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?5!5?5!5p4j(y wvsssfs- t&g''f -l '""Vjij fi. "' ' THE WASHINGTON HERALD. SUNDAY, JANUARY 26. 1913. 77 ENCHANTED HAT - , By HAROLD MacGRAIH I W Itf W A-th.r.f fl. ."JJsl ? "(v1 "The Man on the Box," ffl i Tke Goose GUV Ac. (Corrrrltht br the BofcU-SImfll Cbmpinj ) It was half-past six when I entered Martin's from the Broadway side. I chose a table by the north wall, and sat down on the cushioned seat. I ordered dinner and the ample, proportions of It completely hoodwinked the waiter as to the condition of my cardiac affliction; being as I was, desperately and hopelessly and miserably In love. Old owls say that a man cannot eat when he Is In love. He can if he is mad at the -nay the ob ject of his affections has treated him. and I was mad Tb be sure, I cannot recall what m) order was, but the amount of the waller's check Is still vivid to mv recollection. I slanced about At my left sat a )oung man about my own ace. He km also In evening dress At my right a benevolent old gentlemm, whose eye classes balanced neatly upon the end of his nose, was deeply Interested In the Uw Journal, and a pint of mineral wa ter. A little beyond Tny table was nn exiled Frenchman, and the Irritating odor of absinthe drifted at times across my nostrils. With my coffee I ordered a glass of Dantzlc, and watched the flakes of beat en gold waver and settle, and presently 1 demoted in) self entirel to my own particularly miserable thoughts To be In loe and In debt' To be with the gods one moment and hunted b a bill collector the next' To hae the girl ou love snub and dismiss ou for no more lucid reason than that )ou did not attend the dance at the Countr Club when ou promised )Ou would' It did not matter that ou had a case on that night from which depended a large slice of your bread and butter, no. that did not matter It was all over It was a dashed hard world How the deuce do you win a girl, an) how Suppose, besides that )ou possessed a rich uncle who said that on the day of )our wedding he would ake over to vou fift) thousand In government three per cents Hard, wasn t it And suppose the girl was Independently rich Heigh-ho' I find that a n an needs more mone) In loe than he does in debt This Is not to sa) that I was ever very hard pressed: but T hated to pay ten dollars "on account' when the total was only twent) And now it was all over' I did r.ot care so much about my uncle s gold bonds but I did think a powerful lot of the girl Wh), when I recall the ano)ances I e put up with from that Kid brother of hers' pshaw, whits the use His mother called him "Todd) One Box " in memor) of a book she had read long vcars ago Hi was six veir old and I never think of him without that jingle coining to mind Ijtlle Willie choked his bttr he wm dead before they m-seed her vxilhc alwajs up to tricks. Vm t he eme h. m'j Ji Hadn t he emptied his grandmas medicine capsules and substituted cot ton And hadn t dear old grandma come downstairs three davs later, sa) lng that she felt much improved Hadn t he beaten out the brains of his toy bank and bought up the peanut man on the corner Yes indeed' And hadn't he taken m few letters from his sisters dvk and pla)ed postman up and down the street His papa thought it all a huge joke till one of the neigh bors brought bick a dunning drebs makers bill thit had lain on the said neighbors porch It was altogether a different matter then Todd) -One-Box rawled under the bed that night and onl his mother s tears sixcd him from a hiding All these things I thought oxer as I sat at mi table Well I would go up to the elub and if I didn t get home till mor-r ning who was there to care The Frenchman had gone, and the lienevolent ld gentleman The crowd wan thinning out The vnung man at mx left rose and I lose also We both (tared thoughtrullx at the hat rack There hung two hats an open hit and a dilapidated old stnxepipe The xounK fel'oxx reached up ind seleted the open hit naturallx glanced into I and immediate! a wrinkle of annoj aneo darkened his brow He held the 1 at toward me "Is this )ours he asked I looked at the label No The wrinkle of anno)ince sprang from his brow to mine My opera hat had cost me JS The xojng fellow laughed rather lame lx Do )ou lie in New ork he isked 1 nodded So do I he continued and vet It is evident that both of us have been neatl) caught He thought for a mo ment then br.ghtened "III tell )ou what let s match for the good one ' I gazed indignintlx at the rustx stove pipe ' Done' ' said I I lost. I knew that I should, and theiin Far-reaching Readjustment of Social and Industrial Conditions Planned by Efficiency Society Organization Headed by Millionaire Propaganda Looking to what Almost Seems the Millennium, So Far as Relations of Capital and Labor are Concerned. New lork, Jan 23 A plan of goxern mental and social Industrial readjust ment, as far reaching as the socialistic propaganda of universal brotherhood. w ill recclvc acceleration at tho hands of the Etncicnc) Societ). which will hold Its first annual meeting here Mon day and Tuesda) of next week Headed bx James G Cannon, many times a millionaire, who is president of the societv and of the Fourth National Bank of New ork, one of the largest banking institutions in the world, the Efficienc) Societ) is composed of a long list of millionaire captains of industry who banded together last Slarch to cope "Xlth the growing dissatisfaction with In dustrial conditions, which has held the countr) In its grip The keynote of the society's Industrial policy is the organization of an entire Industry into a single unit with a Joint board of administration, on which em ployers, employes, and the public shall be represented Such an organization, states the society, could prevent strikes, prevent seasonal fluctuations, secure uniform sanitary regulations, solve the problems of employing and unemploy ment and effect Joint purchasing and joint distribution methods, as well as uniform accounting methods. Want Nalionnl Health Ilnremi. The societ) also expects to show how the government can add to national ef ficiency b) the regulation of currencj, of the tariff, and the enactment of measures for reducing the cost of living It will also urge the government to es tablish a national bureau of health. young fellow walked off with the good hat Angrily I strode up to the' cashier's desk and explained the situation, leav ing my address and the number of my apartment; my name wasn't necessary. Troubles never come singly. Here "I had lost my girl and my hat to say nothing of my temper of tho three the most certain to be found again. I passed out of the cafe, bareheaded and hot headed I hailed a cab and climbed In. I had flnall) determined to return to my rooms and study. Hang these old duffers who are so absent-minded' For I was confident that the benevolent old gentleman was the cause of all this con fusion After all, the old gentleman would feel the change more sharply than I Per haps he would soon discover his mlstnke, return to the cafe and untangle the snarl. I sincerely hoped he would As I re marked, my hat had cost me JS. I soon arrived at my apartments and got Into a smoking Jacket I picked up Blickqtone Jind turned to his promis sory notes " I had two or three out m self It was 9 o clock when the hall bo s bell rang, and I placed m) ear to the tube A gentleman wished to see me In regard to a lost hat Send him up James, send him up"' I bawled down the tube Visions of the club returned and I tossed Blackstone Into i corner Presently there came a tap on the door and I flung it wide But mv visitor was not the benexolent old gentleman He was the Frenchman whoa-- absinthe hid offended me He glanced at the slip of paper In his hand ' I have zee honiire to address zee ah gentleman In uumbalre fix ' "I Hxe here "Delight' We have meexed zee hats. I haxe zee r-r-regret Kees thees your nai' no neia out for in) Inspection nn open hit ' I am so absent-mind wnat )ou call deestralt nffabl). I took the hat. which at first glance I thought to be mine and went oxer to the Tick, taking d"n the old stove plpe This Is xours then"-' I said smiling Thousand thanks, m'sfeu Eet ees cer tain mine I haxe zee honalre to beg par don for zee confusion M) compliments' Good night' ' Wlthojt giving the hit i single glance lie clapped It on his head, bowed and disappeared, leaving me his cird He hadn t he. n gone two minutes when I riisenxered that the hat he had exchanged for the -.toxeplpe was not mine It cune from the same hrm but the initials proxed it without doubt to belong to the xoung fellow I had met at the table I said some uncomplimentarj things Where the deuce xxas my hat Exident lx the benevolent old gentleman hadn t discovered his mlstike vet Ting i-ling' It was the bo) s ell again Well" nother man after a hat T hat s goin on' -end him up' I )elled It came oxer me that the Frenchman had made 1 Fec ond mistake I was not di1ppolnted this time in m visitor It xxas the benxoent old gentleman Kxldentl) he had not lo cated his hat either, ind might not for some time to come I becin to beliexe thit I hid careleslv gix en It to the Frenehmin Hi t-eimed to be terriblx excited Vou are the gentleman who occupies number six This is ms apartment Tou in regird to a hat" M) name is Chittenden Our hats got mixed up at Martin s this ening m fault is Usui! 1 am al ix s doing something absurd, mx mem- orx is so had W lien I dlscoxered tnx mis take I wis railing on the flniilx of a client xxith whom I hid spent most of the afternoon I misled snme xaluabli papers legal doiuments 1 belli xed as usuil that I hid forgotti n tn take them, xxith mi Thex xxire nowhere to be found at the hou-e Mx client has a ,xerx misehiexous pun :md It seems that he stuffed the papers behind thi inside band of mx hat With them then xxas a lettei I hixe had txxo xer) great scares greit dial of trouble would ensue if the pipers were lost I Just telephoned thit I had located the hit ' He laughed pleasintl) Good heaxens' heri was a howd)-do M) diar Mr Chittenden there has been a great confusion, ' I falti red ' I had vour hat, but bJt vou haxe come too late ' Too late he roared or I should six, to b exact, shouted ". es, sir ' What have vou done with It" N'ot fixe minutes ago I gaxe it to i Frenchmin w ho seemed to recognize it as hi jt xxas the Frenchman, if vou mber. who sat neir )our table the cafe' with the object of perfecting national h)glene and thus increasing individually the efficiency of the workers To establish Its far-reachlrg reforms the societ) will propose at Its annual meeting that he government establish an industrial relations committee to in vestigate and report recommendations for this readjustment Active prepan tlons to Incorporate the proposed reforms in bills to be Introduced at Washington will be begun in the near future Other reforms advocated b) the societ) are The enactment of laws making pos sible a "true industrial democrao," the distribution of labor bv governmental regulation: a readjustment of wages by the government and the enforcement safety standards on land and sea In outlining the objects of the Effi ciency Society to-da). President Cannin said 'The might) have overridden others. Irrespective of their right to exist The people resent this dominance of power and clamor for a readjustment of rela tions The Efficienc) Society has studied what this readjustment will mean and hopes to bring the best minds to focus on this effort Avherti Government Can Help. "It will attempt to show that an In dustrial democracy Is impossible until the common agreements of the workers in Industry are'made legal It will attempt to show that tho government can assist industr) by the activities of a depart ment of industry in the administration and by the activities of bureaus of the government to deal with the distribution "And this hat Isn't yours, then?" helplessly. ' This was a flat-brimmed hat of the Paris boulevards, the father of all stove plpe hats, xlear to the Frenchman's heart "Candid!), now," said I with a bit of excusable impatience, "do I look like a man who would wear a hat like that?" He surveyed me miserably through his ej eglasses "No, I cant say that )OU do But what In the world am I to dor' He mopped his brow in the ectasy of an guish 'The hat must be found. Th legal papers could be replaced, but ou see, sir, that boy put a private letter of his sister's in the band of that hat and It must be recovered at hazards "I am very sorry, sir" "But what shall I do?" M do not see what can be done save for )ou to leave word at the cafe. The Frenchman is doubtless a frequenter, and may easily be found It )ou had come a few moments sooner With a gurgle of disma) he fled, leav ing me with a half-flnhhed sentence hanging on mx lips and the French man s chapeau hanging on my fingers And my hit. where was my hat? So tha box had put a letter of his sis ter's In the band of the hat I mused How like her kid brother' It seemed that more or less families had Toddy. One-Boys to look after Pshaw' what a muddle because a man couldn t keep his thoughts from wool-gathering' Fool that I was' I rushed over to the table Tho Frenchman had left his card, and I had forgotten all about It And I hadn t asked the benevolent old gentleman where he lived The French man s card read "M de Heaustre, No . Washington riace " I decided to go m)se!f to the address, state the mat ter to Monsieur de Beausire, and rescue the letter. I knew all about these Todd) -Onc-Bo)s, and I might lie doing some girl a signal service So I reluctantly got Into m) coat again, drew on a topcoat, and put on the hat that titled me I had scarcely drawn my stick from the umbrella Jar when the bell rang once again Hello" I called down the tube Why couldn t they let me lie "tady wants to see you, sir" "A lady'" "les. sir A reil lady: 1-a-d ) Phe si)s she's come to see the gentleman In No 6 about a plug ha,t What's the graft. an)wav" A plug hat " "v,es sir, a plug hat She seems a bit anxious Shall I send her up hhe s a peach ' "es send her up" I answered feebl) enough And now there was a woman In the cisc' I wiped the perspiration from in) broxx and wondered what I should sa) to her A woman By Jove' the sister of the mischievous hoj Old Chit tenden must have told her where he had gone and as he hasn t shown up, she's worried It must be n tremendouslv Im portant letter to cause all this hubbub So I laid aside m) hit and waited Soon there came a gentle tapping Cer tainly the muiiR womm had abundtnt pluck I approai hed the door qulckl), and flung It open The girl herself stood on the threshold. ind we stared at each other with be wildered exes CHAPTER II. 1e was th all the w , within most exquisite rreuure e, world and here she reach of my hungr) arms' ou" she cried tepping back, one hand at her throat ird the other against the Jimh of the door Dumb as ever wis Lots wife lifter he turning point in her careen I stood ind stired ind admired I did not cMect that is onlv he number of the apartment was given' ihe stammered I Thin .her slender llkiire sirxightened and with an effort she subdued the fright and dls mix xxhich hid. exidentlx seized her Haxe x..u Air Chittenden s hat" Mr Chittenden s hat" I repeated with a tingling in mv throat similar to that when vou hit jour elbow smartl) on a sharp corner "Mr Chittenden's hat" ies he Is so thoughtless that I dared not trut him to search for It alone Haxe vou got It" H ix ens' how mx heart belt at the s ght of this beautiful being, as she stood there, palpilittng between shame and anxictj ' She was beautiful, and I knew lnstintly that I loved her better than anx thing else on earth Mr Chittenden s hit" ' I continued as lucidly as a trained parrot, and in tones not wholly dissimilar 'Cant jou say an) thing more than thaf-lmpitlentl) "Was It your letter he was seeking" Banker Promoting of immigrant and unskilled labor, and of trade labor. It will urge the govern ment to create a reservoir of labor which can lie tapped to flow where needed will attempt to show how the govern ment can assist in the proper compcnsi. tion of labor b) Initiating studies In tha comparative value of Individual services and a proper study of the best methods of reducing waste of effort and mone) it will urge the regulation of currency. of the tariff, and the enactment of mcas. ures for reducing the cost of living li will stand for the regulation of health in cities by a national bureau of health And it will demand that not only should standards of safety be established on ya and land, hut that authority should exist to see that those standards are main tained " Great weight has been attached to the propaganda of the society by reason of the large number of Influential men asso ciated with the movement Most of Its members are men of great wealth, and all of them are closely related to labor and are in daily touch with the problems facing the employer and tha employe. Among those who have taken up the work of the society and are actively pushing its principles toward fruition are James G. Cannon, president of the Fourth National Bank of New York; Rear Ad miral Philip Andrews, Schuxler S Wheeler, of the Crocker-Wheeler Manu facturing Compan) : Henry It Towne, of the Yale and Towne Manufacturing Corn ran); M. E. Smith, of the Montreal Tramways Corporation. Montreal. Can ada, and William Jay Schleffelln. of Schlefferlln & Co, New York. I cried, all eagerness and excitement as this one sane thought entered my head. "Did ha tell you (here was a letter In It?" scornfully. "Yes," guiltily. Heaven only knows why I should have had any sense of guilt "Give It to me at once" Imperatively. 'The hat or tha letter?" Truly, I did not know what I was about. Only one thing was plain to my confused mind, and that was the knowledge that I want ed to put my arms around her and carry her far, far away from Toddy-One-Boy. "Are you mad. to anger me In this fashion?" she said, balling her little gloved hands wrathfully. Had there been real lightning In her eyes I'd have been dead this long while. "Do you dare believe that I knew you lived In this apartment?" I haven't the hat" "You dared to search It? ' drawing her self up to a supreme height, which was something less that Ave feet two. I became angr), and somehow found m) self. ' I never pry Into other people's af fairs You are the last person I expected to see this night " "Will )ou answer a single question? I promise not to Intrude further upon your time, which, doubtless, is very val uable Have )ou either the hat or the letter" Neither I knew nothing about any letter till Mr Chittenden came. But he came too late." 'Too late?' in an agonized whisper. "Yes. too late, I had, unfortunately, given his hat to another gentleman who mado a trifling mistake in thinking It to be his own Suddenl) my manners re turned to me. Will )ou come In" 'Come In? No' You have given the hat to another man A trifling mistake' He calls it a trifling mistake'" address ing the heavens, obscured though they were b) the thickness of several ceilings. Oh. what shall I do?" She began to wring her hands, and when a woman does that what earthly hope Is there for the man who looks on Don't do that " I implored "1 11 find the hat The gentleman left me his card With your permission I will go at once In search of him ' 'I have a cab outside Gtxe me the address "I refuse to permit )Ou to go alone. "You have absolutelv nothing to say in regard to where I shall or shall not go" "In this one Instance I shall with hold the address " How her e)es blazed' "Oh It Is rasllx to he sfCn thit vou do not trust me I was utterlx dis couraged I did not Impl) that' with the lea-t t of softening " Certain!) I would trust xou But " Well" as laughingl) as I could ' I must be the one to take out that letter ' decldcdlx I offer to bring xou the hat un touched ' I replied I Insist on going ' "er) well, we shall go together under no other circumstances This is a com mon courtes) that I would show to a perfe t stranger " put on m) derhx took up the Frenchman s card and tile and bowed her graxelx into the main hallxxu We did not speak on the wa dow n to the street We entered the cab In silence, and went rumbling off southwest When the monoton) became positlxelx unbear ible I spoke "T regrit to force m)self upon )ou" No replr It must he a very Important letter " 'To no one but m)self with ex treme frlgldlt) 'Ills father ought to wring his neck" thinking of Toddx-One-Box lr he is mx brother"' I beg vour pirdon' It seemed that I wasn't getting on ver) well We bumpul across the Broadway tracks Once or twice our shoulders touched and the thrill I experienced was as painful ns It was npturous What was In a letter that she should go to this extreme to recall It A heat-flash of jealous) went over me he had written to some other fellow for there alwavs is some other fellow, hang him' nd then a grand Idea came Into m) erstwhile stupid head Here she was. alone with me in a cab It was the opportunltv of a lifetime I could force her to listen to m explanation "I received vour note." I began "It was cruel and without Justice" Her chin went up a degree The worst criminal Is not condemned without a hearing, and I haxe had none" No perceptible movement. We are none of us Infallible In keep ing appointments. We arc liable to make mistakes occaslonall) Had I known that Tuesda) night was the night of the dance Id haxe crossed to Jerse) In a row boat but what Id have kept my engagement" PROMINENT MEN HEADING MOVEMENT. On the extreme right is President Tames G. Cannon, of the Association. On the left at the too is Robert Hoe, the millionaire son earl committee of the society. At the bottom on the left is William Jay Schieffelin, of the firm of bank ers of that name, who heads the board of directors. At the bottom on the right is Schuyler Skaats Wheeler, president of the Crocker-Wheeler Electric'Company, also a member of the board of directors of the society. The chin remained precipitously In clined. "I am poor, and the case Involved some of my bread and butter. The work 'was done at 10, and even then, I did not discover that I had In any way affronted you. I had It down In my note book as Wednesday night" The lips above the chin curled slightly. "You see," I went on, striving to keep my voice even-toned, "zay uncle Is rich, but I ask no odds of him. I live entirely upon what I earn at law. It's the only way I can maintain my Individuality, my self-respect and Independence My uncle has often expressed his desire to make me & handsome allowance, but what would be the use of all that now?" bitterly. The chin moved a little. It was too dark to see what this movement ex pressed "It seems that I am only a ver)' un fortunate fellow," "You had given me )0Ur promise." "I know It" "Not that I cared," with cat-like cruelt) ; "but I lost the last train out while waiting for )ou. Not even a note to warn me! Not the slightest chance to find an escort' 'When a man gives his promise to a lady it does not seem pos slble that he could forget It If he cared to keep It" "I tell vou honestly that I mixed the dates. How weak my excuses seemed. now that they had passed my lips "You are sure that )ou mixed nothing else" Ironically (She afterward apol oglzed for this ) "It appears that It would have been better to come alone I regret that I did not give you the address It Is not too late " I never retreat from any position have taken" "Indeed?" Then both our chins assumed i acute angle and remained thus When a woman Is angry she Is about as rea sonable as h frightened horse: when n Is angry he longs to hit some thing or smoke a cigar Imagine my predicament! When the cab reached Washington Place and came to a stand. I spoke again "Shall I take the hat In, or will your I asked "We shall go together" Ah, If only I had had the courage to sa) 'I would It were forever'" But I feared that It wouldn't take. I rang tile bell, and presently a maid opened the door Is Monsieur de Beausire In" I ask ed No. sir. he Is not," the maid anwser ed civilly. ' Do yon know where he msy be fourd 'If jou have a bill )ou may leave If frost ll and with sudden suspicion There was a smotehred sound from behind me and 1 flushed angiil) "I am not a bill collector" Oh Its the second da) of the month, nu know I thought perhaps )OU were ' 'He has In his possesion a hat which does not belong to him " Good gracious, he hasn t been steal ing I don t believe" making as though to shut the door This was too much and I laughed. "No. m) girl, he hasn t been stealing But, being absent-minded he has taken another man's hat and I am bringing his home In hopes of getting the one he took by mistake" Oh'" And the maid laughed shrilly I held out the hat "M) lsnd' that's his hat sure enough I was xxonderlng what made him look so funnx when he went out" " here has he gone ' came sharp!) nxer niv shoulder If )ou xx ill wait" said the maid good naturedl). 'I will Inquire ' We waited o far as I was concerned. I hoped he was miles awax and that we might go on riding for hours and hours Tlie maid returned soon "He has gone to meet the French con sul at Mouqlns." ' Which one" I asked ' There are two, ore down and one up town ' "I m sure I don t know You can leive the hat and )our card" 'Thank vou wp shall retain the hat If we find monsieur he will need it ' And the on!) girl In the world and m)self re entered the cab 'This is terrible" she murmured as we drove off "It might be worse." I replied, think ing of the probable long ride with her. perhaps the last I should ever take "How could It be" I had nothing to offer, and subsided for a space "If we should not find him' ' I 11 sit on his front steps all night Forgive me if I sound flippant, but I mean It " Snow was In the air and I of the late inventor of the Hoe considered It a great sacrifice on my part to sit on a cold stone In the small morn ing; hours. It looks flippant In, print too, hut I honestly meant It "I am sorry. Tou are In great trouble of some sort, I know: and there's nothing In the world I would not do to save you from this trouble. Let me take you home and continue the search alone. Til find him If I have to search the whole town." "We shall continue the search to gether" wearily. What had she written to this other fellow? Did she love some one else and was she afraid that I might learn, who It was? My heart became as lead in my bosom. I simply could not lose this charming creature. And now, how was I ever to win her? It was not far up-town to the res taurant, and we made good time. "Would you Tsnow him If you saw him?' she asked as we lert the cab "Not tho least doubt of It" confl dentlv. She sighed, and together we entered the restaurant. It was full of theater going people, rnualc. and the hum of voices. We must nave created a small sensation, wandering from table to table, from room to rocm, the girl with a look of dread and wearintss on her face, and I with the Frenchman's hat grasped fl-mly In my hand and my brows scowl ing. If I hadn t been in love it wouu have been a fine comedy. Once I sur nrised her looking toward the corner table near the orchestra. How many lovous Sunday dinners we had had there! Ilelgh-ho! "Is that heT" she wlspered. clutching my arm of a sudden, her gaze directed to a near-by table. I looked and shook my head "No; my Frenchman had a mustache and a goatee." Her hand dropped llstlessl). I confess to the thought that it must have been very trying for her. What a plucky girl she was' She held me In contempt and yet she clung to me patiently and un murmuring -And I had lost ber' "We mav have to go down town . . . No' as I live, there he Is now"' ioxfulh. "Where" There was half a sob In her throat The table by the short flight of stairs the man Just lighting the cigar ette 1 II go ilone "But I can not stand here alone In the middle of the floor " I called a waltfr 'Give this ladv chair for a monfent." and I dropped a rroln In his palm. He bowed, and beck oned for her to follow - - women are alwa)s writing fool things nnd then moving Heaven and earth to recall them. "Monsieur de Beausire" I said in qulrlngl) Beausire glanced up ' Oh. eet ees I forget zee name" I told li'm "I am delight"" he cried JO)full). as if he had known me all m life "Zee chair he seat' Tl ank )ou. but Its about the hats." Hats" Yes It seems that the hat I gave vou belongs to another man In )our haste vou did not notice the mistake This Is your hat, 'producing the shining tile "Mon Dleu'" he gasped seizing the hat. "eet ees mine See I bring heem from France, zee no mees mine Via' And I nevalre look in zee uzzer hat' I am palr-flckly dumfound '" And his as tonishment was genuine W here is the other hat. the one I give )ou?" I was In a great hurry I have heem here' reaching to the acant chair at his side, while the French consul e)ed us both with some suspicion We might be lunitics Beausire handed me the benevolent old gentleman's hat. ard the burden dropped from my shoul ders ' Eet ees such a meestake' I laugh eh"" He shook with merriment ir two hats and not know zee mee stake'" I thanked him and made off as grace fully as I could The girl rose as she saw me returning W hen I reached her side she was standing with her slender hodv- Inclined toward me She stretched forth a hand and solemnly gave her Mr Chittenden s hat. I ondered vaguelx If any one was looking at us, and. If so. what he thought of us The girl pulled the hat literally In side out In her eagerness, but her gloxed Angers trembled so that the precious letter fluttered to the floor. We both stooped, but I was quicker It was no attempt on my part to see the address, m) act was one of com mon politeness But I could not help seeing the name It was my own' Give It to me" she cried breath lessly I did so I was not, at that particu lar moment, capable of doing anything else. I was too bewildered My own Printintr Press, who heads the cen- name! She turned, hugging; the hat the legal documents and the letter. and hurried down the main stairs, I at her heels. Tell the driver, my address; I can return alone." "I cannot permit that" I objected decidedly. "The driver Is a stranger to us both. I insist on seeing you to the door; after that you may rest as sured that I shall no longer Inflict upon you my presence, odious as It doubtless Is to you." As she was already in the cab and could not get out without aid I climbed In beside her. and called the street and number to the driver. "Legally the letter Is mine: It is ad dressed to me. and has passed out of your keeping" "You shall never, never have It!" vehemently. T ! n,. AAaaw .(,- T aX..!!. T replied, "for I vaguely understand." I saw that It was all over. There was now no reason why I should not speak my mind freely. "I can understand without reading You realized that your note was cruel and unlike anything you had done, and )our good heart compelled you to write an apology; but your pride got the bet ter of you, and upon second thought )on concluded to let the unmerited hurt go on." "Will you kindly stop the driver, or shall ir' "Does truth annoy you" ' I decline to discuss truth with you. Will you stop the driver?" "Not until we reach Seventy-first Street West" ' By what right ' "The right of a man who loves you. There, It Is out. and my pride has gone down the wind. After to-night I shall trouble )ou no further. But every man has the right to tell one woman that he loves her, and I love you. I loved you the moment I first laid eyes on you I couldn't help it I say this to you now because I perceive how futile It la. What dreams I have conjured irp about jou Poor fool! When I was at work your face was alwajs crossing th page or peering up from the margins I never saw a tine painting that I did not thins: of you, or heard a fine piece of music that I did not think of your voice" There was a long Interval of silence: block after block went by. I never once looked at her. "If I had been rich I should have put It to the touch some time ago. but mx poverty seems to have been fortunate. It has saved me a refusal In some wax I have mortally offended you. how, I cannot Imagine It cannot be simply because I Innocently broke an engage ment" Then she spoke "ou dined after the theater that night with a comic opera singer. You were quite at liberty to do so. only )OU might have done me the honor to rotify me that )ou had made your choice of enter tainment So It was out Decidedly It was all over now I never could explain away the mistake. i have alread) explained to you mv unfortunate mistake There was and Is ro harm that I cm see In dining with a woman of her attainments. But I shall put up no de'ense. You have convicted me. I refait nothing I have said. I do love )ou I was ver) sorry for myself Cabby drew up I alighted, and she silently permitted me to assist her down I expected her Immediately to mount the steps Instead, she hesitated, the knuckle of a forefinger against her lips, end assumed the thoughtful pose of one who contemplates two courses. Have jou a stamp" she asked flnallx. A stamp" blankl) Yes: a postage stamp" fumbled In mx pocket and found. luckily, a single pink square, which I gave her She moistened it with the tip of her tongue and stuck it on the letter' Now. please drop this in the corn- box for me and take this hat over to Mr Chittenden s Sixt) -ninth " What ' Do as I sax or I shall ask )ou to return the letter t me rushed oft toward th letter box. drew down the lid. and deposited the letter my letter When I returned she was running up the steps, and a second later she had disappeared. I hadn't been so happy In all my life' Cabby waited at the curb Suddenl) I became conscious that I was holding something in m) hand It was the benevolent tfld gentleman s stove pipe hat' I pushed th button pushed It good and hard Presently I heard a window open cautlouslr 'What is it" asked a querulous voice Mr Chittenden Ye Well, heres )our hat" I cried VIRGINIA BE00KS' OWN STORY. Frwn the itKTJl Monlrfral Iteriwr. According to your request I will tell )ou a few of my activities In West Ham mond You have probably read of my long flght extending over a year and a half, to rid West Hammcnd of a graft ring that has been assessing the Poles out of house and home for rotten improve ments which represented about "5 cents on the dollar I might run over the Inci dents briefly. I was a musician by pro fession and knew little of business or property, when I was confronted with C0,(00 worth of assessments on a little piece of property left to my mother by my father upon his death. That November, 1910, three days after the receipt of the assessments. I put my furniture In storage and with my mother came to Hammond, feeling I must do something, but not knowing where to begin. No sooner had I stepped into the town than I was aware that the streets were made of Inferior material and the workmanship was poor. In fact one street was under construction, and so raw was the poor work that the Poles were threat ening the lives of the workmen This re sulted In my Interviewing all the Inspec tors and workmen on the different Im provements and collecting evidence which i I turned over to the States attorne). who would not give me an) assistance. I have stopped election after electlcn t where the grafters tried to turn West Hammond Into a city. I have stopped rotten paving and been kicked by police men controlled by the clique and thrown Into Jail and persecuted by the friends of the grafters. I have had Judgments against me by Judges that were hired by them, and almost every Indignity waged against me, to the naming of the worst dive here, the "Virginia" buffet In spite of the grafters. I have succeeded In elect ing to office this spring an entire anti graft ticket and at the coming meeting of the board will close down all of the notorious dives In Vest Hammond. I have saved for the Poles nearly 11.000 on reductions cf overcharged assessments. I have succeeded In ousting an old clique who for jears had been grafting on the school board, and being elected mjself to the office of president This means that I will Introduce into the neglected school manual training, domestic science, free night school, free kindergarten, and a pla) ground. I have established a settlement house In Hammond. Ind. right across the State line, where the bo)s and girls have night classes, and where mothers who work can take their babies for care There are some E.009 Poles in this region, and the future looks to great aehlevemaal. r