The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-08-04

day when you picked up the papers,
there were the lists Of sailings. Ber-
engaria. Olympic. lie de France.
Across the Atlantici Out into the
Mediterranean! For six years, Joe
carried around that carking dream In
his heart, and incredibly, there did
come the time when 1t looked as II
he were going. There were two wild
ows in the household now, Teena, by
death, and Beulah, who had obtained
a divorce from man who had proved
himself worthless. The lovely chill
dren were grown. Beulah's eldest,
Frank, was by now the pride and de-
light Of Joe's heart.
At nineteen, he was already the life
and force Of his uncle's stationer's
shop which had been enlarged to more
than four times Its original size, to
say nothing of printing business on
the side.
1t was natural, once Joe had ex-
pressed his secret desire for the trip
to Europe, that the entire famnJ
should concentrate on making this
possible, and there actually came the
day, with his prize nephew having
demonstrated his ability to run the
business, and the sum Of six hundred
dollars in hand for the six weeks tour,
when Joe presented himself at the
steamship office to purchase his ticket
for Europe.
There was not much about the
bland, bald, stoutish little middle-aged
man to indicate the tornado Of excite
ment within him.
From the minute he set foot in the
steamship Office, however, adventure,
so long deferred, began to take place
for Joe, Incredibly, not only. was the
blond bundle Of perfume and furs and
beauty standing beside him at the
counter purchasing ticket for his
very same boat, but she spoke! She
spoke and thus was an acquaintance
struck up, and pleasant, if casual
pledge given for the hope Of future
meeting on the boat.
For the first time in his life Joe was
smitt N; more than smitten, he walked
| out o. that office stricken with love.
1t WIS not so much what she had
said Just enough to indicate to him
the cne thing about her blessed I'M
attac.. ment that he needed to know,
but she had expressed the desire to
know more of him!
Vistas awoke in him Of nights on
board ship, every precious moment
of them ripening his acquaintance
with a goddess-his love for god
dess!
1t was not uncharacteristic Of the
kind Of handwriting in which Joe's
destiny seemed to be written that two
days before sailing, his shop, with its
printing business upstairs, should
burn to the ground, not one-third COW
cred by insurance.
It all happened so quickly, the
shock, the calamity, the subsequent
days Of trial and loss, that the great
ship that carried away his adventure
was almost at destination before his
calamity hit him with full force.
The fire, the gripping Of his
finances, the draining Of his resources,
the struggle about to begin again,
were as naught compared to the death
of the romance that had sailed with
that ship. For one brief moment,
golden beauty, the soft eyes of an in
comparable woman, the lure Of more
beauties about to be bestowed, had
flashed upon the timid eyes Of Joe
and just as quickly been snatched
away, leaving him stricken with
doused dreams and thwarted romance.
1t was just as we'll that few days
later an edition Of his evening news
paper. which happened to escape his
eye, bore the portrait of large blond
woman which would have brought him
| immediate recognition.
"Female Card Shark Fleeces Bust
ness Men en- route to France. Is met
at Cherbourg by detectives"
No, Joe Cook did not see. the pho
tograph or the article. He is ten
years older now, a great uncle, and
| the business is once more beginning
to get on it's feet.
In way, the routine Is paralyzing,
but somehow, now, Joe is man with
past. He has had his romance. He
cherishes it. He mourns it and is
richly sad.