The Lamar register., 1917-08-15
CASE OF BUMPS
BY JOHN BUTLER.

II is one of the many mysteries of
a 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
a place as typist and stenographer.
She had a 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
came from the town of Yaphank,
town on Long island. He secured
place with IA firm as cashier and book
keeper. Cupid had plans concerning
Stephen. He should have home and
a fireside 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 "A 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 II fog drives into New York
1t comes from the rivers on both sides
Of the city. 1t makes a tunnel Of ev-
cry street. You may have crossed a
street hundred times to some desig-
mated point on n reasonably dark
night, but II you try 1t 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 n window shade. Stephen
started to go around the block to the
left, and Miss Annette started to go
around the block, when they bumped
and romance had begun.
OF course, there were exclamations
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
hosse, but It looked so weary and
/ strange and altered that they could not
say that they had ever seen II 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 Iandlady, however good and no
| BILE she Is, will ever Introduce you to
| bOarder In some other landlady's s
house. It isn't ethics. The one board
er 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. 1t wonderfully hap
pened that Miss Annette had TO go out
the same evening.
| 1t wasn't foggy this time. But there
was n gale Of wind. 1t sent hats and
signs flying 1t made pedestrians
clutch at railings and lamppOsts.
Stephen was blown of his course half
dozen times, and a great big police
man picked up Miss Annette and car
| ried her half 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 eI-
changed names, and one ran into the
house and the other crossed the street.
| II was. Of course, the duty Of the
young man to call, but just then a
great fire broke out, as he was going
home one night. II was Just as Miss
Annette was going home, too, and they
suddenly found themselves in a great
! crowd. The engines came, and women
| came running. Stephen and Miss An