The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-02-05

On II. rake II on SATURDAY AFTER
noon when the theatres have poured
out their matinee audiences to swell
the already teeming multitude, and
a representative temperament is
liable to shrink from, 1t to something
much like terror! for then it becomes
mere moving mass, the individual
'ity of each component human atom
merged and lost in 1t like that of a
pebble in stream of lava. To the
less imaginative, the crowd Is likely
to be only an fnconvenlently large
number of persons going home from
shows or headed for places to eat. To
the cynic, 1t is browning example
of the folly OF man, that he SHOULD
choose to jam himself into eighteen
inches square OF shift space, and be
elbowed and jostled at every step,
when he could as we'll have eighteen
miles II he so elected.
To Edna stearns the Times Square
crowd on the particular afternoon
when she found herself a part Of it
seemed to consist entirely Of oglins
eyes.
Now there Is type Of woman, gem
orally very young, sorely given to
finding, in the most casual glance Of
q man-any mana wicked intent to
flirt- But 1t stated definitely and once
for all that Edna Stearns was not OF
this type. The reason she felt thai
she was being unduly stared at lay
in the fact that she was indeed being
stared at in Just that way. And the
reason for that fact again is to be
found in the further fact that she was
an unusual looking girl.
For Edna had very beautiful red
hair and great deal OF it, and big
tawny eyes with surprising dark
lashes and brows. Men Of a certain
stamp will always stare at a girl
like that; and perhaps more openly
and more hopefully, on Times Square,
IL the girl be small town girl and
hasn't been in the city long enough
TO have acquired the habits OF dress
and the assurance of manner of the
initiate. And that was the case with
this girl.
1t was a new experience for Edna,
for she had never been on this part
OF Broadway before in her six months
of breadwinning in the metropolis.
And the manner of the experiences
effect on her might have been forecast
by any one who had noted the color
Of her hair.
IL Just one more of those dressed
up rowdies look at me in that awtu.
way" she stormed inwardly, It'll
surely scratch him!"
Now, Of course. Edna might have
turned the first corner and gotten off
Broadway altogether. But she had an
appointment to meet girl from her
own town at exactly five thirty at the
ENTRANCE to the building where the
I friend was employed. The building
was on Broadway between 44th and
45th, and the friend had directed:
Walk up Broadway from And
street." Edna knew no other route;
and besides, 1t was almost five
thirty. Wherefore Edna stuck to
Broadway.
1t was at 44th street that Edna,
walking with her head high and a
danger signal flashing in the tawny
eyes, encountered the most persistent
stares of them all. AS she stepped
from the crosswalk to the curb the
girls progress was fairly blocked by
young man; who not only stood
stock-still and devoured her with his
eyes, but who actually had the tenn
Gritty to speak to her.
Beg pardon" he said, but I'm
very sure that you and are, old
friends"
Trembling with indignation, Edna
tried to avoid the fellow by stepping
around him and hurrying on almost
at a run. But the man was not to be
shaken oif. He was at her side in an
instant. Really" he exclaimed,
you're making mistake, l think
Aren't you"
Edna stopped in her tracks. IT
won't have you speaking to me-" she
blazed. "If you don't go away shall
call policeman"
Two or three men in the crowd,
looking curiously at the pairlas they
momentarily impeded the stream Of
sidewalk traffic, showed signs OIL
stopping and taking in the show. In
another moment there would be a
crowd. Edua's temper was at the
point where she would have welcomed
ft--and the inevitable policeman. The
young man faced an emergency. But
instead of Sinking off, he met it~by
seizing the girls hand, tucking It
under his elbow and speaking very
rapidly but distinctly into her ear:
III you're not Edna Steans, I'm
in wrong; dead wrong! If you are,
. I'm IN the biggest luck OF my life. I'm
Bob Fellowsr'
"oh. my gooduess!" cried Edna.
Hurry! Let's get out of this quick
You see, along about the beginning
~ the war, when the boys were
starting overseas, the particular boy
who belonged to Edna's girl cfum had
mentioned in letter that his bunkie
had no sweater and no mother or sis
ter or sweetheart to- make him one.
And the chum had read the letter tod
Edna. And Edna had knitted Al
sweater and sent it to the bunkie.
That's how 1t started. And through
the correspondence that followed
Edna and the soldier had become
wonderful friends. Such fine, frank,
manly letters, the boy had written;
and toward the last such intimate.
hopeful ones, that seemed to take II
for granted that when the war was
over they were to be very, very dear
friends indeed. Then he had gone
across. Edna had one letter after
that telling that he had been to
the motor transport service and then