Newspaper Page Text
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f can get out of here."
With a smile that ought to de-
light the big man's heart many
0 days to come, the little man push
ed with him and the door opened
s readily enough you would hard
ly have thought the six-footer's
tt wrist was lame at all--'
v, DAILY SHORT STORY
A La Park Bench.
Wallis looked at her furitively
but pityingly- She appeared very
forlorn and alone, spite of an ap-
parent daintiness.
Wallis was in search of "local
s .color." Could he? Dared he? Yes,
5f he would interview her, delicate
ly but understanding as Wallis,
star reporter of the Star, well
?,,knew how. His tramping clothes
j, were none too prosperous look-
ing. He slouched along and sank
y, down upon the further end of the
r bench. Luckily a squirrel ran up
"just then, chattering saucily for
j, food.
3- "Persistent little beggars,
aren't they?" ventured Wallis,
2 1 cheerfully. -
ov She stooped to pick up a vari
,. tinted leaf that ah errant breeze
' had whirled to her feet. "When
., the winter comes, the squirrels
"" have their stores' but the others"
, She glanced at several oth-
J.'cr shabby figures A on nearby
"'v' benches.
"Never mind! It may be much
" 'better by the time snow flies."
"That js the poor comfort of the
c poor the much better than never
'" comes. But we can always sympa
thize with each other, and tht is
" ,&raetWngish,Ht?"f
The smile in the violet eyes, fair
ly dazzled Wallis. He forgot his
intended 'interview. He forgot
everything but the girl, and that
hour spent on a park bench be
came the old, old story of mante
infatuation at first sight. t-
When they parted at the park
entrance, he cursed his blind stu
pidity. Name, address, every
thing, save a most vivid person
ality, were unknown quantities.
He started racing swiftly along
the street, but she had vanished
a dream, gone into the haze where
dreams abide. Willis' eyes filled
with unaccustomed, bitter tears.
She was alone, forlorn, poor, and
he had let her go. He wasalone,
forlorn, poor for he had loved
her and lost her.
Ted Hastings flung hfs coat
across a chair and smiled wicked
ly at Wallis. "There's a new wo
manon the staff but so deuced
clever. Wrote that stunning spe
cial 'From a Park Bench !' "
Wallis grumbled and hurried
from the room. A "special" about
park benches ! And his girl, the v
girl of his life, found them her
only recreation ! Again those bit
ter tears stung his eyes, and he
lost all sense of location.
Smart contact with another vi.
moving body was the result. A1 N "
gruff "Beg pardon" followed.
Then he looked in,to the eyes of
"his girl," here, on theJanding
sacred to the habitues of the Star.
She was a vision in gray, with'
costly furs sweeping almost to the
toesof correct and dainty patent
leathers; " ' f" .
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