The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1917-01-04
'-''
The Lack
OF a Nickel
And a Dilemma and Its
Solution.
By JOHN HAZEN HASKELL


just as the northbound express pull
ed out. He was already five min
utes late to dinner engagement,
and he could have made it in ten if
he could have caught that express.
He had visions of pretty little
woman in violet colored evening
gown tapping an impatient foot on
the oriental rug in the corner of the
library and wondering at the delay
Of her invited guest.
He also had visions of another
woman whom he dearly loved and
who, he had every reason to be-
lieve, used to regard him with the
tcnderest Of feelings. And it was
to relieve his mind of the misery
that this latter vision conjured up
that be baniShed it as hastily as he
could and turned his attention to
the matter in hand, that of getting
to his destination with as little loss
Of time as possible. So he turned to
scan the tracks for the approach of
the next train.
An empty express whizzed by on
tine other track on its way down.
town; then a southbound local pull
ed in on the opposite side, unloaded
a passenger and went on its way.
The passenger was tall girl in
gray, with a fluffy gray fur about
her face and big black hat-the
dim light and the distance across
tracks between revealed no more to
Halloway.
She did not leave the platform,
but sat down on the edge of bench
in the uneasy way of some one who
does not expect to stay long.
"Waiting for some one" said
Hall0way, He thought she must be
pretty and wondered what color the
hair under that big hat was.
Three or four minutes passed.
The pair, divided by the glistening
lines Of rails, eyed each other cov-
ertly and tried to look unconscious.
The girls foot was tapping the floor,
and she turned at every sound to
peer down the stairs. At last she
leaned forward and called across the
chasm:
"Pardon me, sir! Can you tell
me what time it is?"
Halloway stopped suddenly in his
walk. That voice had a familiar
sound. He consulted his watch.
Certainly. 1t is now ten min
utes past T." he called back.
He heard the girl gasp, whether
in surprise at the hour or in recog-
milton of his voice he could not tell.
"Thank YOU" she said after a Sec
ond, then silence, and another emp
ty express whizzed by.
After awhile she spoke again.
"Have you been here long1" she
asked.
"Seven minutes or So"
"Did you happen-that is, you
might-did you see-a-a-gentle-
man waiting here?"
Holloway was sure of the voice
now and also that she did not rec
ognize him. "No; am sorry to say
| have not. You are waiting for
some one?'
eyes, but l am a little late, l
fear. Are you quite sure your
watch is quite right?"
"Quite so, I'm afraid. 1t was
with official time at g."
"Thank you just the same," she
said and sighed.
Halloway's express pulled in, and,
banishing the vision of an irate
hostess, he let it 60 without him.
When the train had gone and the
girl saw him still there she sat up
very straight.
"Wasn't that your train?" she
asked, with suspicion.
"Why, yes-no-that is, I am
waiting for some one Also" he lied
cheerfully.
A long silence followed. Trains
came and went; passengers alighted
and disappeared down the stairs;
theater goers began to arrive and
in due time were carried on to the
city. Still no man came to meet
the girl, and still Halloway paced
the platform. He had let two ex-
press trains 60 by now, and he
meant to stay till he saw the girl
safe aboard downtown train; also
he burned with an Othello-like de-
sire to see who the gentleman"
might be.
When once more they had the
platform all to themselves the girl
spoke again,
81 am going to ask you a ques-
tion," she said. "lf a man had an
engagement with girl for 6:20
and she did not come till after Z,
do you think he might not wait for
her?"
"He might think she was not
coming" Halloway replied.
"Do you think he might be this
late himselfW