
BY Richard B. Shelton.

BY Richard B. Shelton.
Copyright, 1914, by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.)
Ihere was a jam at the crossing. The
traffic squad officer held up an authori-
tatlVe arm. Street cars and motors slowed
down or came to a halt.
On the outskirts of the jam Eleanor
vance sat in the slow-crawling limousine
and watched the many moving figures in
the 7 March dusk. The lights inside
the limousine had not been switched on,
Q OF watching the hurrying throngs
IN the streets and on the sidewalks, and
with the light off she could see out very
Slowly the limousine threaded its way
lnto the waiting jam and then came to a
v ssaT n35IIso had dit it done 50 g., when the door
mufaed to the chin in a heavy coat, got
beside her. She could not get a good
pc any one of a hundred or so young men,
the girl greeted him laughingly:
Fre 4h' Be Bells Is I Hon naS or Bob o. # a,m nil1y' or or
Dick?" >
Jimmy is right" said the newcomer;
I'LL she said rather coldlX: II
Vance. You're much too big for him."
Tn Jimmy, just the same" said the
man beside her.
At that moment the traffic squad man
waved his arms again and all about them
the various vehicles began to move. With
the rest Eleanor's Limousine crawled
across the intersecting street and went
Whirrtng away uptown.
Eleanor calmly reached for the switch
n turned on the lights. She was not in
the least alarmed; she was curious. Nor
when she beheld the muffled young man
beside her was an utter stranger.
The flashing up Of the light above II the =
was perhaps 80 and that he was extreme
ly good looking. Despite his rather hard
eyes and the %clean-cut powerful jaw, there
even tenderness.
But she looked at him very coldly as
she said quietly. For your sake, l shall
it go at that"
She reached for the sp%eaking-tube to
bid her chauffeur stop. But this unpldden
somehow he contrived. without seeming to
be unduly rude, to take the tube from her
hands.
I'm admit I'm an utter stranger. and
that this isn't a mistake" said he quietly.
But I'd like to explain before 1 get
out"
"Well?". she said, without over-much
enthusiasm or encouragement.
I'm Jimmy, all right" said he: Jimmy
Barrows.. of-of-oh,. anywhere. NosI any
place will do. We been knocking around
the earth and all the corners thereof for
the past 10 years."
YES" she said, and her tones We're
icy.
He looked at her suddenly. And
have come from the ends of the earth 20
ask you to marry me-" he sald' quite
calmly.
Eleanor Vance had been trained In the
school which can successfully fepress l.s
personal emotions, but just now she gave
a very quick and a very startleo gasp u
The ma beside her smiled. There was
something reassuring. in that smlie; Mo
insane person certainly ever siiliie" iNe
There's a traffic cop on this next corn, corn.
err we're coming to" said he. You magnt
have me thrown out OF mere ior
you"
Eleanor bit her lips: 1T won't pc ,, nee
self Ill., with n1,,1 no fuss a,o Meat tSat f hah ing jaw
tiahtened. Not until I've told you what
I've come to tell you, )" said he: Really al,
haan,t !; you ss;a better she w 5psa Shirt ri 'ns sDon't make
the mistake of thinking I'm a1faio y
you." ..,a 80 oor.
Goodness! ! hope not" $ 10 ne con-
Have I any other alternative?" .
He shrugged his shoulders. "Ihe Dill
cer," he suggested: have to saw
'"Then say whatever you nave W soy
i" He Smiled quite at his ease, apparently.
LAS I say. I'm Jimmy BarroWs: ofIWeIl
HIST me WOIlQ, SdlQ lGs "A
rich, but tina doesn't matter to you, be
: cause you're fabulously rich, too. Only
I've made mine all myself, with these TWO
hands.
pm not interesting you'll" he ended sud-
Immensely said she, with fine sar-
He seemed not to nave heard, but con-
tinued: .tWhatever I nave undertaken to
do in this world AVE done SO far; and
whatever I undertake I shall always ex-
~>af 4 Mich ~ Il have done II nv
the shortest distance between two points
always straight lines. Two months N
Cape Town I saw your picture In an 9ld
magazine. I came here as soon as l could.
Tonight / was in the car just behind yours
in the jam. I asked my chauffeur, who is
a regular animated Blue Book, if the lady
In the car ahead wasn't Eleanor Vance.
Then I left my car and got into yours.
For what purpose?"
81 told you,'' said he patiently, st shall
ask you to marry me-
.When?"
"I don't know"
He looked out the window. OF, he whirl-
Il think you will he said quietly.
''Have you quite finished?"
mot quite"
When may I come to see you?"
"Never!" she said. between set teeth.
He said nothing. But those hard lines
face softened. He reached into his pocket
and drew ont a folded bit OF paper. Slowly
he turned a c the folds. Eleanor, watch
ing out of the tail of her eye caught a
glimpse of her own picture.
81 have told you the truth, but not the
whole. truth. y said he. II did see POUR pic
ture in a magazine in Capetown. but that
wasn't the first time I'd seen 1t. I saw it
first five years ago., when I was just be-
ginning to see things turning my way. but
when as yet 1t was q tossuD a. to wheth-