Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-22
DAILY NOVELETTE,
NED'S IMAGINATION
MED BARNES and his classmate
BY Alice knight

MED BARNES and his classmates
l were holding an indignation meet =
ing. at which Ned seemed to have by
far the greatest grievance. They had
Just left their English classroom where
the professor had startled them by an
nouncing the fact that they must write
short story for the next day.
Thank goodness he didn't specify 1t
had to be love story
mo. but that's about the easiest, un
! less you write a thrilling adventure
story"
well. it's all right to write about
/ adventures if you ever had any, but
I'm not going to write lot of ridicu
lous lies.
"Write a war story then"
Worse yet"
Then what will you do?"
~ don't know what ! will do, but I
know what ] won't do. and that is to
write war story or a sentimental love
story - And he strobe off with frown
on his face.
The next morning in the English
class. instead of seeingNa frowning and
| gloomy Ned Barnes. his friends saw a
beaming countenance which still re-
mained beaming when the professor
said 1--WE will begin by reading Barnes $
story. And to an eagerly interested
! L. h.
The train from New Hampshire has
! Just drawn into Boston as it has a
thousand times before. But today il is
all different for there is one little pas
scnger who has never seen Boston, or
indeed any other city. Her expression
of eager curiosity and childish delight
attracts us at once. To look at her
sweet and innocent face. one would
never suspect that she was deceiving her
poor old aunt in the BELIEF that she was
spending the day with a friend in the
next town in order that she might slip
away to the magic city of Boston for a
few hours.
Just few short hours. that was the
only cloud on her horizon; just few
short hours. but she dare not stay
longer. But perhaps that would be long
enough, and she clutched her little hand
still more closely over something that
she had held in the palm of her hand
ever since she left home. We would
IDENTIFY very precious. for she is not
willing to let 60 for a minute. Fifteen
minutes later she is standing before q
millinery window wide eyed and breath
less. Surely she must be dreaming
Such wonderful creations never existed
outside of Fairyland. One in particular
took her fancy.
With a little futter of her heart and
n tighter clasp of her little hand on her
imprisoned secret. she entered the shop
Her fresh beauty and simplicity
aroused the jaded interests of even tn,
siop girls and they We'd with each Other
in waiting on her. First she tried OF
tie forget me not hat in the window
was all that her heart craved for
ut true to the eternal feminine, she
lust try on every otner hat she saw
just to make sure. Finally, after gloat
ing over all the wonders she saw, a.
o miser gloats over his gold, she de
ided on her first choice. When it wa,
PRESENTED to her in a box so big sh,
could scarcely carry it, she thanked tn
clerk for her kindness and started t
go away.
Wait a minute. my dear. Yot
haven't paid for it yet
Paid for it. Oh, | Thought"
look of embarrassment and then a deeI
flush spread over her face. 'Oh,
/ must be in the wrong store"
Slowly, almost regretfully. she openet
her hand and gave the clerk the crum
pied paper she had carried for hours il
: her hand. "Will you tell me wher
: that store Is, please?"
The clerk. at first amused. and just a
quickly ashamed of her amusement, rea'
8 their own last Sundays advertisement
( Hats Given Away
] Bewilderingly beautiful. Charmingl
simple. Dsrlingly dashing. Delightful
demure. All kinds to suit all tastes.
S In daze the girl listened to tn
clerks gentle and sympathetic explana
q tion of the wicked city's exaggerations
but it is doubtful if she understood any
thing except that she had lost her hat
e Completely disilIusioned, she left tn
s shop. Two big tears gathered in he
s eyes and blurred everything. She di
not even see the approaching -
u Just as the story is reaching the in
teresting part, the professor is calle
away for few minutes. A storm {
N exclamations greet Ned, such as "Ol
;: no. You wouldn't write a love stor!
For suppose You intend to end it tha
= way, or perhaps you will let tf
X flower blush unseen, and waste II
sweetness on the desert air. WI
d wouldn't tell any lies but insisted o
y the truth and nothing but the trutl
II Whew. who's got an imagination now
d Eyes as blue as the heavens, beautiful
sweet and charming, -
"Well. my description didn't do HI
justice, and neither does this" And
drew a snapshot shyly from his pocke
but you'll all have chance to judi
y for yourself, for if old Aunt Mehitab
II or Hepzibah, or whatever her name
will give her consent, she will be at o,
dance next week"