The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-04-29
A Worse Place
Than Up In the Air
By JOHN Y. LARNED

ing me was, to say the least, surprising.
There were recognition, astonishment,
pleasure, all mingled with something
like wonder. 1t occurred to me at
once that l must have met n with
whom l had been connected in the
past. My assurance is by no means
of a low order, and 1 determined not
to assume the defensive.
"Can it be-" l hazarded, that I have
met a friend of my YOUTH"
mo"
~ have 1t. We were in Switzerland
together last summer"
1--WE were not"
Strange" said, assuming a thought
full one and expression, that 1 should
remember a person distinctly and yet
cannot call up the circumstances"-
81 don't believe you remember hav-
ing met me at ALL"
l smiled and confessed that l did
not.
"Never mind where we met" she
said, %pouting.
cit wasn't up in the clouds sailing
In aeroplanes. was itT"
"Worse."
upon my word, you speak In rid
dies! Please explain"
The lady changed the subject, speak
ing on ordinary topics. Curiosity led
me to retain the acquaintance l had
formed, and l asked permission to call.
But my affairs were in bad shape at
the time, and, being much worried, |
failed to avail myself of the permits
sion granted. Matters went from bad
to worse with me-. The fact got whis-
pered about that l was in financial
difficulty, and l was pressed on every
side for payment of accounts for which
there were no funds ready. One
morning the mai brought me a letter
from John Simpson & Co., a firm do
ing the same kind of business that I
did, stating that they had been made
aware that | needed funds to tide me
over difficulties and that they would
be happy to advance what l required.
1t Is needless to say that such gen.
erosity surprised me. | had known
and done business with the concern,
but had nc idea that it took any in
terest In me. l called on Mr.. Simpson,
the head of the firm, and offered to
make a showing of my affairs with a
view to proving that a loan of $4,000
for a year would pull me through.
But 1 could furnish no security. l was
informed that l would hear from him
within t~wenty-four hours, and the
next mornings mail brought me a
check for the amount l needed. No
receipt to be signed was Enclosed; moth
ing was said about a showing up of
my accounts; no time was specified for
payment. Twenty thousand dollars
were handed to me just as if they be-
longed to me. | called on Mr.. Simpson
at once for an explanation, but got no
satisfaction.
"You go on doing business" he said.
you have the good will of your COM
petitors and business men generally.
Don't bother your head about the
money advanced. Are you sure it is
a~-plenty?"
I assured him that 1t was.
Being set up on my feet, my mind
was more at ease, and | resumed my
social connections. One morning l
was passing a shop where women's
goods are sold just as a lady alighted
from an auto. 1 recognized Mrs. Car
mody, the lady who remembered me,
but whom l had failed to remember.
Conscious of my neglect Of her per-
mission to call upon her, l felt embar-
rassed; but, pulling myself together,
/ spoke to her. told her that a pressure
of affairs had prevented my availing
myself of the honor she had done me,
etc.
l left her, thinking of the mystery
concerning her. One thing especially
puzzled me. When 1 had facetiously
suggested that we might have met up
In the air she had replied, Worse than
that" What did this mean? l re-
solved to get 1t out of her and to call
upon her at once for the purpose.
"Now," l said to her when we were
seated tete-a-tete in her drawing
room, II confess that l cannot remem-
Der you at all. and | wish you to re-
lieye my curiosity by explaining what
you meant by saying that we had met
In a worse place than up in the air."
Cant you think of a worse place
than that?"
mo"
down under the water"
The expression on my face caused a
burst of laughter that was both tan
TALKING and becoming.
you and l." she continued, were
on board the Titanic together on her
last trip. We both went down or
were sucked down, with the vessel. l
clutched some one under water. 1t
was you. When we came up l was
bereft of my senses. You u%nstrapped
your life preserver and gave 1t to me.
I chung to it till l was picked up
In time ! married the widow, who
WAS wealthy. and she turned Over .tO