The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-04-20
ELIZABETH ANN.
BY ELIZABETH ACkENS.

caves of old-fashioned houses, three
stories high are, as a rule. freezingly
cold in the winter, and unbearably hot
in the summer. Her tiny room was no
exception. Besides, she wanted des-
perately to go home. A letter from
her father that morning had made her
homesick. Better come home, Liza
beth Ann" It read. 1.-THE climbing
roses are all pink and white and
sweet; also, we are getting wonderful
vegetables from the garden. Too bad
you are so far away; we would send
you some If New York were a little
nearer to Ohio"
mo" thought Lizabeth Ann dis
mally. Nothing keeps here-not even
my usually sweet disposition" She
shook her small fist at the image
frowning at her from the mirror.
"They all expect you to come flying
home, Li5zie-Ann, the first time any
little thing goes wrong, but you're CO.
ing TO fool them. You are not going TO
do 1t. Not when that blessed daddy
of yours has raked and scraped every
cent together to give this a of mu-
sic in New York"
Two salty tears ran down the side
Of her straight little nose, but she
brushed them away impatiently. She
decided to take a ride on the Fifth
avenue bus and forget her troubles.
She dressed carefully, putting on a
rufled white dress and white shoes
n,I gNaaI-fnrrC NVhnn oil xIrN Vuo0
ready, she took from its box and tissue
paper wrappings a PREDETERMINED
white hat. 1t was a lovely hat, with
its wreath of dull blue corn flowers,
and 'Lizabeth Ann adored it.
She went down stairs, tying, as she
went, three dimes in the corner of
her handkerchief. Two were for her
fare and one for a soda water after
ward. As she climbed the perilous
stairs to the top of the ear, her at
tention was attracted to a young man
sitting on one of the front seats. He
looked so white and i'll that Lizabeth
AIMS heart went out to him In pity.
AS 1t happened, the only vacant
seat was the place next to him, and
as the girl sat down she heard a
smothered exclamation. Realizing
that her broad hat must have grazed
his cheek, she flushed.
I'm so sorry" she said gently. at
must have hurt, and / am afraid you
have been i'll, too"
Typhoid" he said briefly, but Liza
beth, seeing him smile, knew he was
not offended.
She found herself thinking of him
as the bus rolled and lurched on It's
way, and as for Richard Bennett, he
cursed the convention that made II
impossible for him and this sweet
voiced, pretty girl to talk together
and then, in the midst of these rebel
lious thoughts, he saw her handker-
chief lying on the floor at his feet. AS
he stopped to pick 1t up, he felt the
coins in the corner, and a wild idea
came to him. Why not? He had heard
many times that everything was fair
in love and war. Unobserved by the
girl. he placed the little piece of linen
In his pocket.
When Elizabeth Ann saw the con-
ductor starting on his round to coll
lect the fares, she felt for her hand
kerchief. 1t was not where she had
put 1t, in her belt. and she frantical-
ly looked under the seat and around
the floor. She cast a desperate look
at the young man beside her.
sHave you lost anything? Can I be
Of any service { your" His voice was
the voice of a gentleman.
1--WE lost my handkerchief, with my
money In 1t. II you will be kind
enough to pay the conductor, and will
give me you name and address, / will
send you the money In the morning"
Richard smiled reassuringly into her
troubled face as he dropped the two
dimes in the box.
Its funny, isn't 1t, how accidents
will happen at the most i~nopportune
timesi / remember one time" and
before she realized 1t, Lizabeth Ann
found herself listening to the inter-
esting conversation of this stranger.
When she got off the bus, he got
off. too, and 1t seemed perfectly nat
ural for him to walk to her door with
her. AS they reached the steps he
held out his hand. Lizabeth Ann
put hers into 1t, thinking he wanted
to shake hands. When she drew 1t
away, she saw that her handkerchief,
with the coins In the corner, lay in
her palm. She stared at 1t bewilder-
ed. Butt don't understand -
Richard took her two hands tightly
In his.
"Of course, you don't understand,
little : Girl : Whose : Name : I-Don't
Know, because you don't believe any
more than I did in love at first sight.
But I'm going to make you believe
in love at second or third sight - IL
you'll give me the chance"
Her answer was very brief: MAY
be-" But as she ran upstairs on wing
ed feet, the little handkerchief, smell
ing very much of tobacco smoke now