Nogales international., 1930-07-29
First Installment

L. ZA]AO - INV eAAA0 Will L1lS "a
- perience began, Eve could nc
afterward explain. 1t is possible tina
there had been blank interval-o
twenty minutes, perhaps of half al
hour-before she became consciou
that anything was wrong. When tn
knowledge struck her, however, i
struck like blow. She realized witt
a terrifying certainty not only tha
she did not know where she was, bu
that she did not even know who she
was.
Her eyes took in her immediate sur
roundings. She was obviously on q
wide street or avenue of large city
Tor crowds of men and women hurried
past her, and all around there were
imposing buildings and shops with
Haunting window displays. The street
held nothing she could recognize; yet
she had frantic feeling that she really
knew it very well. Occasionally she
caught words uttered in the throng,
and these clearly carried their mean
ing to her brain; but no one spoke
TO her and no one looked at her
closely.
Something, she knew we'll enough,
was done to persons in a situation like
hers. They we're asked questions
taken somewhere perhaps sur
rounded by curious crowd. Every
instinct warned her to avoid such a
development. She must be so natural
IN her actions that others would con-
tinuc to ignore her.
She then became conscious that she
was standing still on the sidewalk. She
Strengthened, and, walking to the ex-
treme edge of the curb, looked up
and down the street as if waiting for
a cab or an omnibus.
But the road had no trolley tracks,
and the omnibuses-there qVere omni-
buses, and she felt an odd relief at
sight of the familiar unwieldy objects
did not stop for passengers in the
middle of the block. She read their
signs, but these gave her no help,
though they led to a deepening of the
frantic sense that she knew all about
these places if only she could remem-
Der g0hat she knew.
Her first impulse was to take the
next omnibus, to go as far as it would
carry her, and thus gain time to pull
herself together. But she rejected
this. She might be herself again-any
minute, and then she would be on
familiar ground; whereas, if she wan
dered from it, who could tell how far
she might go, or where? There was
a chance, too, that she had a COM
panion who had temporarily lost sight
of her, or who was in one of those
nearby shops and had asked her to
wait No, she must remain where
she was, or near there, for a time at
least.
A passing stranger gave her quick |
and curious glance. Why? She
quickened her pace till she reached the
corner; standing there, close to the
curb, she looked up and down, as if |
waiting for bus.
Looking down at her hands, she
had discovered that she was carrying
/ a small bag. In it, surely, there would
be cards, or notebook or letter or
some other clue to her identity.
She drew farther away from the
waiting group and with trembling fin
gers opened the bag. Like most of
the bags women carry, it was divided
into two COMPARTMENTS center one,
closed, for bank-notes and coins, and
the remaining space for miscellaneous
possessions. She snapped open the
center compartment and saw reas-
surfing display of bank-notes and sill
yer, which she did not take time to
examine. She closed it with a throb
OF thankfulness Cat least she was not
deStitute) and pulled out the other
articles in the purse
There were only three-a l1andker-
chief without initials, still in the folds
the laundress had ironed in it, small
pair of nose-glaSses in silk case,
marked with the name of a Paris /;
maker, vanity-box, containing a mir
ror, chamois powder pad, and a 4
cream face-powder. She glanced into
the mirror, and the inspection gave her
no shock of surprise. She looked like
that, whoever she was. But it was ;
appalling to find nothing helpful in
the handbag!
Her pockets? OF course she had
none. The day was a warm one in
early September, and she was wearing
a one-piece reseda-green silk gown,
with no coat. She looked into the
mirror again. 1t reflected the face of
a girl about twenty-five or twenty
three, with bronze-colored hair, bob
bed and waved, good features, wide,
frightened gray-green eyes, and an I'M
natural pallor. AS she returned the
mirror to the bag she discovered that f;
she was wearing wrist-watch, also
OF Paris make, on go1d-ribbon band.
She took it off and examined it care I
fully. 1t bore no individual marking
Of any kind.
Again she became conscious of Curl
Gus glances. Before she had time to
pull herself together she heard a voice,
speaking in accents of authority.
Anything wrong, miss?" it asked;
and she found herself looking up into
the eyes of a big policeman.
Her heart stood still, then dropped.
mo" she said quickly. "No, no, of
course NOT II