The Harrison times., 1916-05-13
DETECTIVE DORIS
BY JANE OSBORN.

BY JANE OSBORN.
Sometimes, do you know, you watch
me as If you were detective" said
Doris Jones, as she was crossing the
campus of Dudley college with her
classmate, Lawrence Smith. Doris was
unusually young to be a senior, and
Lawrence, who had entered Dudley
on advanced standing only at the be-
ginning of the last year, was unusually
old. That is, he was at least twenty
six years of age, and in his care-lined
face, his occasional nervous gestures,
no less than in the way he wore his
businesslike clothes, he looked more
like a successful young lawyer or
broker than a college student.
Honestly, you do look at me in the
funniest way, sometimes Doris per
sisted, although apparently Lawrence
did not care to discuss the matter.
And l have seen you look at other
people that very same way. You must
be interested in human nature?"
Yes, probably 1t is that" Law
renee seemed annoyed or at least a
little disturbed. Later after they had
walked almost to the girls dormitory
where he left Doris, he said, Some
time l shall tell you why l am so in
terested in human nature, as you call
it. You will be surprised, | am sure.
And then, lowering his voice-"In the
meantime, little girl, don't even for
fun say anything to anyone about that
strange expression of mine"
There were several things about
Lawrence Smith that seemed to make
him stand out from the other men OF
his class at college in spite Of his OBJ
vious effort to mingle with the men.
In the first place, even the professors
wondered why Lawrence was doing
undergraduate work at all-there is
no postgraduate department at Dud-
ley. For in almost all his classes he
seemed, with no apparent effort what
ever, to surpass the other men in his
class-not so much through actual
studiousness, but because Of his great
er maturity.
Another thing that puzzled his class
mates was this: Apparently, from his
manner and habit, Lawrence Smith
was never without money, still, from
his first day in college, he accepted
work that only the poorest students
usually would have considered worth
while. For instance, he acted as cash
ier during the late afternoon tea hour
at the "Cozy Corner" tea room where
the girls of the college, and occasion
ally the men, dropped in for refresh
ments. He got merely pittance for
this work.
But these peculiarities were no
stumbling block in the way of Smith S
popularity. In fact, he was one of the
most active officeholders of his class.
He had been elected treasurer at the
first class meeting of the year and
treasurer of the athletic association,
though he had been put up for vice
president Of that organization That
was strange, too, that he should have
asked for the lesser honor when he
had actually been elected to fill the
vice-president's chair His excuse was
that he liked to keep books and that
he didn't know the first thing about
presiding. Well, anyway, he made &
good accountant and never had the
books of any college class or any 9th
er years athletic association been bet
ter kept.
1t was the evening of one of the
first class dances Of the season and
Doris Jones and Lawrence Smith were
sitting out" one Of the several dances
that Lawrence had been permitted to
mark on Doris order. Doris sighed
deeply.
Il do wish you would tel! me now
all about yourself" she said. "Of
course l like you-yes, you know
love you--but 1t is hard not knowing
all about you. Do you know, ! some
times feel as if | didn't know your
name" She stopped suddenly and
turned away from him.
Suppose we finish out this dance"
He tried to be at ease, but clearly he
was not.
Wait minute" putting out small
hand which she closed around his
wrist. Lawrence, in that book Of
Stevenson's that you lent me found
the initials j. T. ] really do some
times wonder whether your name is
Lawrence Smith"
Cant you trust me--enough to
know that it is all right--anyway?"
Yes, yes, ! can. Promise that you
will trust me, too" There was no spe-
cial significance in the words.
In fact, it was the very next day
that Doris passed Lawrence coming
out Of the Office of the president Of
the college, the latter following the
young man to the door with degree
of Difference that was not usually ex-