The Washington times., 1920-10-03
(Oosttssed from Precedsss PoosJ

ana have dinner-snd show me this
plnce-you have to eat somewhere.
be sddsd quickly, deiensively. with
q little trepidstion In his voice,
The girl noted his trepidstion aud
, II pleased her strangely.
"I.et me see." she began. remov-
ing the hearing apparatus from her
head to be free OF the machine that
yoked her, II only for q moment.
IL guess l ought to go home. Ny
relief won't be here for fifteen min
utes yet. II you care to wait. ! can
at least show you the plsce--on
my way TO the elevated"
Anthony was eiated.
Thank you so much" He felt
himself flushing. ''It's awfully
good of you. You're very kind to
take the trouble"
The girl smiled brightly.
Would you mind waiting out
side, about two doors DOWN." she
murmured confidentially. II don't
want anybody here to see me leav-
ing with q gentleman. They might
tbink"-
Certainly" he caught her up
with slacrity; 81 understand" And
he felt himself making enormous
strides as q man OF the world. In
the space OF q few moments he had
established basis of intimacy with
this New York girl. And she was
no fool.
How easily 1t was done! She
would dine with him. he felt sure.
But perhaps she wouldn't. She was
charming-she was New York;
part of these streets, the glamor,
the lights, the hustle.
He did not exactly walk on air
during those fifteen minutes OF
waiting outside. He simply did not
know what he walked on or how
long. His mind was buzzing like a
hornets nest with a wilderness OF
thoughts uniformed. half-formed,
preposterots, delightful. He was
under the powerful stimulus OF an
instinct that unknown to him was
flashing the waves Of his imagina-
ton into foam.
She appeared at last as in a mist.
"Oh. there you are" she said In
q matter-offact tone, as he lifted
his hat. "It's this wayne cross
Fifth avenue short block and
one long one" There was magic
in her words. In the touch Of her
Jacket against his coat He hoped
his voice was natural as he re-
marked, aiming at normality
matching her own:
Wonderful city, this New York.
Nothing like 1t anywhere"
do you live far from here?" she
asked.
"Yes," he said. do look like
a farmer? l live In the West, but
I came here from Boston"
"I'll bet you're a Harvard boy!"
she ventured archly.
"Yes," he almost chuckled with
pride. How'd you guess?" And
this amazingly acute person was
only a telephone girl.
"Oh, I can tell" she laughed
lightly. 1--WE meet all kinds in my
business"
"You certainly are all right" he
laughed back eagerly. "You ought
to be a captain of industry-or
something"
"A kitchen mechanic, more like
ly," she parted modestly.
"Look here" he suddenly turned
energetically earnest. There's no
reason In the world you can't have
a bite of dinner with me before you
go home. 1t won't take you long,
and II will be great for NELL be
lonely as the dickens otherwise"
"Oh, don't know" she hesi-
tated. "Id really better not. My
sister will be expecting mel live
with a married sister, you see."
He met her objection with easy
spontaneity.
"But doesn't 1t ever happen that
you have to stay and work eve
nings?"
"Ye-es," she conceded. T some
times have to-"
"Then what do you do? Tele-
phone?"
EYES,"
There you are!" he triumphed.
Telephone now. Let's stop at q
drug store"
well. you certainly are a case. y
She laughed, and the shaded lights,
the food and charm Of O'Brien's
were potent agents In her mind.
Her defenses may have been
preached to this extent before now,
and, anyway, this was a very nice
boy.
"Say you WILL" he persisted.
"Well--aH right" she finally
yielded reluctantly.
That's the girl" he exulted, and
delight filed him.
And SO, presently, seated in one
Of those romantic boxes with shad-
ed lights at O'Brien's, Anthony and
the girl were either a pair Of fools
or a pair OF divinties, depending on
the point OF view. To themselves,
needless to say, they were neither.
They were simply tingling and
II n.