The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-02-28

sed the familiar bald-spot on top OF
the head of the man to whose atten,
/ ton she had called an error. She took
her eyes from the type and started
back when she recognized stranger.
| A stranger?
She saw lad of about her own
age, slenderly built, with a fine seri-
Gus face, high forehead and wavy
brown hair who stood half head
taller than herself and looked down
into her eyes with honest confusion.
For moment boy and girl stared at
one another without speaking. Then:
81 beg your pardon, faltered Mary,
II thought you were Mr. Hold"
''I'm John Purse" he said half
alphabetically, as though it explained
everything. "I'm hoping to get a
place here. y
The girl was staring at his fine
face. The sensation which comes to
all of US at times of having been in
exactly the same circumstances and
and done the same thing before when
we know we have not, came over her
then. A stranger? This young chap
was not stranger. Wherever had
she seen him before?
"I-I-thought for moment that
l knew you," she went on. "Your
face is familiar"
He laughed, showing a set of fine
even teeth. -.-.....-..
"And I was thinking the same of
you"
"Have you ever been in Paris be-
fore?"
"No.'
Cor North Foxboro?"
mo" He fingered his watch
charm. And you haven't ever been
up to North Sidney? l come from
there, you know. My father and 1
have been running the newspaper
there. He died last week"
II know" said Mary. "I'm so
sorry for you. I set up Mr.. Holds
editorial about it. l hope you get
the place here. Mr.. Hold is one of
the finest men I know"
~ hope l get the place also," the
boy returned.
So Jack came among us.
"Who's that girlw he asked that
same afternoon, indicating Mary
Wood 1t was of "Slob" Hanchette,
the boy with the glass eye, that he
asked it.
sHer? Oh, that's "Slug" Truman's
girl-leastwise he's been firth round
her a lot lately, though folks say
they can't see why she let's him make
an easy-mark out O. her just because
he's got money. But that's always
the way, Ma says. And Pa, he says
that many chap who wouldn't knock
a teller man when he was down or
kick a cripple nor overturn a baby
carriage, thinks he's did somethin'
smart when he's got the best O. some
poor trustin' girl. She'll fall fer him
afore he's through with her-see if
she don't"
"Who's Slug Truman?"
He's a sort of a sport round here
Ma says all he's good for is sausage
meat and to make muddy tracks on
the church carpet and Pa, he says all
he's good for is to put some O. old
Short Cramps widdersmites back in
to the channels o. trade. Say, Mr..
Purse, what's channels O. trader"
Business answered Jack. "He's
rich, you say? And courtin' that
girl? And is she poor?"
"Yep-poorer than old Mis- Marks
down by the Gas Works, and that's
goin' some! Her folks live out to
Cobb Hill. Ma says her mothers a
softie and Pa says if there was moreI
like her, there'd be less old men go
to the devil and less young ones go
co N York. He beat her up, one
night-her stepfather did. So she
come over here and got job. Slug
rescued her then. He come along
and found her bein' beaten up and
he sicked his bulldog, Cardinal
Woolsey, onto him. Anybody'n tell
you the story"
Jack Purse worked over his forms
in silence for time, casting clandes-
tine glances at Mary.
SIS she engaged to-marry him."
asked Jack.
Dunno Most folks doubt it. But
she lets him kiss her. ] seen her.
was goin' past his house last Sun
day night and I seen her let him kiss
her behind the glass O. the Truman
front door. | tole Ma about it and
Ma. she says something about the
social precipice and Pa, he says:
"Gawd, that's too bad" Say, Mr.
Purse, what's the Social Precipice?"
"When you get older you'll under
stand" said Jack.
His eyes were upon the dainty fea-
lures bent over the composing stick
and the pretty, slender back bowed
over the typecase. "And who's the
black eyed girl always talking about
her "fellers?"
"That's Mibb Henderson. Her
mother runs the mill boarding house
and makes old Harvey eat the chick
en- gizzardS and pie-crusts. Old Har-