Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-12-31
CHAPTER |.
The Dawning of a Tender Passion

IA ing the rush hour for the per-
- Torrance, broke down in front
'- ~' Of an extra crowded car, and
traffic was promptly knotted for three
blocks. A shining big automobile, fol
lowing up the hill. came so close be.
hind that the glare Of the street car
shone with unpleasant brightness on
the occupants-a smiling red checked
girl at the wheel; by her side a gray
vandyked man with sinister lines run
ming sharply downward from his down
pointed nose; in the tonneau a plainly
dressed and mOdestly pretty black hair.
ed girl with large and rather timid
eyes and slender golden haired girl
whose chief mission in life, from her
expression. would have been taken to
| be mischievous fun.
Hello, Bert!" called the girl at the
wheel. Can you uncrush yourself?"
The rather large young man in the
neatly fitting blue suit who had been
| damned against the rail of the rear
| platform had already begun to worm
his way out of the i'll humored throng
on the street car
I'll try it," he laughed. although
don't expect to have IA button left"
The crowd. its clothing still clammy
from the recent rain. made way for
him reluctantly. even though it needed
the space he occupied, for the pompous
looking. vandyked man in the car was
| Frank Marley. by all odds the most
unpopular man in the city. He was
| the president of the street car com
pany,
The young man IN the neat blue suit,
whose checks were tlawlessly pink and
whose luXuriant black mustache was
curled in two amazingly perfect ring.
let's, picked his way daintily through
the slush
Bert, this is the treat | promised
you," said the girl ut he wheel
miss Fern Burbank" he guessed.
claspng the blond visitors hand and
at the same time he gave hi, left hand
condescendingly to little Jessie Peters
"Welcome to our muddy city,
"Thank you." smiled the golden hair.
ed young lady. "Of course this is
handsome Bert Glider
"Molly's been telling on me-" he
| lightly answered rs he took the folding
seat just behind Mr.. Marley. sitting
sidcwise so that he could address the
two girls in the tonncau and still en-
I joy the clean cut profile OF Ethelyn
Marley. known to her intimatcs as
Molly, for no better reason than that
it was a handler name.
The Tights in the car ahead suddenly
went out. ana a Eroan arose from the
miserable passengers on that suffocat-
ing vehicle. a roughly breathed man.
who had been resting his elbow in the
wishbOne Of gray whiSliered little Hen
ry Peters. reached the point of heroic
defiance.
He cursed the street car company
and demanded, "Why don't they put
on more cars?'
Little Henry Peters, who admitted
he was a stakeholder took the COM
pany's part.
The conductor crowded back through
the solidly packed aisle and the
sQuirming Platform to jerk hopefully
ut the trolley rope, and little Henry
Peters. squeezed between his oppo
nent and the fat butcher until bones
could stand no more, popped from be-
tween their peripheries ike the inside
of Il grape, landing in Tie solar pieXus
Of Il tired Hibelniun. who had endured
more than enough.
Get ont Of my stomach. stockhold-
err" he grut!y ordered and pushed lit
tie Henry's derby tightly down over
his ears just as another machine drew
out of the fretting rearward line and,
stopped by the ragged gutter, rasted
abreast of Marley's machine. The con-
ductor having restored the lights, the
attention of the uncomfortable passen-
gers was now directed to the new
conner, heavy jowled man Of middle
age, who sat a. stolidly IN his run