White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1930-11-14
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Disguise Puzzled
Pauline
By RUBY DOUGLAS
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waitress in railroad station lunch
counter to a ham sandwich. Apollo,
himself, had he walked up to her
desk and asked for copy Of Kings
ley's Heroes, could not have made
her turn a muscle of her neck.
I'm all fed up on these college
lads" she remarked one day to
some girls who had dropped in to
walk home with her.
"What have they done now, my
dear?" asked one of the girls.
Nothing more than usual AS
soon as they get to be sophomores
they begin to call me Polly, and it
happened today that a new crop of
them came in and it"
"Sort O. got your goat, Polly,
isn't that it," finished her friend.
Polly laughed. That's as good a
way to put it as any,"
It was not long before Polly was
In her usual good humor and then
one Of the girls ventured:
"Many girls would give their fur
coats to be in your position. Such
du opportunity " uSSt GA ehS AASS
college men,"
'They could have the job If l
didn't need the money" confessed
the librarian.
''Just what do you like in the
man line?"
"Nothing young, anyway"
"Going to be an old mans dar-
ling?"
IF anybody's," said Polly, dryly.
They left her at her gate and
walked on up the street toward
their various homes. AS girls will.
they discussed their friend Of the
library. And as girls will, also,
thew decided to have little fun at
her expense.
A few days later a serious-voiced
person asked Miss Pauline Verlane
for q dictionary on obsolete and
archaic words.
She glanced up at him casually
and saw that he was not a college
student. She gave him the titles OF
several such volumes and said that
she would get for him as many of
them as he liked.
"One will do, for the present
any one," he said gloomily.
He had seated himself at refer.
ence table and she placed the book
before him. He thanked her with.
out looking up and, though she
could not help contrasting his lack
Of gallantry with the too-effusive
manners Of the college lads, she
rather liked his matter-of-fact way
Of going about what he wanted. he
was wasting no time. (,
Polly became very busy and alb
sorbed in other patrons and did not
give the man another thought until,
day or two later, he arrived
again, gloomier than ever and
| asked for another such volume to-
| gether with Bulfinch's Mythology.
This time Polly watched him.
+, Sure enough He was doing cross
word puzzles.
"What ever can that old
gloomy creature find in crossword
puzzles?" she remarked to one of
| the girls as they all walked home
together again. 1T puzzles me-the
psychology of such case"
cat least it's change from your
jazzy college lads"
"And pleasant one," agreed
Polly. "Oh, don't misunderstood
me, girls-1 quite like the old fel-
low. There is something in his per-
sonality that appeals to my sym
pathy. He seems old before his
time"
Indeed, Polly found the strange
patron of the library so interesting
that in every spare moment she
found herself trying to help him
with his puzzles.
One rainy afternoon they sat in
corner of the reference room
after Polly was off duty and
worked out, together, particularly
difficult crossword problem.
The man took off his great horn.
trimmed glasses and he had tumbled
his hair about in his earnest
thought over the puzzle. Polly
looked at him, curiously.
"WlaL Is the uluUIeF!
"It's you-you looked so old and
gloomy when you first came in here
some weeks ago, and now"
do you suppose it's the puzzles
that have rejuvenated me? he
asked, still beaming on her with 8
smKe that was anything but obso
lete."
ut is something" said Polly
And for some reason or other, she
blushed.
"There is wonderful flush OF
youth in your face just now, if you
don't mind my telling YOU" he said
And then it came out. He wa:
not yet thirty and he was college
student. He had remarked to one
of his girl colleagues that he quite
liked the little girl librarian.
The girls, with his cooperation
had conceived the idea of his com
ing before Polly's notice in tn,
guise of an antique person.
"You're sure, Polly DEAR" he sait
to her after all the explanation.
had been made, that you will lik,
me as well young-as old?"
Polly nodded.
"And you do not mind the subter
fuge l had to resort to to get yol
to notice me? All's fair. you know
in love-"
Polly admitted that it was.
"And you will marry me when
when get about year older?" h
laughed.