The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-08-09
1 THE DAILY
SHORE STORY
When the Alarm Sounded.
By VINCENT C. PERRY.

CcoOTriFht. 1918. BY the Mcclure
Newspaper syndicate
1ARY HILTON closed the book she
.M had been reAding and jumped 10
IV4 her feet hastily. II was an over.
dawn story Of spies and international
/, lnlyi0ue. but there was a Fascination
ohout Il that kept her reading longer
tbon abe had intended. She looked az
TIE alarm clock on her dressing taols
STd Rave an exclamation OF dismay'
ghe had been reading for two hou,s
and there was barely half an hour ie',
IN which 10 catch her train. she nau
dyeSsed before taking up the Door
a. II she hurried there was sim time
Thank GOODNESS she was merely 70.
Inc on A weekend visit and would NOT
have much packing to DO. IN Ie7S
lhan five minutes all was packed. she
began TO wonder what was IN ger
AMT case after she had closed No. one
opened It again and examined l"e
contents arefully. There. She kne"
sbe had FORGOTTEN something shc
matched the alarm clock from rs az.
eUstomed place and showed II into the
Rag. She was confident her COUSIN
hadn't an alarm clock and knew she
would miss the early train on MONDAY
n she hadn't something Dependant 10
awaken her AZ an after thought she
showed the novel in on top.
As usual there was no car IN sltn'
Uben Mary arrived at her corner BY
the time one came she was sure II
vas impossible 10 get to the si"tioh
IN time. When she alighted from me
car she bolted for the station plat.
form. arriving hot and painting to ind
"a train waiting. She had missed It.
M abe hadn't The train was chal.
ked M seven minutes late. She walk
"a down the platform to see II II was
IN sight. Suddenly she heard buz'
aing sound quite near to her, gaming
force as Il buGZed. With a sharp cry
Of right she dropped her suit case
Someone had put an inferItil machine
An Il just a. they had done 70 the her
Dine IN the novel! She tried 10 run
avay from Il, but her feet seemed
gIued TO the platform. Then she real
iEed what It washer alarm clock
going OF. Her cheeks scarlet, she
made q hasty grab for the suit case,
hoping against hope that no one had
seen what an IDIOT she had been. In
her haste 10 get out OF sight she did
not see that another suit case rested
beside the one she had taken up.
When the train pulled in an eager
crowd FASTENED TO board it, Mary
hated crowds, especially on hot days.
! She stood back as the others pushed
forward. She could not restrain q
gasp as . young man made his way
past her. Harris Eccleston! She had
not seen him for a year She was
sure II was he. One glance at his
suit case as he was lost in the crowd.
made her doubly sure. 1t was just the
same as hers. They had unwittingly
duplicated presents to one another the
first Christmas they had been engag.
4 ed. The thought Of their engagement
made her furious. What 4 silly girl
she had been to imagine herself en-.
gagged to such a heart-breaker, she
;t-ught angrily. II only she had seen
him before the train came in she
would have told him just how contem-
ptible she thought he was. A whistle
from the engine warned her that there
was no time TO be lost. She boarded
the last coach and found a seat.
"A Mary usually enjoyed train journ.
eys, but this afternoon she could not
settle her mind to enjoy anything
The thought Of Harris kept coming
up. They had been a devoted couple
until he had been transferred to an.
other city, and even then for months
bis letters had seemed as devoted as
ever. But a sudden change had be.
come noticeable In his letters. They
became fewer and more reserved. Fl.
nally she had written him and asked
for an explanation, but he had never
answered the letter. That told her at
once that there was another girl in
the case, and after waiting q month
4 Tor q reply she sent him his ring. She
N had not sent an accompanying word.
but nov she wished she had sent him
letter telling him her opinion OF
him. Il would not have looked nice
IN writing, though, she thought, as she
settled back in her seat and tried to
enjoy looking out OF the window. The
scenery didn't interest her. She
thought Of the unfinished novel in her
suit case and reached for the bag and
opened It. She nearly tainted from
surprise. The suit case was not her
own. Il was filled with mans wear
1 ing apparel. Who did It belong to and
where was her suit case? She re.
, membered that she must have made
! the change when the alarm clock went
OF on the station platform. She rum.
mayed through the clothes in hope Of
finding something to identify the own.
or. Right at the bottom she found
q Battle-Ground diary. S6S oIerlll II
hastily and recognized something
strangely familiar In the writing. II
was Harris's. Her name was the first
10 catch her glance. She looked at
the date and found the paragraph had
been written three months after Har.
rls moved. have heard today that
Mary 10 going about with q medical
student, but l don't believe H." she
read. Mary could hardly contain her.
self Who had told Harris such a
contemplate thing? The only medi.
cal student she had even known was
her cousin Ralph. Harris knew him,
OF course, but didn't know that he had
started 70 medical school.
The next paragraph she read was
written about a month later. Il said:
"MaFy's letters seem different. | won.
der II there IL anything in that med.
teal stduent story" Why. that was
the week they had had the record rush
At the ORieo. She had been so tired
there was little wonder hor Isttays