The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-05-31


curslon she had in mind.
That night, instead OF boarding tho
cur that would take her 10 Peace
street, Hortense hailed passing mes
senger hoy and asked him to carry her
bag 20 the Morton House, where she
had reason to believe she could man
age 10 sleep In the smallest OF small
rooms and get breakfast for the price
OF three dollars day. Dinner sho
would manage to do without by con-
sumlng crackers and cheese and may
be n ham sandwich from the dellca-
lessen shop. She had telephoned from
the office to have the room reserved,
and II was with infinite comfort and
satisfaction that she wended her way
through the crowd, following the mea-
senger boy with her bag. Different In
deed was this way Of going nome in the
usual neck-to-neck struggle with trnflc
on the Peace street cars. 1t was as II
Peace street were n thousand miles
away, Hortense thought, and as she
inhaled the spring mir that was cspe-
clally sweet when II blew from the
hyacInths that bloomed In the small
beds In the city park, II seemed ns II
she had been transformed as II by
magic. Her gait lost the hardness
characteristic OF those who hasten
home at night after day In the Office
She told herself that she was walking
on clouds.
Supper alone in her rooms on crnclI-
ers had no special attractions, but she
was thinking of the Joy that she would
experience In having n substantial
breakfast In the hotel dining room.
She would pretend then that she was
at Palm Beach, or at Hot Springs. 1t
was worth having suffered the tor
ments of wanderlust Just for the salts
faction of gratifying them.
The next morning she felt no bash
fulness In entering the hotel dining
room alone. She was rather early, for
she wished to allow ample time, and
she had to reach her Office at nine.
| She wasted no time In ordering, for
she had made up her mind days before
exactly what she would have each OF
the three mornings. This morning II
was to be a large baked apple with
cream, preached eggs and coffee ana
toast. The baked apples in Peace
street were never large or Juicy. and
the eggs were always scrambled
Probably Peace street eggs were bet
ter that way. Perhaps not the least
delightful feeding that entered into
her perfect bliss was one Of outlines.
| She felt, In way, that she was doing
something reckless. That added the
element Of spice to her adventure. She
felt that If Mrs. Buttersby saw her
there eating cream on her baked ap-
pies and eating also a poashed egg
she would be furious with her. What
If one of the boarders saw her and told
Mrs. Buttersby? What excitement
But then Mrs. Buttersby's boarders
never breakfasted at the Morton
House. It was really as IL she were
at Palm Beach.
Just then she looked up and she ac-
tually looked into the face of Matthew
Watts. He was sitting at table not
twenty feet away. He, too, was eating
cream on baked apples, and the walter
was In the act Of plncing covered
MATTER before him. He raised the pew
ter cover and there were two poached
eggs. Hortense looked away and then
she looked toward him and she smiled.
OF course she had recognized him,
and of course she blushed. Then she
looked back at her plate and she didn't
look again.
But the next day when she entered
the dIning-room Matthew Watts was
waiting for her, and without giving her
time to accept his suggestion, he led
the way to a table where he had ar
ranged that they both should sit.
"Now, tell me all about It," he be-
gan, looking at her across the table.
81 came here to get away from Peace
street, and Peace street follows me-
"Oh, you didn't know?" she asked.
"Of course you didn't. Well, 1t was
this way. Perhaps am very silly, buE
when it Is spring Peace street seems
very dingy. am filed with strnrge,
restless, unsatIsfled little feelings and
well, this spring I thought If l
couldn't really go away from the city,
I could go away from Peace street for
few day So came here"
$50 you felt the spring In the air,
too, did your" he asked, jGbbing his
spoon into the grapefruit that the
waiter had brought. "ADd you came
here and then spoiled it7 You see, !
wanted to get away, tOo-wanderlust
is contagious. Perhaps even Mrs.
Buttersby would have got away from
Peace street if she could"
Hortense and Matthew stayed away
for week, and when they went back
they were Mr.. and Mrs. Watts. "It's
case of necessity" Matthew had ar
gued when Hortense had finally agreed
to be married "some time" They'll
say we went away together on purpose,
and Of course the evidence is against
us. Let's go them one better and let
them think we eloped from the board
ing house."