The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-04-28


She's a thoroughbred. 1 wish she'd
trip and tumble so l could hold her up,
or something like that"
"Where does she go at the end?"
asked Bernie. maybe it would be
easy to trail her there"
Dick favored him with smile Of
full appreciation. This hadn't occurred
/ to him.
"I'll get out at seven tomorrow, and
watch the trains" he said. 'Tell the
old man I wasn't well when l left to-
day. may not get in till noon."
He haunted the train terminus until
S:15 the following morning. 1t was
clear and frosty, and In his buttonhole
Dick had tucked a last lone pink aster
from the home garden over at st.
George. Then he saw her coming. By
daylight she looked even younger, and
her hair was surely the curliest blond
hair he had ever seen. He hid behind
a newspaper until the ferry swung into
the Slip and then followed her aboard.
She did not pace the deck now, but
read a book all the way up. He could
not even tell whether she had noticed
him at all. At the New York end she
took a subway express uptown, and
Dick was on the same car.
1t happened at about Thirty-fourth
street Just before the express swung
up toward the new tunnel cut. There
came heavy jolt and grinding of
brakes, then darkness. And all at once
he felt someone jostle him, and a tug
at his pocket. Just as the lights went
up, the man behind him had seized him
by the shoulder but Dick already had
La grip on the wrist that was half out OF
u y, ~ 81
mo, you don't" he said CURLY. 'Not
this time"
They were working in pairs, he knew
at once. The pal of the one he had
hold of was calling for the guard and
accusing Didk of being the thief. But
Dick knew the game thoroughly. Not
once in the tussling did he let GO his
grip, and when the train pulled into
the Grand Central station he was smil-
ing as the guard hurried them all off
on to the platform and someone blew
a police whistle. At the first sound the
man who had accused him fled, but
was hustled back before he reached
the first stairs. And all at once Dick,
standing nonchalantly with a neat
knuckle grip on his prisoners wrist,
saw the girl near him in the crowd
her eyes wide and friendly.
And just how it all happened Dick
never could quite tell, but when the
police came it was she who vouched
for him. She gave her name as wit
ness, too, and Dick stood a trifie more
erect as he heard she was librarian.
His own business references sufficed,
and presently the crowd had melted
and they stood together on the plat
form with the ice broken at last.
ut was dandy of you to say all
that" he burst out, boyishly. "And
you didn't even know my name"
Eyes did, too. saw it one day on
your suitcase-Richard Conley."
81 don't know yours"
tits Mollie," she smiled up at him
shyly. "Mollie Newcomb. It's funny
sort of introduction, isn't it? But we've
seen each other every day for months,
and / don't think 1t was wrong to say
I know you, do your"
81 think 1t was great" said Dick fer
vently. ''Did-did you know I came
up on purpose to see where you
worked? I've wondered how ON earth
I was ever going to get acquainted
with you, both of us doing that daily
marathon around the deck and never
daring to speak"
TITS getting late" said Mollie, ir-
relevantly. Il have to be at the library
by ten. Remember, we have to be in
court in the morning. I've never been
before, but don't mind if you're there
too. I think you were awfully brave
to hold on to that mans hand after he'd
tried to pick your pocket. You didn't
know what he might do"
"No, and he didn't know what /
might do, either" said Dick, grimly.
The next morning he met her in the
anteroom of the court. The case was
the first called and was soon disposed
of. Both men were already well-known
to the police. 1t was only one more
instance against them. Dick looked
after them as they were led away. re-
manded for sentence.
IT am sorry for anyone who hasn't |
sense enough to get bully good time
out of living" he said. "And felt like
shaking hands with those two, Know
why? Because they introduced us"
Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure Newsps-
per Syndicate.)
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