The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-27
Eoening Story
Mr.. Wrong and MIR. Right.
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.

The subway rush was at its worst.
Tired humanity was, as usual, crushed
into greater tiredness by the constant
dragging and pushing of that surging
mob OF returning business people as
the train jerked It's way toward upper
Broadway.
die West, made the most of the situa-
ton by watching the faces so close to
his own His keen eyes, fresh from
the vastness of plain and prairie, saw
much that the tired New Yorker failed
to see.
from the fragments of conversation
| that the roar of the train failed to
stif1e. His were the only ears save
those addressed which heard a soft
voice behind him saying a strange
thing to strange ears.
II wonder If you and the lady with
you would mind very much getting off
the train at Seventyninth street and
walking as far as my boarding house
with me. 1 have a most valuable
package and I have a silly feeling of
| nervousness tonight is so dark on
ing too much ?"
John Conrad then heard the mans
voice.
THE lady is not with me-. but 1 will
! gladly take you to your door. There
are so many hold -ups-1 do not blame
you for being afraid.
Conrad felt that the girl OF the soft
| voice would have withdrawn her
| strange request had she known the
man was alone She had heard him
talking to the woman beside him and
quite naturally supposed them friends.
| Thank you SO much she said, a
| trifle reluctantly, Conrad thought.
| He did not like the smooth quality
| OF the mans voice. 1t was not an
easy matter to turn, but Conrad
turned. One look at the smooth face
with its good-looking crookedness was
| enough for Conrad. He too would get
Off at Seventy-ninth, street and he too
would escort the girl-but at a slight
| distance behind her
So they three, together with the
| other Seventy ninth streeters, fought
their way to the street and cast the
| air OF the subway from their lungs.
The trusting girl and the wrong
man started down toward West End
avenue-the girl being piloted by the
| man. She would have walked down
Broadway and then turned off the
| safe highway only at her own corner,
but the man willed it otherwise.
Conrad followed close behind, but
not so near as to let the couple know
| OF his proximity.
West End avenue is secluded
enough at best, but where there are
| buildings torn down and others being
| elected it takes on a drearineSs quite
foreign to Broadway's neighborhood.
1t was when well within that naked
darkness that the wrong man snatch
ed at the package in the trusting girls
arm, gave her a nasty fling backward
| and darted off.
Conrad's fist struck him just as his
\ nimble legs were fast carrying him
into safety. He fell with crash and
Conrad sprang to the spot where he
| supposed the girl would have
| crumpled into an inert heap.
She was standing straight up, but
| clinging, to a stone coping until she
should have sufficiently regained her
\ composure. Conrad had time to con-
slider her a brave little sport.
wait there a second" he blurted
hurriedly, until I fix him up with q
policeman Please" he added as il
his tone had been too abrupt.
And having dispatched the gen,
4 tlemanly crook to his proper habi,
4 tation after giving swift details to tbs
4 offtcer, Conrad returned to the girl
There was an unexpected little
smile in her eyes when he put the
package back into her hands. He
hoped she wasn't going to overdo the
thank business. Conrad was not over
| fond of emotional scenes
81 thank you," the girl said simply
81 happened to overhear you ask
ing that man to walk home with you
and followed. 1 didn't like his looks,
said Conrad.
TT was absolutely silly of me-" the
girl confessed, but I have been sc
sickened by the great headlines in al
the papers telling of brutal crimes in
all parts of the city that my nerves
got the better of me tonight. I have
not felt so before. My sister in Ions
Island asked me to bring in her very
valuable diamond necklace and put II
in her vault. I have it here" she said
land drew forth a tiny package that she
had carried within the folds of hei
paper.
| Conrad grinned.
Then I am not a hero at all.
suppose there is a pair of old shoes in
this one" he suggested indicating the
package the wrong man had taken.
mot old ones" laughed Jean Ven
ner. ''but a brand new pair for which