The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-01-06

tention. Fate had accorded him a signal
opportunity for knighty combat in the
service OF this extraordinary woman,
and in the absence Of a formal intro
duction, what man could desire a finer
opportunity for getting acquainted! II
only their meeting had but been de-
layed two weeks, ten days, q week.
Once free Of his ugly cocoon Of rags
and wtiskers, the butterfly Webster
would not have hesitated one brief in
slant to inform himself Of that young
lady's address, following his summary
disposal OF her tormeltor.
But in all things there is a limit,
and John Stuart Webster's right eye
constituted a deadline beyond which.
as a gentleman, he dared not venture;
so with a heavy heart he bowed to
the inevitable. Brilliant and mysteri-
Gus as a meteOrite she had flashed
nee across his horizon and was gone.
In the privacy of his stateroom Web
ster had ham and eggs for breakfast.
He was lighting his second cigar when
the porter knocked and entered With
an envelope.
Lady in the observation-car asked
me to deliver this to you, sah," he an
nounced Importantly.
1t was n note, freshly written on the
train stationery. Webster read:
1.-THE distressed lady desires to
thank the gentleman In stateroom A
for his chivalry of yesterday. She Is
profoundly sorry that in her service
the gentleman In stateroom A vas so
unfortunate as to acquire q red eye
with blue trimmings"
Jokn Stuart Webster swore his
mighticst oath, "By the twelve apos-
ties, Simon Peter, Andrew, James.
john, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James, Jude and Simon, and
not emitting Judas IsCariot, the scaly
]scoundrcl who betrayed his Lord and
Master" He searched through an old
wallet until he discovered a fairly
clean professional card, across the bot
tom of which he wrote, THANK you.
j. $. W." and sent it to the n%o-longer-
distressed lady.
'"The most signal adventure Of my
life is now over" he s~oliloquized and
turned TO his cigar. "FOr the sake of
my self-rcSpect, | had to let her know
Tn not a hobo! And now to the task
of framing up a scheme for future
acquaintance. / must learn her name
and destination; so as n preliminary
I'll Ia ,yN- thn rot nA,l,afarp
He did and under the ameliorating
influence Of q five-dollar bill the con-
ductor bent a respectful ear to the
Websterian message.
"In Car Seven" he began, "ttere is
q young lady. l do not know what sec
ton she occupies neither do I know
her name and destination. I only
know what she looks like"
The conductor nodded. "And you
wan to ascertain her name and des-
tination?"
81 do"
"All right. I have the unused por-
ton of her transportation to return
to her before we hit Salt Lake; her
name is on the ticket a1d TIE ticket
indicates her destination. I'll make a
mental note Of both as soon as I've
identified her ticket"
A few hours later the conductor
came to Webster's stateroOm and
handed him q card upon which was
written:
Dolores Ruey. From Los Angeles,
via San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt
Lake, to Salt Lake City. Denver & Rio
Grande to Denver, Burlington to st.
Louis, Illinois Central to New Orleans.
StOp-over at Denver"
John Stuart Webster studied the
name after the conductor withdrew.
That's a Spanish name," he sOlilO-
qulzed, but for all that, she's not a
p%arakeet. All things considered, /
guess III take a chance ald investi-
gate.