New Britain herald., 1927-12-01
"Comc and get it." she called gaiIy.

, cab what difference does that | make?" she wanted to know. Everybody expects 10 give taxi
 drivers tips. and they're idiots if they don't take them"
 He simply raised his straight. thick brows at this, and smiled.
 Who was that girl you were talk i ing to-" Lily demanded next.
 "A friend of minc.' i "What's her name?" It never oc- ! cured 10 her that she was being i extraordinarily impertinent. She simply wanted 10 know all about the plain little girl in blue, and so she asked about her. Why not?
 What difference can it make
 what her name is?" asked Par.
 What possible difference can it f make to you?"
 Lily thought this over. Well,
 what difference did it make what the girls name was? Her name did
 not matter, but something else did
 matter-to Lily. at least.
 'Is she your your girl?" she asked.
 There was long silence after
 this, while the car logged along
 Eucalyptus avenue and turned into ] Montpelier road.
 "You haven't answered me-" Lily reminded her driver after three or i four minutes.
 "No, and I'm not going to- he told her deliberately in cool, flat ! ,oice
 You thing it's none of my husi- ness, l supposc?" Lily asked, watch ing the angry blue of his eyes in the mirror on the windshield.
 Exactly"
 They drove on.
 1 What are you going 10 do after i you sell your cab?" she asked. pres cntly. Stop working and fry to get ! your piston ring on the markct"' i Pat shook his head. I'll keep on working at something l cant s'ol, altogether" he said. i've got to sell the cab 10 raise some money, and I've got 10 keep on making more money until l put the piston ring over. Roy Jcttorson's in on it. too, but he has family and can't throw his money around any more than l can"
 Lily nodded. Isn't this the strangcst thing? Here I sit. listening 10 you talk about Roy Jefferson as 1 if l knew him-listcning to you talk about your piston ring as if it really made some difference to me in life 1 But after tomorrow I'll never sec you again. probably, and you'll , never see me. We don't really mat i ter the least bit to each other-only feel as if l knew you aWfully well. | odd, isn't it?"
 ] "Yoah." said Pat with great i chceriulncSS, and then added brisk ly: You won't see me tomorrow
 though. because I'm turning the cab in tonight"
 l Lilys heart sank as if 8 stone were tied to it. 'I'll be home in ten
 minutes" sine thought And that will be goodbye. He was a cab 'lI iN'l. Ii+riNIl|t ''tH q q N''''h II il'
 were lucky. and shc was Lily lex
 ington who paid that much for hat and thought nothing of if. And anyway. why should I hoth- cr about 2 man who refuses 70 an swcr questions when I ask him qucs- i tions?" she went on debating with i herself, "who's been rude to me right along-accusin me Of stealing the card out of his Car--refusing to drive rc home the day ! vas with Suc Cain. Why should worry about him? ?'
 i Then s,nc looked down at the newspaper hat had had her pic 1 ture torn from ii. She wondered if he had it in his pocket now.
 "Won't you tell me why you want cd my picturo?' she asked him again, and wished tho words back ] in her throat the minute she had said them.
 1 He answered her slowly and ! 'houghtmlly. as if he were trying 10 1 figure out inst why hc wanted if
 himself. "Why I suppose because you're the prcttiost girl I ever saw. ] You don't mind if l have 1t, do i you?"
 Anyone can tear my picture out
 of a paper, I suppose. I can't stop i you from doing it--" Pat France interrupted her "BUt
 you'd rather didn't have it, wouldn't you?"
 Lily never knew why she answer ed "Yos." Secretly she was vastly pleased because he had taken her picture. Even if she never saw him again, she was glad that he had I thought enough of her 10 keep it. moved, perhaps, by inc same i'm pulse that had made her take his
 Identification card out of the cab the first day she rode in il.
 Then she saw that he was taking q piece Of folded paper from the in- side pocket of his dust-colored coat. He handed it to her. It was the newspaper picture of her. 'All right, here it is" he said. and she took if, tore it into q dozen pieces. and threw the pieces to tho four winds of the spring day. They fluttor"d down upon the road like crushed white butterflies and lay there in the mud.
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