Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-10-19
Forming an
Acquaintance
By RICHARD MARLEY

to look up There sat a girl looking
straight at me with a pair of great
dark, liquid eyes which bespoke an I'M
conscious interest In me. cn meeting
my gaze she half started, turned hers
away, and q slight blush passed across
her cheeks like the flush of an aurora.
The conductor was passing through
the car and at the moment called:
flares, pleased"
This was evidently a relief to the
girls embarrassment. Opening q porte
monnaie she carried in her hand, she
began to look for change. She took out
several samples, a tiny bit of paper on
which were written voluminous memo
randa, and finally a bill. which she Of
fered to the conductor.
Don't give change for more than a
dollar" he said. handing her back a S.
bill.
"But | have nothing else." she said
l~ugubriously.
Cant help it; you must pay your
fare or get off,"
In a fifty | had a nickel out of my
vest pocket and handed it to the con-
ductor. He dropped it in his pocket,
rang his bell and passed out of this
story.
But the girl did not. She thanked me
in a melodious voice that penetrated
my soul and asked me for my address,
that she might return my loan. | told
her that it would be a lot of trouble
for her to send q coin, and the amount
was not worth it. She insisted, and |
gave her what she asked for.
But my giving her my address would
o necessarily gain me hers. And her
address | must have. OF course l
would not think of intruding myself
further upon her by opening a CONVEX
sation with her, so we sat mute. ! keep
ing n eye on my paper. the other on
her.
I passed the place where I had in
tended to leave the car without alight-
ing, for l had settled upon a plan.
When l saw the girl glance at the
names Of the streets l, too, looked out
through the window and began to fold
my newspaper, purposely doubling 1t
so that it would not fit in my pocket.
This gave me an opportunity to refold
1t again and again, and | only got it In
it's place when the girl called on the
conductor to stop the car. We left the
platform together, I handing her down.
"Since we alight at the same time"
1 said, raising my hat with all the def
erence I could summon. I'VE might get
f1A rhnnro fO.. unt1r hill on6 Won xunt116
not be put to the trouble of sending me
a nickel"
THANK you for suggesting it." she
replied. 1--WE are near Hogan's drug
store. where there is a sub~pOstofice,
and l can buy some stamps. That will
insure my getting the change need"
W. walked a short distance together
to the drug store. 1t was evident from
the moment the girl entered that she
was known there. The clerk who sold
her the stamps asked her If she had
received the package he had sent her
the day before, calling her Miss Cum
mings. This gave me her name. On
receiving the change for her bill with
the stamps. she handed me a nickel. l
have it in a box containing scarf pins.
studs, sleeve buttons and such other
articles as q man must have.
Having squared the financial account,
she went to the toilet counter, where
she purchased some articles. | turned
to the cigar stand and spent an equal
amount of time selecting something to
smoke. ] was there long enough to
hear the girl tell the clerk to send her
purchases to 125 Scovil avenue.
So far, so good. l had her name and
address. She passed out ahead of me
which I intended she should do, giving
me q formal nod. Half an hour later
1 passed 1913 Scovil avenue, which was
several blocks from the drug store.
What should be my next move was a
poser. l spent a week trying to find
some one who could introduce me to
the girl / desired to know and failed.
But l must know her. One day l put
on my thinking cap and unused to this
effect: She wishes to know me. OF
that I am certain from the expression
In her eyes when I looked up from my
paper at her in the street car. She
Will forgive every that 1nd1-
Gates / I'M trying to form her acquaint-
ance improperly.
Having come to this conclusion, /
wrote her a note saying that had dis
covered the nickel she had given me to
be counterfeit. | would not troQble her
to return 1t, but with her permission
would bring it to her and receive a real
nickel or five copper cents, whichever
she might choose to give me.
In return l received a note from my
correspondent stating that If l would
call on an appointed afternoon at 3
o'clock / would receive 5 cents. l
feared I would be handed it by a serv-
ant.
The statement that I would receive"
the money staggered me. What was
my delight on ringing the doorbell to
be ushered into a drawing room. and q