The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-07-09
CASE OF BUMPS
BY JOHN BUTLER.

IL ~ OIlc VI TIE Luduy mysteries VI
q great city that two hearts, which
Cupid intended fondly to beat for each
other, may go for weeks and months
and years without any such beating.
There was Miss Annette, who came
here to the city from Kalamazoo, the
celery town Of the West, and secured
q place as typist and stenographer
She had heart and Cupid intended
that 1t should beat for somebody, but
the weeks went past and she didn't
find the man.
There was Stephen Douglas, who
town on Long island. He secured a
place with a firm as cashier and book
keeper. Cupid had plans concerning
Stephen. He should have home and
a hreside and loving wife and half
a dozen children, perhaps. But Steph-
en- pored over his books by day and
walked home at night, and didn't see
anybody who looked like girl he was
to fall in love with.
And all this very time Miss Annette
and Stephen occupied boarding houses
right across the street from each other.
When a fog drives into New York
1t comes from the rivers on both sides
Of the city. 1t makes tunnel Of ev-
cry street. You may have crossed a
street hundred times to some desig-
mated point on reasonably dark
night, but If you try it in fog you
will go wrong.
Miss Annette got home before the
fog came, but later on she had to run
out to the store block away. Steph-
en- Douglas also got home in good time.
But he had to go out later to get some
tobacco for his pipe, and while these
two people were busy on their errands
the fog drove In, and 1t was like pull
ing down window shade. Stephen
started to go around the block to the
left, and Miss Annette started to 60
around the block, when they bumped
and romance had begun.
OF course, there were EXPLANATIONS
and explanations and, Of course, Steph-
en- volunteered to escort Miss Annette
across the street. She heSitated and
then accepted his offer. They started
directly across and, after five minutes
Of cropping, they found themselves
down at the corner. That corner was
only half block from either boarding
house, but it looked so weary and
strange and altered that they could not
say that they bad ever seen 1t before.
They were across the street, however,
and they had only to follow the side
walk back. Then there came another
trouble. There were three houses just
alike, and you had to get~your nose
almost against the doors to tell one
from the other. Stephen returned
across the street, and by good luck
he found his own door. 1t took Miss
Annette twenty minutes to find shell
ter in her own room.
No landlady, however good and no
BILE she is, will ever introduce you to
boarder in some other landlady's
house. It isn't ethics. The one board
err might induce the other boarder to
leave his happy home. Stephen
thought Of various ways to bring about
an Introduction, and It may be that
Miss Annette gave the matter some
thought, but no introduction had taken
place, when Stephens tobacco ran low,
and he had to go around the block an
other evening. It wonderfully hap
pened that Miss Annette had to 60 out
the same evening.
It wasn't foggy this time. But there
was a gale Of wind. 1t sent hats and
signs flying. It made pedestrians
clutch at ratings and lampposts.
Stephen was blown off his course half
dozen times, and great big police
man picked up Miss Annette and car
ried her half q block and told her to
wait for lull In the gale before she
attempted to cross the street. After
ten minutes she started out, her head
down Of course, and, bump, she went
full against Stephen and the two went
down together. They hung to each
other, and finally got across the street
to Miss Annette's door; and there,
covering on the steps, talking more to
the door than to each other, they ex-
changed names, and one ran into the
house and the other crossed the street.
It was, of course, the duty OF the
young man to call, but just then
great fire broke out, as he was going
home one night. It was just as Miss
Annette was going home, too, and they
suddenly found themselves in great
crowd. The engines came, and women
came running. Stephen and Miss An
nette bumped against each other.
They smiled, and then Stephen had the
boldness to take her arm and lead her
out of that crowd. That's all Cupid
had been waiting for. He left her at
her door, and without being coaxed at
all he said he would call in about an
hour, and his old bookkeeping might
go hang itself. His fond heart knew
whom to beat for, and it beat. So did
the one across the street. Stephen
called. There had been three bumps,
and he did not get another.
Copyright, 1917 by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
Others Have Had Same Desire.
Two high school girls came into the
criminal cOurt room a few DAYS ago