Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-10-19
A Trick
of Fate
By CECILLE LANGDON

Behind Egbert Royce was joyous
boyhood, a pleasant college career
and a clear record Before him was
glowing prospect of ambition. he
had. worked hard as a law student.
had been admitted to the bar and nao
taken a months vacation at the IN
sistent command of his uncle.
Forget everything and have good
time" said that indulgent individual.
81 have placed a liberal account at
your bankers. You begin active serv-
ice with Chapman, Burt & Royce as
a full partner, and | expect 20 take
pleasure in watching and nurturing
your professional career. There can't
be much that you want that you can
not have"
What Egbert wished for at heart
was congenial companionship and
close human sympathy. He had seen
an orphan from the age of ten and
had lived with his bachelor uncle in
a massive but cherries home. I'M
pulsive, warm hearted, now that his
future was practically solved he longed
to unite with it all the various social
amenities, ready and eager to make
friends, and his artless and sincere
frame of mind made him an easy cap
tive to love if it came along.
Merton, whittier he sojourned, was
an ideal spot for the enjoyment OF
nature. He took long tramps every
day, dining. at some old-time cross
roads hoStelry, or carried liberal
lunch, which keen exercise caused him
to enjoy with rare zest. 1t was his
fifth day of exile from city life and
it's turbulence that Egbert sought the
grateful shade Of a thcket near a
pretty brook, placed his package of
lunch on the ground and gave himself
over to slulnbaouS ease. He closed
his eyes to open them as a swishng
sound struck his ear.
Here! you audacious robber :"
calculated Egbert, arising to his feet,
but too late to avoid speedy action on
the part of an intruder.
A small, brisk dog had come into
view bearing in his teeth a dark OBJ
ject, which he dropped to take sniff
at the package Of lunch. Made aware
of the contents of this, the animal
straightway transferred it to his jowS
and skithered away in a flash.
Egbert called, whistled, ran after
the canine thief, but the latter was
speedily out of sight. More slowly
Egbert traversed the immediate vi
cinity without result, to return to the
thicket and regard with considerable
surprise the object the dog had
dropped.
1t was a shoe, a lady's shoe, but SO
dainty and diminutive that Egbert de-
clared that its owner must be mir
acle of grace and form. 1t was nearly
new, was of expensive fabric, and
built along the lines of fashion.
81 declared" ruminated Egbert.
"Where did the dog ever come from
and where can be the owner of this
marvel of ShOemaking eXcellenceT'
and he began to mentally construct
a fairy creature to fit the shoe. She
was worth the pains of looking for,
he decided. and sensation born of
romance urged him to traverse quite
distance in search of the lady in
question, but vainly.
He returned to his hotel late in the
day, the shoe in his pocket. He placed
it on the stand at the side of his bed
AZ -
mind conjured as he went to sleep. 1t
was several hours later that he awoke,
| gasping, half blinded, so utterly help
| less that he found himself unable to
| struggle to an upright position.
Egbert experienced a suffocating
sensation that warned him of serious
| peril. Then a conception of the cause
| of the same aroused him to desperate
| action The room was full of escaping
| gas, coming from q leak in the supply
| pipe or from the jet, which had in
| some way been turned on after the
| light was eXtingushed.
| He CROPPED and tried to cry out. His
| hand met the top of the stand. 1t
| rested upon the shoe. He graSped it
| and then with all the strength he was
| capable of he hurled it at the broad
| transom over the top of the door of
| the room.
Crash! There was a slight relief
| of the poisonous pressure. For mo-
| ment sensibility deserted Egbert but he
| was reawakened as servant in the
| corr;1o,. woo Chowarad With +bo 90 I;ro
| glass burst open the door and Egbert
| was saved.
"And the shoe saved me.' he re-
Elected the next morning, and before
noon he was retraversing his route of
| the day before. A certain belief In
fate, an inexplicable desire to find the
| owner of the shoe possessed him.
Traversing the sloping shore OF
the brook Egbert spurred up as in the
sand he detected the impress of dogs
feet. Next his glance fell upon
| dainty heel marks of a shoe, and then
| of one of coarSer mold.
Not mates :" breathed Eg,,ert. at
| must be she!" and turning past q
grove he came in sight of the canine
| rohber and at his side a wlns0me.
faced, graceful-formed young lady.
1T was one of ToScO's miSchievnus
tricks carrying away the shoe" Lettie
| Paxton explained. Il have had to GO
with mismateS until father could send
for q new pair" and she looked so be
witchingly sympathetic and glad when
| kN1A ~ hA1, H.,
that he secretly knew that before he
began his career in the courts of law
he would serve willing apprentice