The Real Adventure

nd a somewhat casual resumption of her clothes, she emerged from the gymnasium. High tim

ke the elevated, would serve to satisfy her mild hunger for adventure. And, really, she liked to be a little late for dinner. It was always pleasanter to come breezing in after

ends of her own sex or the other. But though she waved cheerful responses to their greetings, she made her stride purposeful enough to discourage offers of company. They all seemed youn

y-seventh Street, the break of the storm was obviously a matter of minutes, so she decided to ride across to the elevated-it was another mile, perhaps-rather than walk across as she had meant to do. She didn't in the least

nd moved back to the corner of the vestibule. It was frightfully stuffy inside and most of the newly received passengers seemed to agree with her that the platform was a pleasanter place to

functory cry all along. But at this crisis, his voice got a new ur

for starting the car. The obvious necessity of making room for those who'd be waiting at the next corner

he rest, Rose made

he said sharply

se he was tired at the end of a long run, perhaps because he saw some

ou pay it?"

aid, "when all those

aid truculently. "Come along! P

d I'm not going to pay it again." With

enough-not polite, to be sure, by no means chivalrous. Still, he probably put into his

e happened differently. It had been a red-letter day from the beginning, from no assignable cause an exciting joyous day, an

her. And the first thing he knew, he found both his wrists pinned in the grip of her two hands; found himself staring stupidly into a pair of great bl

o the car, he would not have pursued her. But her note-books were scattered everywhere and had to be gathered up, and there wer

she straightened up, and said, "Thank you," but without looking around for the face that went with it. The conductor's intentions were still at the focal

repeated, "or you get

what looked like a lake, and the

e which, with intuitive certainty, she associated with the gloved hand tha

ous," it said. "The young

pay it?" demand

t on at the last corner. She was here

stream of admonition somewhat sulphurously phrased, to the general effect that any one whose conc

sudden tension of big muscles; the gloved hand that had helped gather up her note-books, clenched itself into a formidable fist. The thought o

"I won't pay another fare, but of

," said th

off the car. She heard the crisp voice once more, this time repeating a number, "twenty-two-naught-five," or something like that, just as she splashed down into the two-inch lak

r," the crisp voice

but what in the world did

mitation of Niagara Falls, and the r

it for anything. It was immense! It's so confounded seldom," he went on,

d little laugh and pulled up s

she added quickly, "I don't believe it's quite so deep on t

to a lee-wall that offered, co

s the decepti

discretion was a strong one. The night was dark; the rain-lashed street deserted; the man an utterly casual stranger-why, she hadn't even had a straight look into his face. His motive in getting off the car was at least dubitable.

ht not to have done. He hadn't tried to take hold of her arm as they had splashed along through the lake to the curb. He hadn't exhibited any tenderly chi

s that I pretended to do it from principle. The real reason why I

rd!" sai

levated. It's only about half a mile to the station, but from t

e cried. "Isn't there ..

then I paid my subscription to The Maroon...." She didn't laugh audibly, but without seeing her face, he knew she smiled, the quality of her voice enriching itself somehow.... "And

Even if it wasn't on principle that you refused to pay another

uld prove that I did pay my fare, by some other passenger, you know, they'd probably think the conductor did exactly r

d been guilty at least of excessive zeal-but

ed, peering around the end of the wall. "You

m wet through now, and it'll be pleasanter to-walk a little of it off than to squeeze into that ca

you did to the conductor. I haven't the least doubt you could have thrown him off

f course! I'd like