Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1920-03-19

scheme whereby he might engage the
charming NJ. l.. V. in conversation.
Not long after Nj. L. V. arose as II
bent on going to the. dining car for
dinner, and i..zekiah followed. Al
NJ. l.. V. seated herself at one Of the
only three tables that were vacant.
IIczckiah beckoned the head waiter
to him and slipped in the palm of his
| hand enough silver to win his allegi.
ance. There were few words in an
undertone, and then HeZekiah followed
the waiter down the aisle.
1'm sorry. sfr-professor. hut these
two vacant tables are, so to speak, re-
served. and the other table wouldn't be
safe. There is something the matter
with the chairs there. wouldn't
hardly want you to sit there; so since
you are in such hurry, professor, l
am going to ask this lady here If she
will let you sit at her table. Thank
you. ma'am." And NJ. l.. ", with a
! gracious smile made Hezekiah feel
| that he was entirely welcome.
There seemed to be no awkward
bitches in what followed. Hezekiah
accompanied NJ. l.. v. back to the
! car where their chairs were located.
and instead of sitting in his own
chair, he took one that belonged to
a passenger who had abandoned his
In favor Of the smoker.
They talked about all sorts Of
things, but Hezekiah did not men,
ton his work rs professor nor his
university interests. nor did NJ. l.. ".
say anything that would indicate un.
due pride in her social position.
Yet he had the vision of the array
of hat boxes before him and the other
pieces Of smart luggage. He recalled
that his sister, who was looked upon
as extremely extravagant, never had
. but two trunks and one hatboS in
her travels. Her dressmaker's bills
had been the despair Of his tight-fsted
grandfather How large would a
mans income have to be, he asked
himself, to Justify him in asking a
girl who had all that luggage to marry
him?
inadvertently Hezekiah mentioned
that he was. after a, night. and q day
in the next town, going to make his
way on to the East. NJ. L. V. blushed
and said that her plans were the
same. So they met and they became
as intimate as it Is possible for two
people who have no real knowledge
Of each others identity to become,
And Of course the psychological mo.
ment came. That is. 1t was the mo-
ment when, according to Hezekiah, he
could no longer endure the. suspense
OF not knowing whether the. charming
NJ L. v. returned in q measure the re-
gard that he was showering upon her
It was on their third trip together.
They had met without either knowing
that the other was to continue trav-
cling eastward, and Hezekiah, for his
part, explained away any suspicious
that might have made NJ. l.. Y. suspect
that he was in reality 80 low-brow
IN individual as a travelling salesman
BY saying that he was out on visit
to some college professors on some I'M
portant commission for his university.
The college professors" in question
were hardware retailers and his ''uni-
tersity" was the wash-boiler factory es-
tablished by his grandfather.
Hezekiah had not thought out Just
what he would say by way of making
the final explanation: he had decided
that he would have to know whether
IL L. " cared for him. II she did,
perhaps she would care enough to for
give his deceit. If she did not-weu,
then, he would never have to explain,
and she would 60 on thinking Of him
as very learned individual.
When he told her of his regard
they were going at the rate Of sixty
miles an hour over a smooth stretch
Of rail-she turned perceptibly paler.
He had said: II knew from the first
that you had all sorts of money-and
that you were high in society. saw
the trunks, remember, and thought
that my sister, whom I had thought
had all the clothes any woman could
want, never had quarter as much
baggage-I know all that, and yet I
am having the nerve to ask you to
think Of me as possible husband"
.; Then 1t was that NJ. l.. V. blanched.
"Please, don't ask me why. But
would rather never let Our-our friend
ship 60 any further. II do you will
hate me-"
Hezekiah leaned across the gap that
persisted between their Pullman
chairs. II could never hate you, little
GIRL" he said, and there was a warmth
In his voice that surprised even him
self.
"Well, then, I'll tell you. You'll see
how you and l could never-never 20
any further. L have never had much
Of an education and you are so learned.
I've read what good books could, and
all that, but it isn't the same. And
then. you see, I'm travelling sales |
woman. sell hats for q big New
York mflliner-those are the boxes Of |
sample hats that you saw" I
10 instinct Lower cift7
We are accustomed, Derhaps. to re-