The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-10-21

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1jlYl ! GRACE BuRDRTT might have
had q dozen affairs Of the
4 = heaft-H II was no lack Of
time that was responsible, for Horace
was croYdtng forty.fiye very closely
and he had a reasonable amount OF
leisure; nor yet that he was q my
solIynist, for he was far from 1t. It
was because he was that sort OF man.
Horace was not an heroic figure
BE was under the medium height;
he was slender, his shoulders had
early acquired scholastic stoop; he
was near-sighted and had to wear
) spectacles at all times; from youth
he had mistakenly fostered a mus
tache that never grew up, and ma
Z ture had decreed that through life he
would wear an expression OF tngenu-
Gus gravity like baby who watches
another baby suck caramel. And he
was frigb.fully afraid Of women.
Now Horace had his being In a
large city. He gained his livelihood In
an office where his services we're ap-
preciated and his hours short. He
had occupied the same large acoVe
bedroom in a house presided over by
the same landlady for many years
Thither he repaired every afternoon,
with almost unfaihng regularly, as
soon as his business duties were
over, for freshening and change
Of rainment before his walk and his
dinner at the same old restaurant.
And he always rode home on q sur
face car because he liked Ills" little
and subWays less.
He never sat while lady stood
albeit, he never got over the habit OF
blushing as he surrendered his place
Came time when the great war
took away SO many of the men that
the street car people put on women
conductors.
Horace found some difficulty in ad.
justing himself to this new order Of
things. Women should lead more
sheltered lives than making change
for souses and freshies and juggling
the starting bell and levering open
the rear door OF pay -as-you enter
car. But with sigh he mentally ad-
mitted that Gen, Sherman was prob
ably right and that it couldn't be
helped.
There were great many cars on
that line, and from day to day Hor-
ace encountered variety OF conduct
lesses. He did not greatly cotton to
them. Mostly they looked as though
they asked but the shadow OF an ex-
cuse to biff Horace or any other
passenger of either sex in the eye.
There was one, however, whose car
he frequently caught, on whom Hor-
ace permitted his thoughts to dwell
more than a little She was serious.
faced young woman with faraway
eyes and probably good figure un-
der her shapeless uniform coat and
puttees.
Horace noticed that somehow she
managed to keep her hands clean,
and he observed, with tiny elation
inside him, that none of the souses
or freshies ever got familiar with her.
Though she was not more than D
foot 8, shorter even than Horace, she
had a way of booking clean over the
heads OF the passengers. Horace
finally figured 1t out that she was the
wife of a soldier away off overseas
fighting for his country.
Horace was one Of those people who
always have the right change ready
as they embark on pay-as -you-en'
ter. It's a poor rule that has no ex-
ception. One day Horace found him
self. as he stepped into the vesttbule
Of a home going car, without a single
nickel.
There was a dime, however in his
change pocket, and as he fshed 1t
out and handed 1t to the conductress
he found himself facing gray eyed
young woman. The conductress, with
out even looking at Horace, took his
dime and handed him two nickles.
One of these he dropped in the
cars rapacious glass nav, and was
proceeding to a nearby seat, when he
voice of the conductress. Here,
you'll" she called after him. Come
back here!"
Horace turned to behold the young
woman's hand held out to him with
the ten cent piece between thumb and
forefinger and her eyes bent on him in
blazing scorn. Here" she said-and
the whole carload might have heard
4-'take this thing back to the tin-foil
factory. The company's quit collect
ing to educate an orphan!"
In utter confusion Horace auto
matically obeyed the premptory sum.
mons. He took the dime from the
extended hand and was confounded
to see that 1t was most palpable
counterfeit,
"Why, er-er-I-that is, assure
you, madam"
''NeVer mind about the assurances;
Just hand over a regular United States
dime" The gray-eyed young woman
was staring with cynical unsympathy
into the embarrassed eyes of Mr..
Burdette.
Somehow Horace managed to fi.S.
quarter, and after a critical look
at It the conductress gave Horace fiji
teen cents and turned to pull the
door lever for departing passenger
Horace Burdett was profoundly
mortified. Never before in all his life
had he been accused Of dishonesty.
But as he sat ruefully contemplating
his own feelings he suddenly realiz-
ed that he didn't care boot what
the passengers thought Of him.
What hurt was that his gray-eyed
young woman, with splendid hus-
band overseas fighting for his coun-