The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1920-05-01

But Doris was obdurate. She was
miserable hut she was taking n
strange youthful feminine delight in
torturing the man she knew well
enough she loved to distraction. She
knew she would be filed with fearful
remorse as SOC as she was home and
had time to think of it, but now II
gave her a strange sort of pleasure to
torture him. She minced her way on
her high heels out of the shop without
even turning to bid him good-by and
Dawson was left to gather together
the array of high heeled white buck
skin pumps he had got out for her in
spection.
About n half hour later young Daw-
son was hurrying along the avenue,
bent on getting to his rooms to see
whether a letter had yet arrived from
Doris and back again within the hour
allowed statesmen at Dawson's for
lunch. His interview with Doris her
self had left him without the slightest
appetite for that repast. If she had
actually written a letter of acceptance
then this little difference might be
made up. He could hold her to her de-
cision, send her five or six, ten dozen
If necessary, American beauties. ten
pounds of the best candy and perhaps
she might still be his.
Because of his haste he was espe-
cially annoyed midway of a busy block.
a crowd had gathered that stretched o
the curb. Abstrncted as he was his
] pArC uHpTn mot 1nnf 70 4nttnlnNAa hn
heard.
"'Smatter? Somebody hurt?' asked
one of the crowd trying to push his
way through for n better view.
Nav came the rejoinder from
some one in a more advantageous
place. Lady stuck
"What you mean, stuck?" came from
the first.
High heel in a iron grating was
the reply. "'Swonder more don't get
caught that way"
Then came a suppressed chuckle
from the crowd. But young Dawson
had heard enough. Eager as he was
to get to his rooms, he toOk time TO
push up to the crowd and, being Of
more than average height, he did not
have to push very far before he saw
the center of that g~ood-natured gath
! ering of lunch hour pedestrians. II
was Doris, the dainty blue-eyed girl
of his dreams and stuck she was with
one high buttoned boot within the
bars of n basement grating. \ fat
hut Obliging man was down on hands
and knees trying to pry the shoe loose
with n fiat key. Some one was sug-
costing that they had better let him
cut the heel off with his pocket knife
and others We're suggesting that the
lady unbuttOn her shoe and walk out
of II. when it could be twisted about
and loosened from the grating, but as
the lady had no button hook that sug-
gestion did not meet the favor of the
crowd.
~ have a button hook" interrupt
ed DawSOn's clear voice as he pushed
his way boldly into the crowd.
Salesman from a shoe store"
snlckered an observer. "They always
carry button hooks in their pockets"
BY this time DawsOn's muscular
arms were moving definitely from
side to side with n definite aim to dis
perse the crowd. And the loiterers
knew from the expression on his face
that he meant business.
"Stand back" he commanded, 1.-THE
lady will faint if you don't give her
any air. Haven't you men anything
better to do than to stand laughing at
a lady in a predicament like this?"
SERVES her right for wearing those
high heels" threw back one of the last
to leave Doris and young Dawson. 1t
was a simple matter unbuttOning the
high shoe, and once Doris had stepped
out of it Dawson easily worked the
heel loose from the iron grating. But
he did not wait to hutton it back on.
He hailed a passing taxi cab and bun
died the poor, speechless Doris therein,
and, stepping in beside her, ordered
the taxi cab to go to the uptown home
of his married sister.
81 can't take you to my own place,
obviously, and just as obviously you
can't 90 all the way out TO -FOUR cOun.
try place. And / know you'll want to
rest up a bit after that ordeal. 1t
will at least be perfectly proper to
take you to my sisters and we can do
your shoe up there.
"But I don't like to take your
time" came weakly from Doris, who
was making a very plucky effort to
fight off the faintness that she felt as
a result of her pivotal position in the
street crowd. "You oughtn't to take
so much time for me. Weren't you
going somewhere Important"
yes, / was" said Dawson. 81 was
going home to see If you had sent an
answer to the letter / sent you, but
maybe you will tell me if you had
written one and what the letter said"
81 said yes, of course" said Doris
with n little perpleXed smile as she
looked up at young Dawson beside her
in the taxi. sand, honestly, I'm never
going to wear those silly heels in the
street again. knew l wasn't going to
anyway, after what you said"