THE STORYTELLER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 154, 20 June 1908, Page 4

THE STORYTELLER.

SNUBBING A HAN " Now, Clara, listen carefully to what X gay." " \cd, auntie." " You are nineteen vear.-> old." " Yea." " Ami you are good looking." ~ Thanks." "And you are innocent--dreadfully innocent. While 1 can Ull you what a uian is, a» suoii as 1 look into his face, yon can't tell a minister of the (10-pei from a masher. I'll are going to ,-ee your Aunt Helen at l'orl Jeller-on, L.l. " You take the tram from New iork. /t anyone at the depot looks at \ou. .-null him. You will take a chair car. If anyone looks at you, -niili him. W hen I you get to Jersey City, take the ferry - boat to i'ird street. If anyone on the boat looks at you, s,uuh him. When you laud on the other side take the cross-town car." "And if anyone looks at me, snub him," said Miss Clara. "Kxaetly. You take tiie ferry across to the lioiig Isiand depot." - And 1 suub more men." "if tiiey look at you. Once you take . - tiie l'urt--letfersou train you will be all nglit, imlesi, there happens to be a inasher alward. If there is, give him an awful itnub. Let him understand right at the start that you have been brought up as a girl should be. That is about all, and you may give my love to sister Helen anu all my nephews and : nieces."

Miss Clara Wilson, orphan, and living at Nutiey, St(., with her uncle and aunt, hail been talking of the I'ort .leirer.son visit for weeks. She had not made it sooner because her careful old aunt feared for her, and it had taken barrels and barrels of argument to finally overcome her objections.

It was not until the newspapers ha ceased for a week to publish account of the lllack Hands ami elopements an abductions that she her con-en to the niece going alone and unarnic: A tearful farewell was made, souiethiii; further said about snubbing, and tliri ■th' vouu|f lady was on her way to th depot. It- probably just happened so but it happened, nevertheless, that n sooner had she lxiardeil ttie r tiiaii she saw a young man in front of her—a young man with a grip who at once began looking tier over, but iu a re spectful way. 'Auntie told me that I run-; snuli all sueli," said the girl to herself, and at once she elevated her chin and nose and looked past the young man and ont of the window. She rather expected to see him collapoe, but he didn't. A glance fiotu the tail of her eye showed her that he was almost smiling. This would have irrit ated her if the ear had not arrived at the depot just almut that time. £he calmly descended and WMI/ Walked to the ticket window and bought a ticket for New York, lie was right behind her and ln'Uglit a ticket for the same place, lmt she did not give him a glance. She ran for the train instead, and hail just reached it when a voke at her ellniw -aid—"Excuse me, mi—, but that i- the train for Philadelphia. The one fop Ncu York is coming inr." She was dreadfully hurt, but there vas only one thing to do. She turned around and snubbed him. She did it by walking calmly past him as if he was an inhabitant of another sphere. For the next live»minutes she fondly believed that she had crushed him to a pulp, and then she found him in the chair ear.

Worse than thai, In* bait one of the *hairs next to her. Ho at nnce raise] her window lor her. and sat down like a mart anticipating a plea*ant chat. This was point! *°° lir - be made to realise that he \vas being tntibbed. Not being used to chair cars, the girl thought t?he was privileged to take a seat anywhere. There was .1 raeant chair at the further end of the car. She took itp her bag and walked down and took it.

That wan a gloriom aniib. A man ought to Ite dead within five minutes after receiving *uch a knockout. Miss Clara was Moiling to herself and thinking how good *he was to follow her aunt* advice m> when a big. bulk)' "man stopped and looked at a ticket in hi* hand, and said—"Young woman, you've got my seat, and I shall lw obliged to a.-K you to vaoAte. I alwAys get this seat if 1 can/*

She at once vacated. All the chairs had occupants now, and she hnd to retnrn to lier own. She knew that the young man was smiling, liut slit? didn't look his way.

She wouldn't even look at his feet. the Jast let him offer to pnt the window er, down! Just let him say that his watch the bad stopped and ask for the correct out time! Just let him ask if she was a 1 permanent resident of Xutlev and knew am whether her estate was up or down! I She held her breath and waited. After to a couple of minutes he lient forward fas and picked up something in the aisl" acl and held it yut and asked— pn "Beg pardon, but did you drop tin? ~p purse!" . "Yes. it was hers. In dunging chairs „v «hc had dropped it. It contained all an . her money and rwipes for sunburn and IHface bleach, and its 10-s would have u--put her in an etnlwrra--ing position. to. How could she snub a man fur taim ro ing Iter purse? Her aunt h -oi t mad;allowances for any such .cent. sn She 1 lowed coldly.;*-it there was n> •■( gnnb with it. Perbips the young man ~v wan thankful for ».h narrow escape. A. dii last he prod nee ('"a newspaper and turn- „f ed his shonjil- to her and began read- tr , me. have heard the condu<v tor te>:' her to take the ferry to 2.trd St rat when he pun-lied her railwa; j O , ticket Imt he did not suplleincnt it hll with anv advice, lie didn't even let on t(l that he Was acquainted with the streets ~ of New York. et It was as if lie realised the snub was t , waiting for him when he should offer j,i to carrv her bag from the depot to the boat He didn't dare make the olfer, (i however, and Miss Clara was hurrying on board the Ik,at when the young man c , dared to touch her ell"™ and say "Excuse me, miss, but if you wish to go to 23rd Street that is not the lmat That {foes across to Chamber- y Street. Follow me. if you please. ~ Her lKiat was 100 f.-et further up. He s1 had saved her from making a giva t mis_ take. She was angry with herselt and . with him. bn» how could she bring for- j, ward that crushing waiting snub with- ~ out seemintr ungrateful': She simp > couldn't. The most that she con hi do ,„s to turn h"r back t;> him »n the r lKiat anil pretend great interest m the scenery. She truly hoped she had seen the last of him, but she lunn't.

He took the same cross-town car. lie pat directlv in front of her. She w looking ovir his IH-ad and out ot tb_ window Mid spelling "s-n-u-L. snub to herself when a man ro-,- to Icav-_ th i»ar \t tln» moment n»* ]wk« i „n Wss Clara's Im,' from tin- floor an V as cheekily carrying it oil vd'en th« v»nn" nun rescued it. and said H>methin'ir a!»>ut fra.turitig his jaw an. lireaking his head. . . , . i lie ai-o took '!<-•«•*\ nodded to the girl. 1,1 r> . ; -widen opportunity. «•>.' I''/ ; l"l«t one. and she had fat'bi:;ll> pro.i ■- ed her aunt, but she just cou.dn. o. ■ - Tlie liest she could do wa- }" «' r '• / pves until tbey rested <><• hi- co.lir mtin and trv to l'"^" Arriving at the foot of I-'- ■- Street, she o,iened her num. h to nuk, inquiries of tie- conductor, but betor. ,|,e couhl speak the young man gind... her to the U.at. She wanted o ri«ht back to Nut lev. but the boat ki -. .Ml and landed her on the Long Mat.,!

vming: n.«n h™, * | flnrin" *lk» ntn arrn-.-. Iml n 1 lm n t~ I he rijrlrt momi'iit. «1> ' 1 n-Whritit 1 W'Opl. :»Hfl vs ' l ' " the depot it nil train. Mi- ll " 1 i;,. 111.1 followed. "V'>r an! over tried to utter a r.ls woi.Mn't. follow Wm i»'" In- v-Mil.l 1* l'"'V"V<T. H- re:,V. ; "i rent it. \ r ,i- v- '"t I'miHr..!-:: *h< ■ , va , no* r rfT'-T'"i. I.- ... ■ . of « ,y" •• I,(t W 11 ' "t'"'v" ' f;; w.-" - • v ♦aw to >.»• ; n in iMili ' , , , r, . •• '• r! >r ■ -Vr* • ' • ••"■"lnn ' , *'«n • .im? v r ; J innr.iiii? v..,, to * *■

I man who tried to get acquainted with you 5" " Yes, auntie, hut diaries is urn? of the kiud of men who nevi-r takes a snub. Hi- will probably idiuc here quite often."—Boston Globe.